Specializing in job fields starting at 16
Should the US adopt Europe's policy for high schoolers to choose a field to specialize in at age 16?
Dear Mr or Madam President,
I'm a senior at East-West School of International Studies. Soon I and thousands of other seniors will be graduating and choosing a major in college. However, most likely if you asked any seniors or juniors what they wanted to major in, they'd reply, "I don't know". This delays the amount of hours they can contribute to job experience and increases student debt. By following Europe's policy, it can cut down on debt and create professionals earlier.
High schoolers often have no idea what they're going to major in or what they want to do in the future. It's not pointed out to them until their final year of high school, when they still don't know what to do. Many people in my grade would reply that they "Don't know" to "What are you going to major in?" . I myself am still unsure what I'll major in. It had never been emphasized to us until this year,just before we head off to college. We're told that we have time to think before choosing, but what if we still don't know? By choosing a job field at 16, and putting emphasis on it, we start to think about what we can do starting at an early age.
Many seniors and juniors have no idea what to major in by the time they get to college. Compared to Europe's 16, many people in the US choose what to major in at around age 20. This is a delay of 4 years, 35040 hours, that were wasted that could've been used towards a major. Delaying these decisions can also mean more debt; the average student debt for a 2014 graduate was approximately $33,000.
The US government should adopt Europe's policy of choosing a job field to study at 16. There should also be free government-funded programs implemented to give kids and students a hands on experience of the numerous job fields. These programs should be advertised to let the general public know these options are an option and to promote learning.
Please help the future generations succeed in the world. They are the backbone of our country, but need guidance to success. Promoting learning early will help our youth become successful.
Sincerely,
Ling C.