Hi friend! We are in the middle of a blog post series on college research and how to find a good fit for your student for what they will do after high school. Click here to go to the first post! Where should they go? How do you find the right place for them?
Inspiration
I want to first look at a passage of scripture that inspires me when it comes to getting my teens ready to face the world.
2 Timothy 4:1-2
“I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.”
There are a lot of big words in the 2nd verse. Let’s look up their definitions from Merriam Webster:
Reprove – to scold or correct, usually gently or with kindly intent
Rebuke – to criticize sharply, reprimand, to turn back or keep down, an expression of strong disapproval
Exhort – to urge strongly by argument or advice, to make urgent appeals
As parents of teenagers, those three words pretty much describe US , am I right??
Now, let’s keep going to verses 3-5.
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”
Our work with our teens is a ministry. From the moment they are born until they are finally living on their own, we are doing a work of ministry with them. Part of your ministry is to help them investigate and find what could be their next step in to the future.
What does the future hold?
Now, how do we figure out where they should go?
First, we need to acknowledge:
College is not for everyone. Not everyone should or ought to go to a 4-year University. Click To TweetThere Are Many Options:
The Trade School Option:
Some need to go to a trade school. If we don’t have new blood filling our spots in the trade industry, we’re all going to be old and have problems with our AC and need welding work in our yards, have broken cars, busted pipes, and not enough workers to fix them. Especially if your student is good with their hands and not so academically-minded, they may be a perfect fit for a trade. They can get a reasonably-priced trade degree and get started working a lot quicker than going off to college and spending a bunch of money on a degree they won’t like and won’t use.
Right now at a local tech school near me called Chattahoochee Tech, students can take courses in computer, digital media, building, manufacturing and engineering technologies, professional services like barbering and cosmetology, culinary arts, nursing and health care assistants, automotive and welding.
A friend of mine has a student who is working part time in an auto shop and the owner told him he would pay for him to get his automotive certificate at Chattahoochee Tech. There is a worker in the shop who is getting paid up to $200K a year. I know another student doing the same thing in the welding industry. So if that is the right fit for your student, then go for it!
The Gap Year / Ministry Option:
Another option is to take a gap year and do ministry or mission work. If your student is burned out on school, this might be a good choice for them. At my church, I know of 3 students who have done this and spent a year serving others. I also know of two students who have been on teams going around the nation presenting dramas/worship/speeches on specific topics to groups of high school students and adults.
The Military Option:
I’ve also known of two students who have gone into the Marine Reserves. The Marines will be paying for them to finish their bachelor degree at a local university and in return, they are serving in our military.
The Specialized School Option
Another person I know is going to get his pilot’s license at a flight school. I know another student who is getting her culinary arts degree.
In conclusion, these are all great options for kids who don’t need to do the 4-year route at a public university.
So you see, not everyone is cookie cutter and needs to go straight to the same exact college. God made us each unique and we should strive to find that perfect fit for each student. And every child in your family may end up doing completely different and even opposite things. That is totally fine!
In my next post, we will begin looking at narrowing down your field of choices when it comes to a four-year university experience. Click here to go to the next post in the series!
Blessings,
Michelle