3 Reasons I Wish the BSI Solutions Career Placement Program was an Option for Me in High School

Personal thoughts from our CP Program Business Developer Juan Ceron  

Although I did not study computer science, the promise of our BSI Career Placement Program is personal to me. I spend most of my time sharing our vision with schools, and sometimes wonder to myself “what if” someone had given me a similar option? How would my life have been different with another illuminated path?  

I imagine for many in my Millennial generation, similar questions hold true: “what if I had studied something different in college,” “what if I had skipped college all together,” and “what if I hadn’t dug my student loan debt deeper for another degree.” For me, these thoughts are sometimes pervasive.  

Here are 3 reasons how my life could have been different if the Career Placement Program was available to me in high school: 

1. Underutilized Degrees 

I now realize that I am part of a generation of students that were shown graphic after graphic of how we would all end up basically homeless if we didn’t go to college. For students of highly rigorous academic programs like I was, even the ranking of your future college came to matter socially.  

Many of us quickly became “professional students,” believing you didn’t have to face the real world if you stayed a student forever. We chased degree after degree, trusting those that said the more framed paper we had, the more money we would eventually make. 

Yes, for those in specialized fields like medicine, law, and engineering, a degree is a must. But many of us were given little guidance and simply told “go get a degree.” To an 18-year-old that had not faced the world, any degree sounded like a good degree.  

It is precisely this “everyone has to go to college” mentality that contributed to the now 40% of college graduates whose first jobs are unrelated to their majors. I could have been a retail banker without my expensive bachelor’s in childhood psychology. In fact, I learned 100% of my sales and business relationship skills from work.  

2. Student Loan Debt 

I often joke that my student loan debt is my “life tax” and “poor educational choices tax.” I chose to go to college before I knew who I was, and before I knew responsibility. Naturally, I made some not-ideal choices that I will likely be paying back for 25 years.   

As an 18–21-year-old, I spent loan money irresponsibly and chose a degree without an identified career path. Then, when I figured out what I liked, I went back for my masters and chose a school based on name recognition. Name recognition is expensive… and I now realize, not as advantageous as it was billed to be.  

Many with advanced degrees like me, especially in the liberal arts and other generic fields, lack the practical industry experience that most employers are seeking. That’s precisely the recipe for holders of $100k+ student loan debt and $40k per year salaries.  

3. Less Stress 

Being given the option to figure out what work I liked first may have also helped reduce some of my life’s stress. When I was 5 years old, I wanted to be an astronaut. Since then, the answer to “what do you want to be when you grow up?” has changed about as many times as the number of people that have actually been to space (553 as of today).  

I watched in college as many of my friends became overwhelmed, trying to connect expectations about life and work with their education. The college model simply did not work for them.  

Many of them will also acknowledge that it was their exposure to study abroad, internships and work that made them discover what they wanted to be. Once they had tangible experiences, they were able to gain more value from their education.  

Had career and technical education been emphasized for me, I imagine that I would have less debt-stress, and likely a lower feeling of guilt for not figuring out my life until later on. I may have also tailored my education directly to the passions I would have uncovered.  

Why Do I Care Now? 

For one, I have slowly learned the futility of playing the “what if” game, especially with situations and circumstances that are now in the past. The only “what ifs” we should be giving mental energy to are the ones focused on a positive future (i.e., “What if I succeed? What if my idea changes the world? What if I help just one person today?”). 

There is truly no point in getting stuck in a past you cannot change. I also firmly believe we should always attempt to find the positive lesson in everything, including a generation’s educational missteps.  

Secondly, I now know that more students are being encouraged to explore technical industry experience in high school. There is an increasing emphasis on exposure to other possible paths to success. It is not about devaluing college, but rather having realistic options for everyone. 

The 31% of high school students that can’t afford college or aren’t as academically talented as their counterparts deserve the same level of investment in their futures. And for those that do enroll at a university, perhaps the early exposure to the world of work can help improve the current 41% college graduation rate.  

Even though we are one organization, currently trying to make an impact in just one labor market, my personal past “What ifs” now help serve as a clear justification for our mission. It is time to reexamine some antiquated educational norms and ask ourselves, “what if we continue changing how we measure student success?” and “what if we actually give the next generation the freedom to innovate?” 

For more information on how we strive to bridge the gap between high school graduates and careers in computer science/software development please visit: BSI Solutions Career Placement Program