You don't need college degree to get good job

What does it take to succeed in today's job market? If you guessed a college degree, you'd be only 20.1 percent right. That's the percentage of jobs in Georgia that will require a bachelor's or higher degree by 2012, according to the Georgia Workforce Trends in Brief report, published by the Georgia Department of Labor. Eight percent — the fastest-growing sector of the jobs market — will require some postsecondary education. The remaining 71.8 percent — the majority of which are low-skilled, low-paying jobs — will require no formal education beyond high school.

"The same worker who operated a factory machine in 1975 would most likely be overseeing 10 to 12 machines today operated by robotics. He would require programmable-logic controller skills to do the job. Today's manufacturers have to make the part better, quicker and cheaper to compete globally, and you do that through technology," said Russell Vandiver, vice president of economic development at Lanier Technical College and executive director for the Center of Innovation for Manufacturing Excellence.

Contrary to popular opinion, American manufacturing isn't dead; it is automated and streamlined. There are fewer jobs, but the pay and required skills are higher.

"In Hall County, we make gas turbine engines for cruise missiles, tractor and auto parts, chewing gum, and we process more chickens than anywhere else. None of those operations are low-tech. A chicken is weighed and laid out by computer and cut by a water-jet laser to get the optimum return on the bird," Vandiver said. "New skill sets have to be learned, and old skill sets retooled to keep up with the ever-changing technology."

High school diploma is first step

The minimum entrance ticket to most industries, colleges and technical schools is graduation from 12th grade.

"Most of the jobs for tomorrow don't require a baccalaureate degree, but they do require training beyond high school," said Michael D. Moye, president of Lanier Technical College in Oakwood. "You'd be amazed at the skill sets needed in today's industries, and where best to get that education than at a college that specializes in occupational curricula?"

Georgia's 34 technical colleges and many private schools offer programs that prepare students for entry-level jobs in health care, manufacturing, business, information technology, personal services, criminal justice and other fields. Georgia public and private colleges also offer training through their continuing education departments.

Focused and skills-based, the training ranges from a two-month certificate to a two-year associate's degree. Industry and business advisers help technical colleges respond quickly to market needs; in turn, colleges often help industry by providing customized training for employees.

Because the campus has dormitories and can take students from all over the state, it formed a partnership with Georgia Power and four local electric membership corporations to develop an eight-week training program.

"This program is a slam-dunk for anyone wanting a career in this industry," said Nichols, who donned gear and climbed a pole to market the program. "Graduates who are proficient can find jobs at their local utility companies starting at $14 to $17 an hour, with good benefits."

Hearing that welders and machine tool technicians were needed at nuclear power plants in the Southeast, North Georgia Tech doubled its machine tools program.

As fast as North Georgia Tech can turn them out, graduates in the air-conditioning and commercial truck driving programs get job offers, and the school has grown its cosmetology programs to meet growing demands in the spa and resort industry.

"We're also adding dialysis technology and therapeutic massage to our allied health programs," Nichols said. "We already offer nursing, medical assisting, medical laboratory technology and EMT/paramedic programs — all skills urgently needed in Georgia. You can't go wrong in health care."

Health care a growing job market

While it takes many years of training to become a doctor, many allied health jobs fall into that growing sector of jobs that require less than four-year degrees but some college training. Eight of the 20 fastest-growing occupations in Georgia are in health care, according to the Labor Department, and 75 percent of the high job-growth occupations that require associate's degrees are medically related.

"There are lots of opportunities for people who don't have a bachelor's degree to work in a hospital," said Merideth Northcutt, director of recruitment at Gwinnett Hospital System. "Jobs in the different modalities of imaging — such as radiation, CT, mammography or ultrasound technologists; licensed practical nurses and registered nurses with a two-year degree; patient care technicians; EMTs; paramedics; and medical assistants are some examples of positions that don't require four years of college but do require specialized training and/or national certification or registration. There's a great need for all these workers in Georgia."

An aging population, which requires more medical services, and the retirement of baby boomers are two factors causing shortages of health care workers nationally. New medical advances and specialties are creating additional job opportunities.

"When we came out with our first edition of 'Health Careers in Georgia' in 1992, we listed 50 occupations. Now there are 71," said Nealy Stapleton, operating officer of the Southwest Georgia Area Health Education Center (AHEC). "You don't have to have clinical skills; there are administrative jobs, like medical coder [with a starting salary of $30,202]."

Published by Georgia's AHEC Network and designed to help students and career-changers explore health care occupations, the manual describes each career and its work environment, education requirements, programs in Georgia, professional organizations and starting salaries. It's distributed free to hospitals, guidance counselors, college career centers and public libraries and is available online at www.sowega-ahec.org.

Skills make the difference

Nichols knows that skills training leads to viable careers and helps the economy in her seven-county North Georgia area. She has the success stories to prove it, but, like many educators, she believes that message needs to be heard by a young audience.

"We're doing a better job of bringing middle and high school kids and their counselors to campus to show them how technical programs lead to good things," she said.

Not every student is academically wired for four years of college, and there are plenty of other careers, she said. For example, a one-year program in AutoCAD (computer-assisted drafting) can lead to a $30,000 to $40,000 job with an engineering firm or manufacturer. Electricians can start at $14 to $15 an hour for residential work and $16 to $20 for commercial wiring. It takes two years to complete a dental hygienist program, but those graduates find jobs paying in the $50,000 range or more.

"When we show students race cars and talk about how people build them, we talk about the need for geometry. Students who can see relevance in what they're learning do better," Moye said.

Wanting to lower the high school dropout rate, Vandiver brought 20 at-risk students to a two-day technology camp over Christmas break. The students were recommended by their schools' graduation coaches.

"We wanted to get them excited about technology and learning, so we showed them how to build robotic-welded airplanes and brought in a motor sports pit crew to engage them in a racing simulation," Vandiver said. "They learned how to use an air gun and take a tire off fast, but they also learned about lean manufacturing processes, teamwork and themselves."

Part of his straight-talk, real-world approach was to bring in local plant managers to visit with the students at lunch.

"The managers told our kids that if they finished high school and earned a technical diploma, they could make $17 an hour," Vandiver said. "They also explained how much income they would lose over time by not having postsecondary training and working for minimum wage."

He believes that if you help young people set goals — it doesn't matter if it's a material goal, such as owning a fancy car — and teach them to solve problems, they'll figure out that they can reach their goals faster with a high school diploma and training.

About a half-dozen students told Vandiver afterward that they planned to graduate from high school so they could come to Lanier Tech. He's planning a second at-risk camp over spring break.

"I tell students that a great place to research careers and job trends is to read the classifieds in the newspaper," Moye said. "It will give you a lesson in what careers are hot, what education and skills are needed, and the income you can expect."