"The principle goal of education is to create men and women who are capable of doing new things, not simply repeating what other generations have done." Jean Piaget

We all know someone who has gone to college with great aspirations to graduate within four years but then return home after their first semester or year uncertain the direction they want to go. Or we know someone who graduated and find themselves working in an area where their degree is not.  Good, bad or indifferent, this happens more than it should and I don’t have to look very far to find an example as my oldest daughter who went to college and graduated with a criminal justice degree and now works for an insurance company and loves her job.

Some might argue that the college experience prepares you for life or that one must find out on their own what is best for them. If that is the true, is it worth the thousands upon thousands of dollars in debt they become just to experience life or is it possible to prevent this?

I don’t know if we will ever be able to prevent this happening to all students but I do believe we must make every effort in our school system to provide students with a direction of a career path that best suits them. More often than not students attend a four-year institution because that is what mom and dad want or that is what their friends are doing, but in reality that is not what is best for them.  How do we help students decide what is best for them?

Starting the 2016 school year Minneapolis Jr/Sr High have assigned each 7^th-12^th grade student a career advocate.  These career advocates are four teachers who split time between their other assigned duties to work with students and their families in guiding them through these tough decisions.  We use a program called Career Cruising, which is a computerized program that gives students tools for skill and career assessments, four-year planning tools, post-secondary school and job market information, an employment guide and more.  This program also comes with a parent portal that helps parents and families explore the program and see the work their student has completed. The portal also helps parents see their student’s goals, interests, and course plans so they can provide feedback and ask questions to teachers if needed. 

Prior to completing high school, students will now have a better understanding of what career path they want to pursue.  This career path may lead them to a technical college, 2-year college, a four-year college, the military, and the workforce. 

Will we have students who change their mind about their career path? I believe we will, but our job is to not make the decision for them but to give them the tools to make informed decisions with their parents.