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• From Bachelor's to Associates: Taking the Road less traveled
• Learning through Apprenticeship
• Mom Vs. Dad: Same generation, Different education

Michael is currently a senior at Pennsylvania State University.  He will graduate in May 2001 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Integrative Arts.  In the fall, Michael will continue his education at the Pennsylvania School of Technology.  In two years he will obtain an associates degree in Computer Network Administration.  Michael's chosen educational path is unique and emphasizes finding out what you like.  It is possible to combine varying interests into one field of study as Michael tells us. 

The Basics: Michael's Background

• Hometown: Centre Hall, Pennsylvania (20 minutes from Penn State University)
• Age: 23 years
• Mother: Joan obtained a bachelor's degree in education and is currently completing her masters in school psychology.
• Father: John has a bachelor's degree in horticulture and a masters in entomology.
• Michael comes from a middle class family.  His parents divorced when he was in the fourth grade and currently his father lives in Florida.  He has a younger sister who is currently a freshman at Penn State.

Where did you go to high school?

• I attended a small public high school (grades 7-12) in my hometown, nothing special.

• Overall my grade point average was a 3.0 (B).  I took mainly honors courses and Advanced Placement classes in English, history and chemistry.

• Typing I has been the most useful course during my time in college because of all the papers that I have to write.  Math prepared me for my next step into Computer Science at Penn Tech.
• As far as classes that helped me to figure out who i was, it would definitley be Band.  I played the bari-saxophone.  Also Drama, since I decided to study it in college.  The sciences also helped me to develop my analytical thinking process.

• In eighth grade we did a career development project where we researched 3 careers of interest.  One of the three careers, mechanical engineering, seemed to fit my interests and I discovered that it contained well paying jobs.  Consequently, I chose to major in M.E. when I was a freshman in college.
• Junior year I took an SAT Prep course to help me maximize my performance on the SAT's.  It was a one month course, offered after school for about $50 and wll worth it.

• I took the SAT's twice. First I received 1120 and then 1220.  My scores on the math and verbal parts were fairly equal.  I didn't take any other standardized exams for college applications.

• I don't remember receiving much help from the two guidance counselors that I had from 7th through 12th grade.  Since I grew up so close to the [Penn State] University, I was interested in going there.  My Mother helped me find resources about college since her field was school psychology.  She was familiar with methods that helped to identify my interests.

Why did you choose to go to college?

• My parents influenced me to obtain a college degree before entering the working world because they said it would increase my opportunities to receive well-paid positions.  It was the path they had taken to becoming successful and they wanted the same for my sister and me.
• Penn State was an excellent university, located close to my home (20 minutes).  The in-state tuition was relatively inexpensive and a variety of majors were offered, including the opportunity to combine majors.

• University of Pittsburgh
• University of Hartford (I received a lot of academic scholarships)

• Yes, I have an F.I.I.A. Grant, a Subsidized Stafford Loan and my mother has a Parental Plus Loan.

• I started my college career in the school of engineering with plans to major in mechanical engineering.  In the spring of my freshman year, I began taking technical theater classes and wanted to find a way to combine engineering with theater.  After talking with professors from the theater department, I decided to change my major to Theater Arts, with a focus in production.  This was not difficult since one does not actually declare his major until the end of sophomore year. 

When did you take a Leave of Absence from Penn State?

• In the fall of my junior year, I left school in order to figure out what i really wanted to do.  I was frustrated with my major and wasn't sure what I would do after graduation.
• I delievered pizzas for a semester and made some good money during my time off. 
• I was still near campus and devoted my free time to researching possible careers and alternate educations, such as a technical school.  Again, my mother was very helpful in finding out information for me during this time.  We decided that it would be best for me to complete my education at Penn State since I had already otained so many credits that would not transfer to a technical school or Art Institute.

• That spring, I decided to change my major to Integrative Arts after talking to several professors and advisers from the department.  This would mean adding on an extra year of education but I could still receive a Bachelor of Arts degree int the College of Arts and Architecture from Penn State.

• My plan is to recieve an Associates degree from Penn Tech in computers.  The tuition is cheap ($800/year) because my relative works for the school and it is only for two years.  The school has a reputation for high placement.
• My Associates degree will improve my chances of getting a job in a career with job security, unlike most postions in theater.  It is more of a backup plan, for later in my working life.

"While in High School, keep your mind open to various different careers and don't lock yourself into one decision too soon.  You really need to experience different things."

"Join clubs and various activities in college that help to shape your interests.  You may find out that these activities may become a future job."

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Interviewee:  Jason, 22 year old plumber 
 

Experience after high school

• Attended the Pennsylvania College of Technology, or Penn Tech, for one year and received his certificate in plumbing. 
• Currently going through a 5 year apprenticeship program with the Local Union #520.  Until his apprenticeship is finished, he will attend an 8 hour class one day every other week.  In this class required by the union, he learns additional skills that will help him in his career as a plumber. 

• Through a friend who also attended Penn Tech. 
• This college also visited his high school which gave him more information about their program. 

• Became interested in the trade of plumbing by hearing a friend's father speak of his job.  He thought it sounded like something he might like to do, and Penn Tech offered a certificate for plumbing, so he decided to attend. 
• He is also more of a "hands on" type of learner and Penn Tech had many opportunities for this type of learning experience.

• Enjoys his job and has learned a lot through college and his apprenticeship; however, he feels that he maybe would have like to attend a college for 4 years so he could have experienced the true "college experience". 

FYI:  The Pennsylvania College of Technology is not only a school for 1 year programs.  It offers 1, 2, and 4 year degrees in many different areas which are not all in the technical field. 

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My parents are "Baby Boomers".  They were born one month apart in the year 1944 and are each the second youngest in a family of six. That is where the similarities end. My mother who grew up in a small surburban town in Ohio, and my father grew up on a farm in Mississippi are both products of a time in America where there was much growth and prosperity in our country. The term "Baby Boomers" reflects the time when the United States experienced an "explosion" of births after American soldiers returned home from World
War II. As a result, the idea and opportunity for increased standards of living became the norm. More and more people were attending college in hopes of attaining "white collar" careers. I interviewed both of my parents on the paths they chose to follow upon graduating from high school. You will find that each of their paths took them down very different roles than they anticipated.

Thoughts/Plans for life after high school:   My dad did not know what he wanted to do with his life as a young man. He does recall that he wasn't particularly worried about it too much because he knew that he could always stay and help his father on the farm until he was ready to venture out on his own.

Actual Plans:     The Vietnam War was going on at that time and after he graduated (1962) my father was drafted and sent to combat overseas. He served one term and returned to the States in 1964. At that time he decided to move to New York City and attend John Jay College of Criminal Justice at night while working at the New York Public Library as an assitant. He remarks at how difficult it was for him during that time. He was a country boy who came to live in a big city at the age of 20 and was for the most part on his own. He had one sibling in NY at the time, his sister,  but she was already married and more established than he was. He continued on with his studies and graduated with his Bachelors of Science in 1968. He continued working at the library for another year. And in 1969 joined the New York City Police Department where he worked in Housing Authority for 20 years, retiring in June of 1989.

Personal Reflection:     My dad spoke on how he thought his life played out from high school til now. He wonders sometimes how things would be different if he had never went to college. Even, though his profession as a police officer is considered "blue collar", he needed college experience to be admitted to the police academy. He also wonders if he had taken his college degree and actually put it to more practical use, where would his life be at now. He believes that he would have attended college even if he had not set his sights on joining the NYPD, he feels that he was naturally intuned to do so. Education has always been one of his strong suits, he understands that college is not for everyone and that viable options exist for those who do not want to go that route. But, overall he feels that today it is quite hard for one to maintain and survive in this competitive world without some form of formal education, most commonly college.

Subject: Diana - Mom, age 57

Thoughts/Plans for life after high school:   My mom knew that upon graduating from high school that she was going to get a job at a local business in town. Her mother had made these arrangements by the time she entered the 12th grade. This was done because my mother's younger sister, who is the baby of the family would be completing her senior year after my mother graduated, and my grandmother had plans for them to move to NY with some relatives.

Actual Plans:  For an entire year after she graduated my mom worked in a department store in town. After her aunt graduated high school, they moved to NY to begin their lives as adults. My mother held several types of jobs, they were either secretarial or retail in nature. She did this for several years. It wasn't until 1965, that she and my aunt decided to attend college. They enrolled in part-time classes at Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn, NY. Within a year and a half, my mother received her associates degree. She got a job with a television network, WWOR-channel 09 (now the local UPN), as an assistant writer for the news briefs. My mother has always had a desire for fashion and designing, so in 1970 she got a job with McCalls Patterns as a design editor and layout specialist. She remained with them for 14 years, until 1984 she quit her job and switched "careers" to be a stay-home mother so she could spend more time with my brother and I. It is now 2001 and my mother's job is still that of a homemaker.

Personal Reflection:    My mother admits that there have been many times in her life when she seriously considered returning to the workforce. But what has stopped her is knowing that she was available and caring for her "two proudest accomplishments", my brother and I. She says that she does not regret leaving her other "career" anymore. She feels that she made very good use of the education that she received during the time that she used it. And, she feels that it was much more important to her to be available for her children during the time in their lives when she is needed the most. According to her, her best accomplishment has been having my brother and I and being around to watch and grow up. She knows that education is important to have, so that one can be self-sufficient in life, and that is why she instilled in us the importance of it at an early age. Her attitude regarding college and receiving your degree is "once you get it, no one can take it from you".

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