College Costs: ON-THE-JOB Tip!

Welcome to TishTrek - THE JOB BLOG!

Yes - for those high school seniors in the throws of figuring out if you and your family can afford to send you away to 'that' four year university or college of your dreams, I want to remind you AGAIN of the important information below.

It's high school graduation season and there are many options that can help you chase your dreams beyond the usual route or plans!!! Do your research and re-read my the Blog Post below!

My father-in-law - who was a professor @ the College of Staten Island for 30 years - always stated that the Acquisition-of-Knowledge should NOT be viewed as something you do for four quick years after high school; he believed it should be a 'lifetime commitment!' Some would say, nice thought, but how can anyone afford to do such a thing?

What most high school students and many parents don't realize is that for more than 40 years a large percentage of corporations have offered varied forms of Tuition Reimbursement Programs. Check out the terrific plan sample highlighted below.

Here is an actual Tuition Program straight from a corporate benefit handbook:

• To qualify for the Tuition Reimbursement Program, schools have to be accredited colleges or accredited graduate schools.
• Employees must receive a C- or better, or a Pass if pass/fail basis. For CLEP exams, you must receive a passing grade and show proof of college credit acceptance from the academic institution for which you are applying for college credit.
• Employees need to have received a performance rating of at least 3 – “Strong” rating or better on the last performance review for undergraduate and graduate courses to be reimbursed under the Tuition Reimbursement Program
• The Tuition Reimbursement Program pays 100% of tuition costs for full-time employees and 75% of tuition costs for part-time employees (not including amounts covered by other sources; such as grants, scholarships, etc.) for approved courses
• There's a maximum annual benefit of $5,250 per calendar year for undergraduate courses, and $12,000 per calendar year for graduate courses or a combination of graduate and undergraduate courses. Fees for CLEP exams are included in these limits. All reimbursement costs are the responsibility of each individual department; however, budget restraints cannot be used to deny reimbursements.

High schools don't tell kids about corporate tuition reimbursement programs because most school districts are graded & earn points when they are ranked across the state on how many kids immediately track out of high school and go directly to college.

The sad fact is: Many 18 year old kids are simply not ready, prepared or even have a clue as to what they want to do for their rest of their lives @ this juncture in their life. Aside from that, too many families figure out that they simply do not have the means to participate in funding their children's college dreams, so... For gosh sakes - Let corporations help!

Make no mistake, it's important for kids to spend some part of their high school years gaining skills & experiences that will help them secure the entry-level positions they will need to survive and thrive.

All adults should be screaming from the roof tops that these kids should not leave high school without doing some combo of the following: Make sure you have a basic understanding of math-for-life & accounting. Learn how to type on a keyboard beyond 'LOL' and 'How r u?'; take business writing courses; learn as many computer programs for business as possible; and sharpen your presentation skills!

Finally, take any course or become involved in any extra-curricular program that builds confidence and communication skills. Every year, high school students should be working on enhancing their face-to-the-client skills! Most entry-level opportunities and all high end executive positions require skills and competencies in all these critical areas.

Those who complete their education while getting ON-THE-JOB experience & training actually show up at the job interview with a real competitive edge. Aside from that fact, it is always impressive to employers to find out that a person who wanted to improve him/herself by increasing their knowledge and credentials was willing to execute those requirements on their own time and around the responsibilities of their job. This highly motivated person has already demonstrated a track record of excellent time management skills which helped balance two priorities! Is that you?

Best regards,
TishTrek
Quote of the Day: "If you leveraged an option to get someone else to pay for college costs - Congratulations! You belong at the head of the class!"