Education Possibilities

#1 · June 30, 2023, 9:49 am

Quote from Luke Stensland on June 30, 2023, 9:49 am
For some of us, the whole education path has been created for us by our parents. Some of us have had guidance and information on what good careers are available and how to get there. For everyone else, we've been left to figure it out for ourselves. For me personally, I never had a set goal for a career. I never had a strong calling to any type of job, didn't know what was available, and how to get there.

For people like myself, I was left to search for random job openings, taking whatever I could find that I was pretty sure I could do. After high school, I felt I had two options: find a decent paying job, or go into the military. I was close to joining the military, but was lucky enough to get a job with my dad, installing network cabling and phone systems. The experience in that job and the traveling that was included, allowed me to have a better view of what careers were available. I was able to watch other trades, learn about their jobs and how much they make. Looking back with the information I have now, I would have made different decisions, as is with any situation in life. But, I do wish I had known about the possibilities available with higher education.

Without having a set career goal in mind, made the idea of going to college seem ridiculous. What would I go to school to learn about, if I did not know what career I was working toward? If I did know what I wanted to go to school for, how would I pay for it? I could barely afford my housing and bills, working full time. Things were different back then, too. At that time, the internet was just getting started, and there were no online schools. Everything was done on campus, on their schedule.

Currently, I am enrolled in Western Governor's University (WGU), working on my bachelor's degree, online, on my time. Since I had been working in the telecommunications and information technology fields my entire life after high school, with no degrees or certifications, I was worried that if I ever lost my job I would have a hard time finding a new one. I would be competing with younger people that most likely have degrees and certifications. While I try to do my best at my job and doubt I will get fired, you never know what life will give you.

After searching the internet and trying to decide which school to go to and what to go to school for exactly, I talked to a couple people about it. I was referred to WGU by a couple of people. I contacted WGU, talked to one of their counselors, discussed the best degree to get for my situation and goals, and was guided on the process of applying for financial aid. Getting to this point was kind of tricky. It's hard to know how to go about getting started correctly, which schools are good and which ones are not, without some kind of guidance. I was lucky to have knowledgeable people to discuss this with and guidance to get where I am now.

Understanding the process of how to get started in a school of higher education, for me, was difficult without some kind of instruction. There are obstacles that can make it seem like college is not an option for you at this point in your life. However, sooner than later, I would suggest looking into higher education if all you have is a high school diploma. Even if you don't have a high school diploma, it's not the end of the world. Get your GED by contacting your local community college, then move on to looking into college or a trade school, depending on your goals. My experience with WGU has given me much more than just education in the classes I have attended. This has opened my mind to a vast amount of new possibilities and ideas. I am now motivated to continue in my current career, but also branch out in my own direction with new information.

Whatever your goals, talking to a college counselor about the possibilities of a college degree is a great place to start. They can help remove the obstacles you thought were there, and work around the ones that are there. A college degree will never hurt your possibilities of getting a good paying job, and will almost always help.

For some of us, the whole education path has been created for us by our parents. Some of us have had guidance and information on what good careers are available and how to get there. For everyone else, we've been left to figure it out for ourselves. For me personally, I never had a set goal for a career. I never had a strong calling to any type of job, didn't know what was available, and how to get there.

For people like myself, I was left to search for random job openings, taking whatever I could find that I was pretty sure I could do. After high school, I felt I had two options: find a decent paying job, or go into the military. I was close to joining the military, but was lucky enough to get a job with my dad, installing network cabling and phone systems. The experience in that job and the traveling that was included, allowed me to have a better view of what careers were available. I was able to watch other trades, learn about their jobs and how much they make. Looking back with the information I have now, I would have made different decisions, as is with any situation in life. But, I do wish I had known about the possibilities available with higher education.

Without having a set career goal in mind, made the idea of going to college seem ridiculous. What would I go to school to learn about, if I did not know what career I was working toward? If I did know what I wanted to go to school for, how would I pay for it? I could barely afford my housing and bills, working full time. Things were different back then, too. At that time, the internet was just getting started, and there were no online schools. Everything was done on campus, on their schedule.

Currently, I am enrolled in Western Governor's University (WGU), working on my bachelor's degree, online, on my time. Since I had been working in the telecommunications and information technology fields my entire life after high school, with no degrees or certifications, I was worried that if I ever lost my job I would have a hard time finding a new one. I would be competing with younger people that most likely have degrees and certifications. While I try to do my best at my job and doubt I will get fired, you never know what life will give you.

After searching the internet and trying to decide which school to go to and what to go to school for exactly, I talked to a couple people about it. I was referred to WGU by a couple of people. I contacted WGU, talked to one of their counselors, discussed the best degree to get for my situation and goals, and was guided on the process of applying for financial aid. Getting to this point was kind of tricky. It's hard to know how to go about getting started correctly, which schools are good and which ones are not, without some kind of guidance. I was lucky to have knowledgeable people to discuss this with and guidance to get where I am now.

Understanding the process of how to get started in a school of higher education, for me, was difficult without some kind of instruction. There are obstacles that can make it seem like college is not an option for you at this point in your life. However, sooner than later, I would suggest looking into higher education if all you have is a high school diploma. Even if you don't have a high school diploma, it's not the end of the world. Get your GED by contacting your local community college, then move on to looking into college or a trade school, depending on your goals. My experience with WGU has given me much more than just education in the classes I have attended. This has opened my mind to a vast amount of new possibilities and ideas. I am now motivated to continue in my current career, but also branch out in my own direction with new information.

Whatever your goals, talking to a college counselor about the possibilities of a college degree is a great place to start. They can help remove the obstacles you thought were there, and work around the ones that are there. A college degree will never hurt your possibilities of getting a good paying job, and will almost always help.