Career Paths That Break the Stereotypes

Want a good job?

The resounding answer--go to college--may not be the sure bet that it seems.

Popular perception holds the four-year degree in such high esteem that it is now the goal of the vast majority of high school students and parents anxious about their children’s future in a changing economy.

But to a number of educators, not to mention some unemployed college graduates, the baccalaureate-or-bust mentality does not always make sense.

College costs are rising. College attrition rates are high. Job prospects for some graduates are iffy. And not all high school students are adequately prepared for the college track, increasing their chances of trouble in the job market.

Consider this: Most jobs still require less than a four-year college degree. Nearly one in five graduates of four-year programs fail to find college-level jobs. And according to the U.S. Department of Labor, if you aren’t a student of high ability, a university education is less likely to pay off.

If academics aren’t your strong suit, there is another way.

Public and private trade schools can often put people to work faster, and for comparable or even better pay.

The stepchild of the education system, vocational education is waging “a tremendous battle against stereotypes,” said Paul Plawin, spokesman for the Assn. for Career & Technical Education. It has suffered cuts in public funds, and is held in low public esteem relative to the university path.

But don’t be fooled. Technical degrees can land trainees well-paying, secure jobs at a fraction of the time and cost of a university degree.

That is not to say one shouldn’t try for the highest degree one can earn, Plawin said. Rather, it’s a reason to rethink how to approach education.

“All we are saying is that nobody should be rigid,” said Plawin. “We are trying to promote the idea that college and vocational [school] shouldn’t be separate tracks.”

For those unsure about the college track, Plawin suggests considering an associate’s degree or vocational certificate as a first or intermediate step on a lifelong educational path.

Many programs, such as nursing, can get you into a good-paying job quickly, and relatively cheaply. From there, higher degrees or training levels can be achieved while working, or in between work stints.

Students Benefit From Maturity

Many students who do not shine in school early may find they do better as returning students, with more experience, focus and maturity, educators say.

Just a quick scan through the American Vocational Assn.’s book, “High Wage, High Skill Jobs,” comes up with a host of career paths that pay solidly middle-class wages, often with two years of schooling or less.

They include construction and building inspectors averaging annual wages of $33,700, computer and office machine technicians at $32,000, library technicians at $30,000, restaurant and food service managers at $30,000, and physical therapy aides at $24,000 to $30,000.

There are also respiratory therapists at $33,000, welders at $25,000 to $40,000, heavy equipment mechanics at $31,800 to $50,000, paralegals at $32,900, dental hygienists at $37,950, and machinists at $28,600 to $60,000.

Certificates earned in just 18 months or less can, on average, yield an earnings gain of 28% for those who complete them, according to the California Community College Chancellor.

Average income three years out of college for those who hold vocational certificates in California is $28,000, a healthy leap forward for those trapped in low-wage unskilled work.

Good Jobs Available

The truth about the trades is quite different from popular perception, said David Schlessinger, director of automotive programs at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College.

Take auto body repair. “Our good ones are out there earning $60,000 a year within three or four years as independent contractors in shops,” he said.

“There has always been a reservoir of people not suited to strictly academic work,” he added. “What the hell would we do without them?”

Brad Ward, vice chairman of the Small Manufacturers Assn. of California and a manufacturing consultant, gives the example of his son, who is an attorney in a posh downtown office:

The son makes good money. But the information technology specialists who work on the computers in his office make more--and are younger. Such jobs “aren’t just alternatives,” said Ward. “They are superior alternatives.”

College Graduates Take Trade Courses

No wonder that in community colleges across the country educators are noticing a phenomenon that Plawin calls “reverse transfers.”

This refers to four-year college graduates who return to community colleges or trade schools for additional training.

Whether they are enrolled in a full-scale technical program or just taking a few classes, the trend shows the value of not thinking of academic and vocational tracks as being exclusive, Plawin said.

Anushka Seneviratne, 20, a student in an automotive technologies program at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College, see the bachelor’s and vocational degrees as complementary.

Seneviratne is earning a vocational certificate in auto mechanics as the first step toward a four-year degree in mechanical engineering. “I’ll know more this way,” he said. Eventually, he wants to design engines.

For Seneviratne, the vocational path is both more economical and practical than the straight four-year route. Auto mechanics is likely to land him a good job with only two years invested. And in the long term, he believes he will be a more sophisticated engineer with hands-on training.

What are the best opportunities in vocation education?

Look first to the manufacturing and medical fields, suggests Clifford Migal, of the Assn. for Career and Technical Education, and chief executive of the Great Oaks Institute of Technology and Career Development in Cincinnati.

Hot manufacturing fields include anything related to computer-assisted design and computer engineering, he said.

“Even lathe technicians--once you have that, you can move up quickly,” he said. “Anything in that arena is fast-growing and the jobs are plentiful.”

In medical fields, nursing can yield some of the best rewards of any occupation as measured in terms of pay--$40,000 and up--job security, mobility and perhaps most important, the opportunity to build on one’s education.

Especially in California, nursing is likely to remain hot for years to come.

The state has one of the lowest ratios of nurses per capita in the country, according to a survey conducted by the Institute for Social Research at Cal State Sacramento. The state also faces a worsening nursing shortage over the next 12 years as huge numbers of nurses retire.

“It’s a big concern,” said Usrah Claar-Rice, a nursing education consultant for the state Board of Registered Nursing. “We didn’t have enough nurses to start with.”

Nurses with bachelor’s degrees and high-level specialties are especially in demand. For nurses with associate’s degrees, there are many programs to help them get their bachelor’s degrees once registered.

UCLA even has a new program that allows working nurses with two-year degrees to go straight into a three-year master’s degree program that can propel them into the ranks of nurse practitioners, boosting their pay by $20,000 to $30,000 a year, said Marie Cowan, dean of UCLA’s nursing school.

“Technology has just mushroomed in health care, so there are all these different positions,” she said.

Within medicine, there are numerous specialties below nursing: licensed practical nurses, who work under the supervision of a registered nurse; radiology technicians; medical assistants; medical records technicians; pharmacy technicians; dental assistants; veterinary technologists and lab technicians--and the list goes on.

If neither medicine nor manufacturing appeals, there are plenty of other hot fields that require less than a bachelor’s degree.

In California, security and police work is a fast-growing field. Officer Frank Ramirez, an LAPD recruiter, said the department is in the process of trying to find hundreds of new recruits for its Police Academy, searching across several states.

The academy is selective. But those who do well can start at $40,000 a year and move up, making administration of justice one of the highest-paying community college degrees.

Like nursing, those who choose to continue their education and get bachelor’s degrees can earn even more, said Ramirez. Police agencies are also now putting a premium on military experience, he said.

Possibilities in the Garment Industry

Los Angeles’ enormous garment industry also has its share of promising trades. The popular view of poorly paid sewing machine operators overlooks a number of relatively well-paying skilled trades in these industries, including pattern making, cutting and design work.

Office jobs and secretarial work are also areas in which people can quickly move up the salary scale if they are willing to learn while they work.

“At the high end, office executive assistants make $40,000 a year plus,” said Sonia Cvitanovich, a strategic business partner manager for Manpower Inc. “There is also an evolving area of project assistants, people using multimedia to do presentations, earning in the high $30,000s to low $40,000s.”

Planning Is Essential

Be aware, though, that choosing a vocation is no longer an alternative to learning the basics. In all vocational fields, there’s a growing premium on academic and skills such as communication and working in groups.

The backyard mechanic and the illiterate factory worker are quickly being thrust to the economic margins. Today’s vocations require good reading, writing, proofreading and computational and speaking skills, as well as technical training.

The best advice for those seeking to move up in any trade, said Robbie Savage, a career specialist with Choice Personnel in Los Angeles, is “pay attention in high school. That’s No. 1.”

Beyond that, know what you are good at, and choose six or eight career possibilities to focus on before launching your post-secondary education, Plawin said.

Most of all, he said, “think about, ultimately, what are you going to do? How are you going to maintain your lifestyle?” Most people wait until after college, he said, adding: “Think about it earlier.”

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Community College Graduates’ Pay, Picks

Community college graduates earn most in fields related to criminal justice, computers and health care, according to California Community

Colleges. On the right are the most popular areas of study for occupational students in community colleges.

Top Median Annual Earnings by Job Specialty in California’

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Administration of justice* $40,333 Construction management $39,042 Computer information science $36,503 Nursing $35,523 Radiology technology $34,976 Electronics $33,226 Fire control $32,142 Aeronautical technology $29,627 Drafting technology $26,913 Dental technology $25,069

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Most Popular Jobs by Certificates Earned in California 1996-97

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Nursing 2,609 Administration of justice* 1,721 Child development 1,414 Fire control safety 1,402 Electronics 1,019 Secretarial studies 1,016 Accounting 932 Computer data process 681 Medical assistant 659 Business management 658

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* Includes law enforcement, courthouse occupations

Jobs with Greatest Projected Growth in L.A. County

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Averages Percentage Job 1995 2002 change General managers, top executives 108,260 123,000 14 Waiters/waitresses 57,000 71,220 25 Guards 42,910 55,830 30 Secretaries 89,640 100,770 12 Sewing machine operators 61,660 72,700 18 Retail salespeople 107,450 116,970 9 Cashiers 72,750 81,780 12 Teacher aides 34,810 43,230 24 Systems analysts 14,370 22,260 55 Janitors, cleaners (excluding maids) 49,320 56,990 16 General office clerks 114,730 122,170 7 Secondary school teachers 29,370 36,280 24 Food preparation workers 42,380 49,270 16 Receptionists 39,040 45,770 17 Marketing, advertising, p.r. managers 24,730 31,050 26 Registered nurses 55,620 61,640 11 Sales representatives 45,090 51,070 13 Elementary school teachers 37,730 43,400 15 Assembly workers, fabricators 40,840 45,860 12 Financial managers 31,910 36,910 16

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Source: Employment Development Department