Non-College Grads Need Better Job Advice

Non-College Grads Need Better Job AdviceNon-College Grads Need Better Job AdviceNon-College Grads Need Better Job AdviceChanelle Schneider (pictured) runs the blog There From Here, where she writes on career and life advice for Generation Y with a specific focus on those older GenYers who have yet to graduate from college. You can also find her on Twitter under WriterChanelle, directing discussions on GenYChat with the GenYChat handle, and writing for Examiner.com as the DC Social Media Examiner.The Census reports on the level of education attained by adults age 25 and older. Our elderly population grew up in a time when education attainment was typically lower, and college attendance was less widespread. As this population is succeeded by younger and increasingly well-educated cohorts, the percent of the population that has attained higher levels of education slowly increases. elend only has the number of diplomas and degrees increased, but their percentage in the population has als o increased, indicating a growth in attainment greater than the relative growth in national population. CensusScope (see chart below)Educational Attainment in Population25 Years and Over, 1990-20001990% of total2000% of totalTotal populationage 25+158,868,436100182,211,639100Less than 9th grade16,502,21110.3913,755,4777.55Some high school,no diploma22,841,50714.3821,960,14812.05High school graduate *47,642,76329.9952,168,98128.63Some college, no degree29,779,77718.7438,351,59521.05Associate degree9,791,9256.1611,512,8336.32Bachelors degree20,832,56713.1128,317,79215.54Graduate or professional degree11,477,6867.2216,144,8138.86* High school graduate includes people with G.E.D. and other equivalentsMore people may be getting degrees and becoming well-educated, but the number of people aged 25 and over who attended college but didnt graduate also increased 2.31% from 1990 to 2000, going from 18.74 percent to 21.05 percent. As this country continues to support the elendion that a colleg e degree is the minimum qualification for being hired, people are trying and failing to complete their degrees in the standard four years. This is a significant problem. (Analysis of the 2010 census data is still taking place, but estimates from 2009 suggest similar numbers.)Thankfully, the data from 2009 shows improvement for non-degree holders. However, those with bachelors degrees are beginning to outpace the non-degreed. With more people attempting college but not completing it, there is certain to be a rise in unpaid student loan debt. A non-grad who pursues a degree but cant list a completion date on their resume is just as un-hirable to many employers as someone with a high school diploma who never went to college. So, many people are beginning to wonder just what the value of a college education is. Should we go tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt just to learn what only college can teach us about life? Is it worth the everyday stress of calls from bill collecto rs later?Many experts offer advice on what people in this situation can do to improve their chances at starting a career. Sometimes this advice is good. Most times, the advice looks like thisThe top 5 highest paying occupations without a college diploma are as follows1. Air Traffic Controller 2. Funeral Director 3. Operations Manager 4. Industrial Production Manager 5. Transportation ManagerGo back to school when your lack of education becomes a roadblock, offers Kim Isaacs, Monster Resume Expert.Some employers (and most recruiters) will screen you out (if you dont have a degree or never attended college), say Katharine Hansen and Randall S. Hansen of the blog QuintCareers.com. But if you have succeeded in the past without educational credentials, your professional accomplishments will likely be enough to propel you to an interview.But what should people do if their prior success has been in jobs in which they dont have relevant experience? For instance, can people in their twenties be air traffic controllers after spending their summers not working internships because they needed money? Can they hold management positions without prior experience in management?There arent many articles that offer advice on how to start a career that will lead toward unterstellung high-paying positions. Non-graduates need better advice on the followingWhat to do if you cant afford to go back to schoolHow applicant tracking systems see the education section of resumesEntry-level jobs or paid internships that lead to these high-paying careersWhat is not helpful are articles that claim you dont need a degree to be a transportation manager, only to find another article that says you do, such as this from wiseGEEKIf you plan to become a transportation manager in the United States, you will usually need to have earned a bachelors degree.