Postsecondary Intentions of NC High School Graduates
The following charts illustrate the postsecondary (after high school) intentions of the Spring 2004 graduating class in all North Carolina public high schools.
| Postsecondary Intention | Graduates | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public Senior Institutions | 26,989 | 37.6 | |
| Private Senior Institutions | 7,029 | 9.8 | |
| Community and Technical Colleges | 23,746 | 33.0 | |
| Private Junior Colleges | 480 | 0.7 | |
| Trade and Business Schools | 1,575 | 2.2 | |
| Military | 2,717 | 3.8 | |
| Direct Employment | 6,591 | 9.2 | |
| Other | 2,726 | 3.8 | |
| 2004 Total HS Graduates | 71,853 | ||
| All 4-year (public & private) | 34,018 | 47.3 | |
| All 1-2 year (comm, tech, junior, trade) | 25,801 | 35.9 | |
| All Direct Employment/Military | 9,308 | 13.0 | |
Data are from the North Carolina Public Schools - Statistical Profile 2005 (www.ncpublicschools.org/fbs/stats).
Postsecondary Education Requirements for all NC Jobs
The following charts illustrate the minimum postsecondary educational requirements for all jobs in North Carolina projected to 2012. These data include only jobs that have a regular paycheck and does not include independent contractors and business owners.
| Education Level | 2002 | 2012 | 2002-2012 Annual Average | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employ- ment | % | Employ- ment | % | Openings | % | Growth | % | Replace- ments | % | ||
| Bachelor | 421,100 | 10.2 | 515,310 | 10.7 | 17,410 | 10.2 | 9,500 | 12.9 | 7,930 | 8.3 | |
| Bach+work | 188,570 | 4.6 | 226,810 | 4.7 | 7,490 | 4.4 | 3,930 | 5.3 | 3,560 | 3.7 | |
| Master | 60,480 | 1.5 | 76,250 | 1.6 | 2,910 | 1.7 | 1,590 | 2.2 | 1,320 | 1.4 | |
| Doctorate | 23,310 | 0.6 | 31,550 | 0.7 | 1,370 | 0.8 | 860 | 1.2 | 510 | 0.5 | |
| Professional | 44,170 | 1.1 | 54,790 | 1.1 | 1,760 | 1.0 | 1,070 | 1.5 | 710 | 0.7 | |
| 1,2 year | 174,200 | 4.2 | 211,280 | 4.4 | 7,310 | 4.3 | 3,760 | 5.1 | 3,600 | 3.8 | |
| Associate | 156,370 | 3.8 | 204,540 | 4.2 | 7,840 | 4.6 | 4,830 | 6.6 | 2,990 | 3.1 | |
| Short OJT | 1,500,040 | 36.2 | 1,749,730 | 36.3 | 68,450 | 40.3 | 25,390 | 34.5 | 42,140 | 44.2 | |
| Mod. OJT | 918,990 | 22.2 | 1,023,430 | 21.2 | 32,150 | 18.9 | 12,890 | 17.5 | 19,330 | 20.3 | |
| Long OJT | 317,240 | 7.7 | 339,140 | 7.0 | 10,490 | 6.2 | 4,200 | 5.7 | 6,230 | 6.5 | |
| Work exp. | 335,680 | 8.1 | 391,710 | 8.1 | 12,680 | 7.5 | 5,640 | 7.7 | 7,060 | 7.4 | |
| Totals | 4,140,150 | 4,824,540 | 169,860 | 73,660 | 95,380 | ||||||
| All 4-year | 737,630 | 17.8 | 904,710 | 18.8 | 30,940 | 18.2 | 16,950 | 23.0 | 14,030 | 14.7 | |
| All 1-2 year | 330,570 | 8.0 | 415,820 | 8.6 | 15,150 | 8.9 | 8,590 | 11.7 | 6,590 | 6.9 | |
| All OJT | 2,736,270 | 66.1 | 3,112,300 | 64.5 | 111,090 | 65.4 | 42,480 | 57.7 | 67,700 | 71.0 | |
Table Notes:
The left side of this table shows the number and percentage of jobs in North Carolina based on the usual minimum education requirements. Included are the 2002 data and the employment projections for 2012.
2002-2012 Annual Average Openings is the projected average number of annual job openings in each education category from 2002 to 2012.
2002-2012 Annual Average Growth is the projected total number of new positions added each year from 2002 to 2012. A high number indicates an expansion in the number of jobs due to industry growth.
2002-2012 Annual Average Replacements is the number of existing positions that are projected to become available each year from 2002 to 2012. A high number indicates increased retirements or high job turnover.
Data are from the NC Employment Security Commission - Labor Market Information (www.ncesc.com)
Comparing the Two Sets of Data
Comparing the data from these two charts, high school graduate intentions vs. educational requirements by employers.
| 2004 Graduate Intentions | 2012 Education Requirements | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 4-year college | 47.3% | 18.8% | |
| 1-2 year college | 35.9% | 8.6% | |
| OJT (direct employment) | 13.0% | 64.5% | |
47.3% of the 2004 NC high school graduating seniors indicated that they would go on to a Senior Institution (four-year college program) that would prepare them for 18.8% of the job openings in 2012.
If all of these seniors fulfill their intentions, then there will be approximately twice as many students pursuing a four-year degree for the number of jobs that require a four-year degree.
35.9% of the 2004 NC high school graduating seniors indicated that they would go on to a Community and Technical College, Private Junior College, or Trade and Business School that would prepare them for 8.6% of the job openings in 2012.
I believe that this is misleading since many of the jobs that require on-the-job training will include a one-or two-year degree or certificate as part of the on-the-job training. Many of our children will pursue a one- or two-year degree immediately out of high school not realizing that many employers will hire them right out of high school and send them off to get the degree or certificate when the right time has come.
13.0% of the 2004 NC high school graduating seniors indicated that they would go on to the military or direct employment, which would prepare them for 64.5% of the job openings in 2012.
It appears that two-thirds of the jobs demand nothing higher than a high school diploma, and some don't even require that.
I think that educators (I'm one too!) sometimes get caught up in educating for the sake of education, believing that more education is always better. There is a big push in the country to get first-generation college students enrolled in college. These first-generation college students are children whose parents or grandparents did not go to college, and thus they would be the first generation in their family to go to college. I'm not aaginst more education, or helping to educate children to a higher level than their parents, I'm just suggesting that maybe we have lost sight of the goal to education.
The world of work has changed considerably in the last few decades. The jobs that are in high demand today were not even known to our parents when they were young. If the trend continues as fast as it has, we soon will not be able to predict job demand more than a few years. The new careers in medical science and advances in biotechnology, nanotechnology, bioinformatics, and many other new fields are beginning to dominate the job demands.
We get most of our career information from our parents. Thus we are limited to what they know, and most parents are consumed with running a family and working a job to support it, that they have little time to do research into careers for their children. Most do not even know that this is even necessary. The last few generations have known that getting a four-year degree would guarantee a good job and a high standing in society.
Too many of our parents are still hoping that their child will get that "magical" four-year college degree. Many believe it to be the ticket to happiness, a ticket to success. Unfortunately, without quality career planning, that four-year college degree might not be worth more than the paper it's printed on.
Could it be that our parents really desire the bragging rights that comes with a child getting a college degree. Even more so with graduate degrees. Our parents incorrectly assume that they know everything they need to know about jobs, yet as educators are quick to point out, "the more you learn, the less you know." This is why our teenage children think they know everything. Yet, as they learn more over time, they realize that they were so naive. At least it is hoped that they see this.
Where Do We Go From Here?
The next generation must know the job outlooks so they can pursue a job that will actually exist when they are ready to enter the workforce. They must also be ready to be retrained when the demand in their industry wanes. Gone are the days when someone gets hired by a big company and receives a gold watch as a retirement present after forty years of loyal service. The labor market is too volatile to expect that now.Start by assessing your interests and skills. This can be done by a paper assessment or an on-line assessment. The Career Development Coordinator or School Counselor at your school should be able to help you with this. The results of the assessments will give you a place to start exploring careers.
I recommend talking to a lot of people in the industry you wish to be employed in. They are the experts. They know what jobs are in demand. They know what the working conditions are. They know what the educational requirements are. They know how to get your foot in the door. Talking to industry professionals can give you the real information that you need to make an informed decision about a career, including what kind of postsecondary education is really needed, not just which classrooms have the empty seats.
Talking to the experts can be in the form of career fairs at your school, industry tours, job shadowing, internships, or apprenticeships. It could include talking to your parents friends, adults at church, or anywhere else. You'll find that adults usually like to talk about themselves, and especially like to talk about what they do in that 40 or so hours a week they call a job.
Look at the charts in the North Carolina Career Outlook Handbook. These charts give you the basic information needed to narrow down your career search. Go back to those adults you have met and show them the careers you are considering. Are they in that field, or do they know anyone in that field? When you find someone in the field you wish to pursue, ask them to be your mentor, someone you can go to with questions about jobs in that industry and what you need to do to prepare.
The North Carolina Career Outlook Handbook shows the minimum education required for each job. Ask your adult mentor if this is correct for this area, and this particular company. Minimum education requirements can vary between companies and between geographic areas. The NC Employment Security Commission web site allows narrowing the geographic location down to a single county or a group of counties.
After securing a mentor, and arming yourself with the career outlook data, you will be on our way to planning your next steps after graduating from high school. Actually some of your planning might include what courses to take in high school that will help prepare you for your chosen career.
I wish you well in your pursuit of the perfect career for you. Find something you can feel passionate about, a career in which the work you do can make a difference in the world.
This information is from the North Carolina Career Outlook Handbook.
This research was compiled and analyzed by Chris Droessler