Society has done a huge disservice to young people by relying on outdated educational and workforce training models developed 50 years ago. Our one-size-fits-all approach that promotes college as the single path to a profitable, high-skilled profession is putting both the economy and an entire generation at risk.   We face a national crisis of rising college costs, decreasing degree-requiring jobs and employer frustration with the younger generations in the workplace. Meanwhile, we’re pushing young people to obtain college degrees while simultaneously ignoring the importance of also acquiring valuable work skills. As a result, only 1 in 5 students feel prepared for today’s job market. We’re saddling them with enormous college debt for degrees that may not pay off. 

Today’s emphasis should no longer be just about getting young people ready for college. It should be about preparing them for careers for which college is one of many available pathways. College is a great post secondary option -- if their career path requires it. Too many young people today go just to go, and too often, because of lack of forethought or direction, they choose a field of study where there either are no jobs available or they aren’t adequately trained for a profession.   What young people don’t often know -- because no one tells them before they venture into higher education -- is that there are great, living-wage careers to pursue that don’t require them to go to college. Many of today’s high-paying, high-skilled careers require a specialized industry credential or certification, not a college degree. 

Joining us for our discussion Planning For Your Future is Mark Perna       who is calling in from his Richfield Ohio office.  Mark C. Perna is the author of the award-winning bestseller Answering Why: Unleashing Passion, Purpose, and Performance in Younger Generations that Publishers Weeklycalls “perceptive…reasonable and thought-provoking.” Mark is the founder and CEO of TFS and has over 20 years of experience in coaching educational organizations and businesses on today’s unique intergenerational workforce and the hiring, training and retention of the newest generations.  Welcome to Mastering Your Money, is Mark Perna.