It's 2021 and the realization that it's been almost one year since I graduated my youngest! What has happened in that year! A lot, it was 2020 - Do I really need to say more.
My daughter has decided to take a gap year, get a job and figure out exactly what she wants to do before pursuing any post-high school education. A move I fully support! I rather her spend time figuring out what she may want vs just taking classes to be taking classes because that's what you are supposed to do.
My son is finishing up his culinary degree at a local technical college and just this week landed a full-time job at a local restaurant whose focus is on offering seasonally driven dishes from locally sourced ingredients. The type of restaurant that grinds its own meat for burgers! -- I'm super excited for him and what this job opportunity will mean.
Then just today the technical college announced on their Facebook page that they just received the highest accreditation possible for their culinary program from American Culinary Federation Education Foundation Accrediting Commission (ACFEFAC). There are 13 schools within WI-IL that have accreditation and only 4 of them, one being the school my son attends, have this exemplary status. 4 of the 13 schools.
All of this started to make me think of the choices people make, especially when it comes to post-high school education. Will my kids even go to school? I don't want them to pursue a career in this, because it's perceived they will not make money. In addition, I often see the push for 4-year schools and technical colleges and community colleges get poo-poo on as if they are not superior or can not hold up. As if 4 years are the only good options.
My son's technical school earning the highest accreditation possible for culinary made me realize how wrong people can be. Seeing it's a 3rd party accreditation board that is doing the accrediting we can look to them as a means to measure without bias. All ACFEFAC cares about is that the program meets its standards -- so two schools that meet the same standards can be seen as equal with the quality of education they produce.
One of those 4 other schools that received the same accreditation happens to also be a larger school more widely known for its culinary program. Both schools are 2-year culinary programs. Both schools offer an AAS in Culinary Arts. It's just one is a small technical college that is not widely known and the other is a much larger school that is widely known.
Technical College Cost: $12,000
Well Known College Cost: $72,000 plus housing
WOW! look at that price difference for what is basically the same program according to ACFEFAC! Sure there are drawbacks to being at the technical college, such as potential employers outside of the area may have no clue or knowledge about the technical college and may have questions about the school. However, my son can overcome those challenges at job interviews when he can say the program is accredited by ACFEFAC and actually has the highest accreditation status: exemplary.
All of this to say: do not dismiss a local technical school or community college just because it's a community, technical college. Do research on the school, programs they offer, etc.
Yes, schooling has been expensive and we have had to do some loans to pay for it, but we saved ourselves $60,000 by going to the technical school. And what loans we have needed at the end of the day is equivalent to a car loan; so it will be easily paid back vs a loan that is equivalent to a house!
My daughter has decided to take a gap year, get a job and figure out exactly what she wants to do before pursuing any post-high school education. A move I fully support! I rather her spend time figuring out what she may want vs just taking classes to be taking classes because that's what you are supposed to do.
My son is finishing up his culinary degree at a local technical college and just this week landed a full-time job at a local restaurant whose focus is on offering seasonally driven dishes from locally sourced ingredients. The type of restaurant that grinds its own meat for burgers! -- I'm super excited for him and what this job opportunity will mean.
Then just today the technical college announced on their Facebook page that they just received the highest accreditation possible for their culinary program from American Culinary Federation Education Foundation Accrediting Commission (ACFEFAC). There are 13 schools within WI-IL that have accreditation and only 4 of them, one being the school my son attends, have this exemplary status. 4 of the 13 schools.
All of this started to make me think of the choices people make, especially when it comes to post-high school education. Will my kids even go to school? I don't want them to pursue a career in this, because it's perceived they will not make money. In addition, I often see the push for 4-year schools and technical colleges and community colleges get poo-poo on as if they are not superior or can not hold up. As if 4 years are the only good options.
My son's technical school earning the highest accreditation possible for culinary made me realize how wrong people can be. Seeing it's a 3rd party accreditation board that is doing the accrediting we can look to them as a means to measure without bias. All ACFEFAC cares about is that the program meets its standards -- so two schools that meet the same standards can be seen as equal with the quality of education they produce.
One of those 4 other schools that received the same accreditation happens to also be a larger school more widely known for its culinary program. Both schools are 2-year culinary programs. Both schools offer an AAS in Culinary Arts. It's just one is a small technical college that is not widely known and the other is a much larger school that is widely known.
Technical College Cost: $12,000
Well Known College Cost: $72,000 plus housing
WOW! look at that price difference for what is basically the same program according to ACFEFAC! Sure there are drawbacks to being at the technical college, such as potential employers outside of the area may have no clue or knowledge about the technical college and may have questions about the school. However, my son can overcome those challenges at job interviews when he can say the program is accredited by ACFEFAC and actually has the highest accreditation status: exemplary.
All of this to say: do not dismiss a local technical school or community college just because it's a community, technical college. Do research on the school, programs they offer, etc.
Yes, schooling has been expensive and we have had to do some loans to pay for it, but we saved ourselves $60,000 by going to the technical school. And what loans we have needed at the end of the day is equivalent to a car loan; so it will be easily paid back vs a loan that is equivalent to a house!
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