With College Board putting the average cost of college to $8,893 per year for in-state students attending a four-year public college, it certainly does not hurt for kids to have their career options narrowed down when looking to the next chapter in their education.
 
Van Buren Technology Center in Lawrence, Michigan is helping to do just that; exposing current high school students to a diverse range of career fields, hoping to make a transition to college or a career more efficient.
 
Van Buren is considered an educational 'extension' to high schools in the area, offering high school juniors and seniors an opportunity to explore potential career fields they may enter after graduation. This includes fields ranging from early childhood education to computer programming and web design. Whether students are interested in becoming a mechanic or a police officer, Van Buren offers a pathway for curious, career-oriented students.
 
Although they may be choosing specific career fields, Susan Yerrick, Van Buren's Early Childhood Careers and Education instructor, emphasizes that students attending Van Buren are developing real life skills that can be used beyond the classroom.
 
“Overall, students here are developing college and career preparation skills,” Yerrick said. “They develop a wide variety of soft skills like interview skills, portfolio preparation skills and are consistently working on the job application process, so those skills are able to help them across the board.”
 
Though students are getting a kick-start on their careers by attending Van Buren, they are not totally removed from their regular high school lives. Students attend their Van Buren classes for half the school day and their traditional high school classes for the remaining half. Students also have the option of attending either morning or afternoon sessions at Van Buren.
 
Whether they're afternoon or morning session students, all students who choose to enroll in Yerrick's Early Childhood Careers and Education program are exposed to opportunities in the ever-evolving field of education. Yerrick's students are required to engage in job shadowing as well as student teaching opportunities, giving students an insider look into the field. Students often work with children with minor to severe disabilities – these experiences have inspired many of Yerrick's students to pursue a career in special education.
 
“I often see kids come into my classroom knowing they want to work with children but they're not sure in what way,” Yerrick said. “Let's say they come in thinking they want to be a general education teacher but leave knowing they want to go into social work or special education. The field is so vast, so we really are able to help them narrow down the career field.”
 
With an uptick projected in education jobs, Yerrick's students have bright futures ahead of them. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, major growth is also predicted for the social work field, with employment of social workers estimated to grow by 19 percent by 2022.
 
Yerrick's students, whatever path they choose, provide her with a sense of how attending Van Buren can change the future of young talent.
 
“What is most rewarding for me is when I see a student that may have struggled when they first entered the program have that light bulb moment where they say, 'I know what I want to do with my life,'” Yerrick said. “Seeing that Van Buren has that impact is really rewarding. It's a place for students to feel like they've found a real connection to something.”
 
Yerrick is not the only Van Buren instructor inspired by students. Denis Huffman of Van Buren's PC Tech and Computer Networking Technologies program also recognizes the ways in which Van Buren can impact students' big picture goals.
 
Similar to Yerrick, Huffman encounters students whose ambitions are positively affected by their time at Van Buren.
 
“The best thing to me is seeing a student who thought college wasn't where they wanted to go but after two years in my program they realize that our field isn’t a stuffy classroom or a 300-person lecture hall, it's hands-on and our program is exactly what college is like,” Huffman said.
 
Huffman, who is also an instructor at Davenport University, prepares his Van Buren students for the real world by using the same curriculum that is used in his college-level courses. Because of the identical curriculum, Huffman's Van Buren students are able to earn 24 to 33 hours of college credit during their two year program.
 
“A lot of my students begin college as a sophomore because they've already completed enough credits here,” Huffman said. “A lot of colleges and companies in the area know the rigorous curriculum I do here, and they love the kids that come out of Van Buren. They know they're getting a student who is committed to this field.”
 
Huffman is confident as he prepares his students for a growing field that is desperately seeking experts.
 
“This is a wide open field and there's a lot of money to be made in this field. It's hard work but if you're willing to do it, it's going to be very rewarding.”
 
Whether students are choosing to pursue a career in computers or are looking to become a teacher, Van Buren Technology Center is helping students in southwestern Michigan reach their individual career goals. In a time where the cost of college continues to climb, Van Buren instructors and students look to be one step ahead.