Flash Forward: Your High Schooler in 10 years

How fortunate that on the first day of my blog that I stumbled upon this piece from The Atlantic providing a snap shot of the life circumstances of today's 27 year olds.

The piece summarizes research that followed students from their sophomore year in high school in 2002 to the present day, documenting  their education level, employment status, incomes, debt levels and living arrangements.  We can only hope that our high school seniors don't experience the economy that these folks have had to endure, but it does provide some valuable insights.

The good news - not all of them are living in their parents' basement (about 22%).  However, many are saddled with substantial student debt.  Over 40% of those who went to college have college debt above $10,000.00.  On the flip side, about 40% of college goers have zero debt.

Only about 33% have completed a bachelor's degree. Overall, about 65% have some college, which could include an associates degree or a certificate.  A common challenge with pieces like this is that they generally assume that a bachelor's degree is the optimal degree for all students.  While those with bachelor's degrees do on average earn more than those with other college education levels, this graph from the Bureau of Labor Statisticshttp://www.bls.gov/emp/ep_chart_001.htm shows the difference, it does not mean that someone with an associates or certificate can't earn a good living.  It is true, however, that having any kind of college credential is far better than having gone to college and not finished.  The Atlantic piece illustrates that the unemployment rate is almost three times higher for college dropouts, than for those who have a degree.

Reading between the lines - you don't want your student to fall into the no man's land of having some college, but no credential and be saddled with significant student debt.  The bottom line - a college credential, including a certificate or associate degree, is far better than going to the expensive four year institution and never graduating.  All of of this is important to keep that in mind when your daughter tells you - when she is a year away from a degree - that she needs a break from college to backpack across New Zealand.

Overall, a great overview of the world your high school student might find after college.

So it begins . . . The College Prep Crawl

So it begins . . . For the next 13 years (at least) I will be immersed in the planning, saving, researching, saving, touring, saving and deciding - then spending, spending, spending on my three children's college education. For years I have worked in the world of higher education policy and programs - but now it all becomes real for me as I prepare Ben 15, Zoe 12 and eventually Ella, 9 for college.

Given this once in a lifetime journey through the college prep process, I thought I would engage in a bit of an experiment to see how I might apply my "college knowledge" to the real life experiences of planning for my children's education.  At College Prep Pop you will get to know my family a bit and see how their experiences align with what we know and don't know about the important life decisions of choosing a path, post high school.

In addition, to me and my kids, you will also learn a bit about my wife Christine. Christine is the Chief of Staff for DSST Public Schools (Denver School of Science and Technology) - a network of college prep charter middle and high schools in Denver that is doing the amazing work preparing thousands of kids from economically and demographically diverse backgrounds for college. Her work at DSST will provide some valuable insights on how what happens in secondary education contributes to readiness for postsecondary education.

As for me, I am a Vice President at Complete College America. CCA is a national non-profit Alliance of 33 states and the District of Columbia that are working to develop policies and practices that will dramatically increase the number of Americans with a college credential.

While my work at CCA and Christine's work at DSST will come up frequently in this blog - the views represented are solely my own and do not represent either of our organizations.

I hope you will follow our journey and find something that will help you in yours.

I welcome your questions, comments and suggestions about topics to explore on the blog.  Feel free to email me at collegepreppop@gmail.com or follow me on Twitter at @collegepreppop.

Let the journey begin . . .