ARE YOU READY FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL?

Facts Students and Parents need to know

What does the future hold?Are you ready?

49 of 50 highest paying occupations require a college degree or higher

70% of the 30 fastest-growing jobs will require an education beyond high school

40% of new jobs will require at least an associate’s degree

DID YOU KNOW…

The six fastest growing jobs locally are computer related and require education beyond high school?

Did You Know…

A person with a college degree on average makes twice as much money as a person with only a high school diploma?

Kentucky full time wage and salary workers, 25 years & older, 2004 average

$51,272

$29,848

$20,852

$34,372

$0

$10,000

$20,000

$30,000

$40,000

$50,000

$60,000

BA or higher Some college orAssociatesDegree

HS Diploma orGED

Less than HSDiploma

30-40% of the jobs available in seven years have not yet been created.

Over a lifetime, workers with a college degree will earn nearly $1,000,000 more than workers without a college degree.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2004-05

DID YOU KNOW

You cannot join the military without a high school diploma?

Nine of the ten fastest growing occupations

are inHealthcare or

Computers

U.S. Department of Labor

A Few of the Fastest Growing Occupations 2005-14

Home health aidesNetwork systems & data communications

analystsComputer software engineers,

applicationsForensic science techniciansPhysical therapists

A closer look at jobs of the future.

Video Game Designer

Education: A college degree is a must to land a job at a well-known company.

Salary: Video game designers can earn $50,000 a year right out of college. If a designer is part of a team that produces a hit video game, they can earn $100,000 or more.

Electrical Engineering

Education: Electrical Engineer requires a Bachelor’s Degree. An Electrical Engineering Technician requires an Associate’s Degree.

Salary: Average salary for Electrical Engineers is $52,000. Average salary for Electrical Engineering Technicians is $46,000.

Architect

Education: 5-year Bachelor of Architecture degree.

A three-year training period under the supervision of a licensed architect is also required.

One then has to pass the nine-part Architect Registration Examination.

Salary: The median annual salary of an architect is $56,620

Physical Therapist Assistant

Description: Assist the physical therapist. Tasks include doing exercise, massage and ultrasound with patients.

Education: An associates degree and perhaps additional certifications (CPR, First Aide).

Salary: $37,800

Interpreter/Translator

Education: A BA degree is almost always required.

Salary: Salaried interpreters and translators have median hourly earnings of $15.67. Chinese and Japanese interpreters and translators can earn $45 to $50 an hour. Highly skilled interpreters and translators, such as high-level conference interpreters who work full-time can earn more than $100,000 a year.

Be Prepared!

Many of our students are not prepared to be successful at the next level…..

Take a rigorous high school curriculum.

4 years of Math

4 years of English (English I-IV)

3-4 years of Social Studies (US History, World History, World

Geography, Economics, Government)

3 years of Science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics)

2 years of the same World Language

1 year Arts & Humanities

At least one credit in Technology

DID YOU KNOW?

Students who take advanced classes in high school are more prepared for college-no matter what their grade is.

DID YOU KNOW?

Students who take Algebra and Geometry by the end of the 9th grade are more likely to go to college.

Are we expecting enough from our students?

How Expectations Differ: Plans for Students After High School

7968

51

511

28

0

20

40

60

80

100

students parents teachers

Source: Metroolitan Life, Survey of the American Teacher 2000: Are We Preparing Students for the 21st Century? September 2000

2- or 4-yr college

work full time

Why aren’t some students successful?

What Adults Say:

Students don’t careThey come to school

unpreparedThey aren’t trying

their hardest

What Students Say:We’re not being

challengedTeachers and

counselors underestimate out potential

Our concerns are dismissed

No matter what their circumstance, students need to

take responsibility now to ensure a successful tomorrow

You Need to Be PreparedYour future boss will

accept nothing less than the best.

What skills will you have to make you stand out from the rest?

How can students prepare themselves for postsecondary education and the workplace?

Be prepared for school each day and have regular attendance

Make homework a priority Be prepared to take

rigorous courses Set goals early and STICK

TO THEM! Investigate career

interests Get involved in your

school.

And parents should:

Make school a family priority - attendance, homework, doing assignments on time, etc.

Reward academic achievement Communicate regularly with teachers and

counselors Help your child begin to learn about careers

& discuss possible career paths. Demand that your kids have the rigorous

courses they need.

Your school must:

Develop and maintain high expectations for every student

Provide challenging and rigorous courses for every student

Address the academic and career planning needs of every student

Communicate regularly with parents

Follow these steps and feel confident you are prepared for what lies ahead!

5516 E. Alexandria PikeCold Spring, KY  41076

(859) 442-7012 Barbara B. Stonewater, Ph.D.

Executive Director

Jenny Miller-HornSpecial Projects Coordinator

Lucy RiffleMiddle School Initiatives

Council@nkces.org