College Is Not for Everyone

Caption: Phil Hemingway, Iowa City Community School District board candidate for a four-year term and owner/manager of Phil’s Repair.

The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics has a database that uses a formula for each state to determine the number of jobs in a given area per thousand people. The data clearly show that in Iowa many of the jobs are and will be in the middle skill area, which does not require an advanced degree. However, many do require post-secondary training through vocational or apprenticeship programs. For example, one of the higher need areas is/will be in the installation, maintenance and repair occupation, where there are 44.9 jobs available per 1,000 working age adults (44.9/1,000).

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations are at 30.5/1,000; office and administrative support occupations are at 146.3/1,000. These are just a few of the vocational areas where our state has critical shortages, and most of these jobs provide employees with enough income to be considered middle class, which according to the Business Insider website means having a household income between $34,819-$104,458 per year.

According to the publication Iowa Watch, half of University of Iowa and Iowa State University graduates will leave the state upon graduation, primarily to look for work.

This exodus of graduates begs the question, why are so many high school graduates going to four-year colleges, which will leave them with few in-state job prospects in their degree areas and skyrocketing college loan debts? College loan debt now surpasses auto loans and credit card debit. In fact, student loan debt surpasses all debt but mortgage debt. No wonder college graduates aren’t buying houses and other durable goods at a rate that would stimulate our economy.

I therefore propose we increase vocational and technical education opportunities for our students at the secondary level. However, over the last few years the ICCSD has gotten rid of many programs that served to introduce students to vocational and technical fields such as auto maintenance, welding, and home construction. If we are truly a “data-driven” school district, forcing the demise of those programs seems counterintuitive.

Of course I support students who do go on to traditional four-year colleges as my daughter Monica has done. We also have critical shortages of health care professionals in our state as well as teachers and engineers. However, not all students have the academic skill set or desire to pursue careers in those academically challenging fields. During that same time period we also saw an increase in the amount of AP and honors classes being offered. It is time for the ICCSD do look at the data and take actions that make sense for all of our students, and not just the academic elite.

Besides, even the academic elite enjoy building solar cars with their hands, and such projects, combining creative thinking as well as mechanical skills, should be available to junior high and high school students of all ability levels. We will need the creativity and skills sets of all of our youth to solve the problems we face in the 21st century.

• Phil Hemingway, school board candidate for four-year term and owner/mgr. of Phil’s Repair