Dazed and Confused – General Education vs. Career Exploration

 Dazed and Confused – General Education vs. Career Exploration

Short term

Pursuing a technical certificate and not a college degree presents advantages and disadvantages for Melanie. Technical courses take a shorter duration to graduate more than a degree course. It is also cheap regarding fees paid over the whole course. Technical classes are also smaller than degree courses allowing facilitators to interact with learners more.

The technical course allows Melanie to secure employment soon after graduation. She will also work with assistance to help improve her skills. Melanie will start earning sooner before her degree counterparts. She will also have practical knowledge in her field of specialization.

Long run

Long term effects also have benefits and perils for Melanie. She will have the opportunity to further her education later since she has started earning. It also becomes easier for her to choose the correct path since she has amassed practical knowledge in her career. In the long run, she will have more working experience than her degree counterparts.

The long-run also disfavors Melanie in many ways. Her earning will be lower than that of degree graduates. She will also work under the supervision of others, thus limiting her critical thinking. Her chances of promotion are also compromised by technical degree as compared to degree qualifications.

The possibility of attaining both her career interests and a college degree presents the most significant advantages to Melanie. Achieving the feat is, however, challenging not only in her case but many other scholars. She can apply various techniques to achieve a balance between the two competing needs. One of the tactics employed would include purposefully managing her time, responsibilities, and priorities. She would thus focus on attaining short term technical qualifications as it takes a shorter duration.

Following success in the technical qualifications, she can pursue a part-time degree course as they take a shorter duration, especially for learners with other specialized knowledge. She can also attain the same feat by securing robust support from her family and other professionals who would help her with advice and other means to accomplish the two goals. She also requires to take care of her physical and mental health to avoid burnout often associated with intense routines.

The story of Melanie resonates with many other students. Some may want to attain specific goals such as achieving technical certificates and later pursue degree qualification. Others are, however, forced by circumstances to pursue technical courses due to their financial abilities, among many other reasons. Students show similar challenges in the lack of proper guidance in the correct method through which they can balance their needs to attain their goals.

Some learners might lack the finances required for degree courses. They, therefore, choose to pursue a cheaper technical course that would help them secure employment and begin earning. They then use their earnings to pay for degree courses, which often takes a lot more time than students that follow through the degree program from the beginning. Learners overcome the challenge by applying the techniques discussed earlier to establish a balance between their challenges and reaching their goals.