The conventional wisdom is that we live in a knowledge economy with an ever-growing need for skilled workers. The assumed passport into the knowledge economy has been a college degree; with that piece of paper you would get a good job and live a middle class lifestyle or better.

While vocational careers are available to those without a college degree, those careers have been perceived as “inferior.” Unfortunately, in today’s economy, these beliefs do not conform to reality and can contribute to unnecessary hardship.

This whitepaper will provide insights into the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data that will:

• Enable parents and students to make better decisions about postsecondary education
• Help parents, educators and lawmakers understand the risks and the likely returns in the form of graduation, earnings and career success from secondary education pathways
• Demonstrate the important opportunity parents have to maximize their children’s potential by helping them make good post-secondary educational choices

Check out this new analysis of federal data that provides insights to parents and prospective students about how to choose educational paths that will lead to well-paying jobs.

Please send questions, comments and requests for presentations to prepare4future@uti.edu.