Dear Mr. President,
We pay a lot of money in the United States to go to college and for some there was no real reason to go to college at all. If the fact that we pay for college here continues to be the case, why not re-structure the way that colleges and universities work. Colleges should be preparing their students for the real world. Instead, they shelter them in this bubble where they are provided food, lodgings, and education, and social outings for a steep price.
While in college a student feels safe and like they are ready to take on the world when they leave, however, when they leave, many are unable to find a job within their field and end up working a job that they don't like which forces them to either be depressed because they dislike their job, or to constantly change jobs because they are unable to find something that they like.
Here is my proposal. What if college programs were more focused. They first year of college and student spends figuring out what they want to do for a job. They work with a career counselor throughout the year and they figure out what their top 10 possible job choices would be based on career assessments, personality, and skill set. Then they would be set up with shadow sessions to actually follow someone that does that job around for a few days, and see if it is something they would actually want to do. If they decide that is the job for them, then the college would set up an internship where they can actually do that job, while taking their preliminary classes. This way, they would not only be absolutely sure about the route they decide to take, but they would also have experience right out of college. So many jobs require years of experience before they hire someone, and because of this, people leave college with thousands of dollars of debt and aren't even using their degrees.
College is a place of discovery, why aren't we training our students to actually be prepared to handle the real world, by giving them the information and experience they need in regard to their chosen fields, and no only that, give them more than one choice. Have them trained in their top 5 job choices, so that if they are unable to find a job in choice number one, they can move on to choice number 2 and so on.
College is expensive. Let's make it a worthwhile tool that can carry students into a happier future for all.
Thank you for your time,
Sincerely,
Amanda
