What's In It For You?

Essay written for a national ACTE competition.

"Gaining the skills necessary to succeed in the 21th century" - sounds appealing, but many people still imagine vocational education as learning how to properly hold a broom. Students like me, who actually attend Career and Technical Education classes (CTE), at facilities such as the Columbia Career Center in Missouri, have a different story to tell. By providing the knowledge, time, and equipment necessary, CTE gives high school students, a powerful start in the pursuit of their future careers.

The world is moving forward every day and we too must progress to maintain our competitive edge. As we become more and more dependent on technology many career areas, like photonics and network administration, are growing rapidly. Individuals who choose these career paths will find themselves in a job market where the demand will exceed the supply for many years to come.

Higher qualifications will give you the opportunity to earn more money as you begin to work in your later life. If you are able to learn about things that until recently were reserved for college students, later on you will able to choose more advanced classes, and graduate better prepared for your future job. Take for example the Network Administration classes I am enrolled in. After four semesters I will receive the CCNA, an internationally recognized certificate proving my proficiency in network administration. Therefore, while in college, instead of studying for the CCNA exams, I will be able to work on obtaining the next level of certification, the CCNP.

The costs of the equipment that professionals in many fields must be able to operate is very high. Without CTE, students cannot acquire the hands-on skills they need. Where else can a high school student learn how to use routers, switches, or fancy CAD programs? The experience I gain at the Columbia Career Center is important to me, because it is the only chance I have to access these expensive devices and obtain real life, hands-on training.

Let's say you participated in CTE classes and graduate from college with a bachelors degree and the CCNP certificate. Sounds great, but what's in it for you exactly? Some of the rewards for your hard work include: over 10,000 dollars more on your paycheck annually, a wider degree of possible career choices and hands-on experience with technology that fundamentally has changed the way we live, do business and socialize. You can pick what's most appealing to you; I choose all. Just think about what you can accomplish. These are the real, tangible benefits that CTE gives you.

We certainly live in an exciting world of new opportunities, that wait for anyone who is willing to work hard to achieve them. Whether you want to earn a lot of money for yourself, make the world a better place, or contribute towards your community, you have to first empower yourself with the skills and knowledge necessary to achieve these goals. Career and Technical Education is a chance for you to do it.