ADVISOR TO ADVISOR TESTIMONIALS

“As a counselor for the last 35 years, both at high school and college, I know that the push for every student to achieve a four-year college degree sets many students up for failure and gives them a false impression of the job market. Education, in and of itself, is no guarantee of employment. I would rather see counselors and advisors emphasize skills rather than education. The translation to the job market is better.”

– Pete Townsend, Counselor, Idaho

“Almost every student and their parents come to me at the beginning of the school year and tell me their goal is to go to college. In the past, I’ve always accepted that as the final word and focused on preparing the student to pass college entrance exams. I’m not doing that anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I want my students to get a good education, but they are not carbon copies of each other. Welding presents a variety of opportunities—college included—but, students also have the option of getting a well-paying career after graduation if they choose. Now that I know about the choices in the welding profession, I’m keeping an open mind when I meet with parents and students.”

– Angela Smith, Counselor, New York

“After 20 years as a high school counselor, I’ve become aware of the fact that the job market is completely different these days. My school’s administrators get constant pressure from the business community to train students to take on jobs as an auto mechanic, air conditioning repairperson, and welder. They tell us that they can’t find skilled workers for those jobs, even though some of them pay triple the minimum wage. In fact, I read somewhere that if this trend continues, welders and technicians will soon be making more money than doctors. Well, I’m convinced. I’ve started steering students toward career and technical schools and they’ve thanked me for it.”

– Darren Johnson, Counselor, California