Selecting school
A mother wrote to me: “After reading your blog, I want to make sure my children will have good jobs in the future. My son will go to college next year and my daughter in the next two years. I need help in choosing the right university and the right training program. Please advise.”
Answer: I have written many articles about selecting school and fields of study. Since you asked, I summarize them as follow: “You and your children need to discuss which field of study that they are interested in. Currently, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) are the best fields to study, but these are very broad areas, so you and your children need to narrow down to a few fields. It is important to make sure that the field they select will help them meet their career objectives. If they want to build a good career with the higher-paying job, it is important to choose fields of study that have high demand such as Computer Science, Software Engineering, or Information System Management which may be more practical than general studies, literature, or arts.”
“You need to develop a list of universities that your children want to attend and investigate carefully to make sure the schools provide the up to date training program with acceptable levels of quality. You may ask questions about the university’s ownership to make sure your children do not fell victims to schools that focus on making money for the owners but not providing quality education. This is not easy, but it is important to know all you can about the university that you select. The best indicator is to look at the number of their graduates that are working in jobs relating to their field of study. You need to make sure that the degree program your children select offers relevant and up-to-date curriculum to ensure that when the graduate, they will have the real-world skills employers need.
“You need to ask: Will my training and degree prepare my children for a career in the industry? Or help them to advance to higher levels? Does the school have qualified teachers who can help them to learn more? Are the training program up to date? Will their degree be accepted by companies? It is important to learn more about the school’s students after earning their degrees. Ask for information about their employments and ask students who are currently enrolling.
A college education is a serious investment for the future. Selecting the right field of study, the right school, the right training program is the right thing to do. You and your children must spend more time to investigate carefully before making a decision.
Sources
- Blogs of Prof. John Vu, Carnegie Mellon University
