I posted this in May of 2010, and wanted to repost it with the update:
Our youngest child graduated from college this past weekend bringing much joy to our family. He goes out looking for a job in an economy that offers many challenges. Yet we are hopeful because he does have that bachelor’s degree, and it is in engineering, a field that has survived the recession more so than many others.
Our family has sacrificed to help put our four children through college, but we feel it is worth it. Statistics show that having a college degree still makes a major difference in job opportunities. It does not guarantee a good life, but it opens the door to many possibilities that would not be there without the degree. We feel this is an important step for our son.
It takes self-discipline and commitment to complete a degree. Further training may be needed, but employers know the job candidate can handle it and benefit from it. Life-long learning is not just a phrase anymore, but a fact of life in the workplace.
We are proud of our son for all his hard work and determination. We wish him well in his journey in life. He still will have to work hard at finding a job, but he has the skills to do so. That gives his dad and me great confidence.
There are many avenues to a college degree, and I encourage anyone with the desire for a college education to investigate all the possibilities, including community college, the military, and co-op work/study programs at colleges. Many employers will pay for some of your costs of education as well. You are never too old to keep learning. Indeed, many think that your brain starts to deteriorate the day you stop trying to learn something new.
Maggie says
femmefrugality, we were so happy too! The support of a loving family does have a basic effect on kids. I think it gives them the confidence to do well when they have that base. Ours also knew that they had to make it on their own once they graduated from college.
We would have helped them if they were in dire straits, but we didn’t talk about that. This son tells us that it feels good to be taking care of himself, all by himself. That was always our goal, for our kids to be self-sufficient and able to take care of their own families. We help them out as best we can with baby-sitting, fixing things, and sometimes home improvements. The first 3 kids own their own homes, but this last one still rents. I’m glad of that! It’s the best thing at his age & stage in life.
Thanks for your comment & stopping by, ff!
Maggie says
KC, that’s so true. We tried to get our kids to go to the best schools we could afford to help their job prospects. That meant good state schools. Also this son had heard you needed at 3.0 GPA to get a job in engineering, so that motivated him a lot. He was able to bring it up to that level. Since the school had a good reputation in engineering that helped too.
While working at Home Depot he met plenty of college grads who had given up finding a job that would use their degrees. They had stopped sending out resumes. He was determined to not fall into that kind of situation. I’m sure there was some luck involved also.
femmefrugality says
So glad things worked out for him! It sounds like he made a good choice when he decided the field he was going into. Having a loving, supportive family doesn’t hurt either :p
krantcents says
Great News! It is difficult even for the most qualified candidates because so many are unemployed.