Author: Janice M. Tkaczyk, M.Ed., CAGS, National Director Counselor and Academic Relationships at Universal Technical Institute
It’s only January, but the end of the school year will be here before you know it. And with the end of the school year comes a crossroads for many students. While a majority of graduating seniors are ready to pack up and head to college, many others are still figuring out what they want to do with their lives post high school. It can be a trying time for students who are unsure what type of career they want to pursue or success they want to achieve. It’s likely that several of these students are sitting in your computer science (CS) lab right now, and it’s time to start talking to them about their options.
Not every student wants to attend college, and more specifically, not every CS student wants to be a computer engineer. A four-year degree is not the only way to an in-demand career in a high-tech industry, yet many students are simply unware of the good-paying technical jobs that exist today. Students who chose to enroll in CS courses, which are typically not required to graduate, do so because they have a passion for technology and problem solving. We need to embrace this passion by providing students with the tools and resources they need to make smart decisions about their futures to pursue a career that will lead to long-term success, and we must start including options that do not require a four-year degree.
Post-secondary technical education is a smart option for many students. It provides them with the skills they need for in-demand careers, including those in the manufacturing, health care and transportation industries. Technical schools offer practical, high-tech and industry-specific training that is simply not available in many traditional academic settings. For example, Universal Technical Institute (UTI) prepares students for long-term and rewarding careers in the transportation industry. These jobs are in-demand, pay well, can’t be outsourced and offer plenty of opportunities to move up. UTI has a single goal: to give students an education that sets them up for a successful career.
And now you might be thinking, “What does this have to do with computer science?”
There’s long been a stigma that a career in the transportation industry is a “dirty” job. While this was true decades ago, the modern day repair shop is more like a high-tech computer lab than you may think.
The high-end cars of today have more than 40 sensors and 50 computers all interacting as we drive. The sophisticated network in our car doesn’t just give us a warning when we’re encountering a crash, it fully applies the brakes, rolls up the windows, tightens the seatbelts, closes the sunroof and adjusts the seats to a safer position – all because one system can talk to the entire car. But that’s just one element of the sophisticated computer systems in today’s vehicles. Advanced technologies also help clean up car emissions. With fuel injection, a closed loop feedback system and our newest catalytic converters todays cars turn CO, HC, and NOx into CO2 and H2O. This gives us better performance, lower emissions and good fuel economy. Pretty impressive, and it takes a highly skilled technician to know how to maintain and fix these sophisticated systems. Yesterday’s mechanic is today’s service technician.
At UTI, students learn on the latest high-tech vehicles, and our curriculum is rooted in STEM and presented in practical ways that work for hands-on learners. We have partnerships with more than 30 manufacturers to deliver an education that’s built around employers’ needs and gives our students the technical and professional skills it takes to be successful in today’s transportation industry. While many college graduates are competing for a handful of jobs in their field or moving back home, transportation service technicians are in demand.
It’s time to empower students who are fluent in technology, geniuses at fixing things and action-oriented to make decisions about their future that will lead to success and happiness. For too long, we’ve pressured students to take the “right” path – attend college, earn a degree and land a good job. But as educators, we know that there is not a one size fits all approach for every student. We need to help students who have a passion for technology and mechanics, but perhaps don’t excel at book learning, pursue a career that makes them happy and leads to a lifetime of success.
Janice M. Tkaczyk, M.Ed., CAGS, is the National Director for Counselor and Academic Relations at Universal Technical Institute. She spent 35 years in public education, 30 as the Guidance Director at a regional, technical high school. She has been professionally active at the local, state and national levels and is an Adjunct Professor at UMass Boston in the Master’s Program for professional school counselors.
