The “Special Needs” of Unfocused Kids:
An Adverse Economic Impact that Begins in High School and Lasts a Lifetime
Many teens go to college because they have no idea what they want to do or what options are available…and many drop out. Many academically average students, seeing no other alternatives, head off to a two or four-year college, despite being academically and/or emotionally ill prepared. About 70% of high school graduates enter college each fall, but only 30% of them are predicted to earn a college degree.
According to Suzy Wakefield, author of “Unfocused Kids” (Eric Clearinghouse on Counseling and Student Services, 2004), detachment, lack of hope, and lack of motivation may affect as many as 40% of high school students. Many become “phantom kids”, who get lost in the system and do not make a claim to their right for career education. The “worst case” scenario, over ten percent of high school graduates in 2002, (10.3%) did not go to college and are unemployed.
Unemployability is Exacerbated by Uncertainty
More than one out of ten (12.3%) of college graduates say they “just sort of drifted into their major:
28% changed their majors once
18% changed majors two or three times
2% changed majors four or more times.
A total of 48% change majors at least once.
While being undecided about a major is not in and of itself a problem during college, the lack of decision about a student’s career options ultimately complicate the discouraging employment prospects. There will be 57 jobs requiring a college degree for every one hundred students who earn one. And there will be an oversupply of about 300,000 college graduates who will find it necessary to enter occupations that do not demand a four-year college degree.
Most college students aspire to the professional ranks, yet professional work is only 20% of all employment in the US. And less than 5% aspire to technical careers, which is the fast-growing segment of high-skills employment in the economy.
Parents Can Help Support Guidance Counselors (If They Learn How)
Public school guidance counselors have an average 450-550-student caseload. For college counseling, there is an average 654 students for every advisor. According to the National Association of College Admissions Counselors, the result is that the average public school counselor can devote one hour per year per student to college counseling.
Over eight percent (83%)of parents said planning or their child’s future college or work is the most important of 19 topics about which they would most like information.
Nearly 80% (78%) of students believe that their parents are primarily responsible for helping plan for a career or job. Friends (1 in 3), not counselors (1 in 10), are the most common source of information about the institution they attend.
Yet, two-thirds of college graduates say they had to figure out their career choices on their own. Nearly half (46%) says that no one, outside of school, has advised them on career options or options to further their education.
My mission is to empower youth with: - The knowledge about career possibilities, and the education and training needed to attain them - The creative-thinking and emotional skills that make for good career decisions and which employers prefer; - And the resilience needed to flourish in life.
