Today is Sunday, July 11. My 14-year-old granddaughter, Samantha (Sam), has now been visiting with me for 8 days. I will drive her back to her home in Madera on Tuesday, as her mother graduates from Heald College (from their paralegal program) that night in Fresno, and we are all going to celebrate.
It's a big deal, this graduating thing. For those teens who are fresh out of high school, going right into college can feel like a real drag. Unfortunately, many of these kids will 'take a break' from school and either spread their wings a bit or relax in front of their X-box. These kids probably feel like they deserve it. After all, they've worked so hard for 12 years. Ummm. Okay.
Now some of these fresh-faced kids will push on with a 'get in and get out' attitude and grab their education with an eye on making a difference--either in their own lives or someone else's. I applaud these kids (and their parents) for their stick-to-it-iveness.
But there are other things going on here. First of all, jobs, as we are all too well aware, just aren't there and aren't likely to be for some time. Even the 30-40-and-50 somethings are going back to school because they've been 'downsized.' Colleges have been flooded with people going back for their MBA or their PhD. But the majority have gone back to school to get their AA in something that is immediately employable--like computer science or cosmetology or car repair.
So what happens to those teens who decided to take a year or two or three off? The job market is vastly different from 5 or 10 years ago. Employers have discovered that they can indeed scale back and still be productive. The jobs they cut, well, they are GONE forever (at least the next 20 years or so). Also, these days an employer can pick and choose whomever they want to fill their jobs. Just because you're qualified doesn't make you employable. Employers can ask for, and get, the maximum skill set they desire, whether they need it or not.
Nope, the X-boxers will no doubt find it very difficult if/when they do go back to school, because all the (best) jobs will have gone to those who pushed on, elbowing books and hallways alongside the 30-40-50 somethings. And guess what? All these folks will be lightyears ahead of those kids who chose to take a vacation with their X-box.
For sure, there will be some X-boxers who've decided to give their thumbs a rest, or whose parents have given them an ultimatum to "get out and go to work," or who have just simply given up and are now working their way up the the career ladder at WalMart or McCheesey's. Most likely, they are married, have a child or two to support, and an income that isn't quite that super-sized, if you know what I mean.
If they are unhappy with their burger-flipping, minimum wage job, they can do little to change it now. They've exercised all their options. They've sealed their fate by closing every door between them and a successful, happy life. All they have to look forward to is rationing their little paychecks and paying bills, with no leftovers for extras. They'll have to work awfully hard to catch up.
Just try to work in a college education when you're already putting in 50-60 hour weeks and getting up for 2 o'clock feedings, or paying daycare or Grandma to babysit. Oh, and where's the 52" flat screen TV, the BMW, the grand vacations, and the personal life? THERE IS NONE.
Every society has a structure, a pecking order. Everyone will either be a worker or a leader, peck-ee or a peck-er. Education is the differentiator. It's not hard to tell who the leaders are: They went to school. The workers are ... well, they were the ones who chose to play while everyone else was off squirreling away the nuts for winter.
My daughter-in-law, Shirley, was one of those once-upon-a-time; a peck-ee. Unfortunately, life and family hardships redirected her away from her education. In the meantime, she married my son, helped him through school, raised my granddaughter, and grew a career in the court system. And she worked very, very hard to get to this day--her day.
She knows the value of education--especially one that has to be eked out in the evening hours after she'd already put in a 10-hour day job that included being there for her family. (The last 3 years have been fraught with several family emergencies, medical and otherwise. We thought she would never be able to finish!)
Even though it has been hard on everyone in the family, they've been mega-supportive. My son and granddaughter want her to take a break, too. And this time, she, if anyone, deserves it.
And you know what? Shirley's achievement has energized her to the extent that she's even thinking about getting her bachelor's degree. She said something about law ...
She's always been a leader, and she's set a great example for my granddaughter. Now she has wings, so watch out world. Here she comes!
Congratulations, Shirley!
It's a big deal, this graduating thing. For those teens who are fresh out of high school, going right into college can feel like a real drag. Unfortunately, many of these kids will 'take a break' from school and either spread their wings a bit or relax in front of their X-box. These kids probably feel like they deserve it. After all, they've worked so hard for 12 years. Ummm. Okay.
Now some of these fresh-faced kids will push on with a 'get in and get out' attitude and grab their education with an eye on making a difference--either in their own lives or someone else's. I applaud these kids (and their parents) for their stick-to-it-iveness.
But there are other things going on here. First of all, jobs, as we are all too well aware, just aren't there and aren't likely to be for some time. Even the 30-40-and-50 somethings are going back to school because they've been 'downsized.' Colleges have been flooded with people going back for their MBA or their PhD. But the majority have gone back to school to get their AA in something that is immediately employable--like computer science or cosmetology or car repair.
So what happens to those teens who decided to take a year or two or three off? The job market is vastly different from 5 or 10 years ago. Employers have discovered that they can indeed scale back and still be productive. The jobs they cut, well, they are GONE forever (at least the next 20 years or so). Also, these days an employer can pick and choose whomever they want to fill their jobs. Just because you're qualified doesn't make you employable. Employers can ask for, and get, the maximum skill set they desire, whether they need it or not.
Nope, the X-boxers will no doubt find it very difficult if/when they do go back to school, because all the (best) jobs will have gone to those who pushed on, elbowing books and hallways alongside the 30-40-50 somethings. And guess what? All these folks will be lightyears ahead of those kids who chose to take a vacation with their X-box.
For sure, there will be some X-boxers who've decided to give their thumbs a rest, or whose parents have given them an ultimatum to "get out and go to work," or who have just simply given up and are now working their way up the the career ladder at WalMart or McCheesey's. Most likely, they are married, have a child or two to support, and an income that isn't quite that super-sized, if you know what I mean.
If they are unhappy with their burger-flipping, minimum wage job, they can do little to change it now. They've exercised all their options. They've sealed their fate by closing every door between them and a successful, happy life. All they have to look forward to is rationing their little paychecks and paying bills, with no leftovers for extras. They'll have to work awfully hard to catch up.
Just try to work in a college education when you're already putting in 50-60 hour weeks and getting up for 2 o'clock feedings, or paying daycare or Grandma to babysit. Oh, and where's the 52" flat screen TV, the BMW, the grand vacations, and the personal life? THERE IS NONE.
Every society has a structure, a pecking order. Everyone will either be a worker or a leader, peck-ee or a peck-er. Education is the differentiator. It's not hard to tell who the leaders are: They went to school. The workers are ... well, they were the ones who chose to play while everyone else was off squirreling away the nuts for winter.
My daughter-in-law, Shirley, was one of those once-upon-a-time; a peck-ee. Unfortunately, life and family hardships redirected her away from her education. In the meantime, she married my son, helped him through school, raised my granddaughter, and grew a career in the court system. And she worked very, very hard to get to this day--her day.
She knows the value of education--especially one that has to be eked out in the evening hours after she'd already put in a 10-hour day job that included being there for her family. (The last 3 years have been fraught with several family emergencies, medical and otherwise. We thought she would never be able to finish!)
Even though it has been hard on everyone in the family, they've been mega-supportive. My son and granddaughter want her to take a break, too. And this time, she, if anyone, deserves it.
And you know what? Shirley's achievement has energized her to the extent that she's even thinking about getting her bachelor's degree. She said something about law ...
She's always been a leader, and she's set a great example for my granddaughter. Now she has wings, so watch out world. Here she comes!
Congratulations, Shirley!
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