Episode: 309

Episode Title: Where You End Up

It matters less where you start after high school than where you end up. Here’s what I mean by that, coming up next on The Perna Syndicate.

Ep 309 show:

Hello! This is The Perna Syndicate—welcome! As a public speaker in education and workforce development, I address diverse audiences ranging from K–12 districts and colleges to companies doing business on the global stage. They all want the same thing: to motivate young people to perform at a higher level.  

So how do we accomplish this? Many people think that getting young people to college is the ticket. But that isn’t the case for every student. 

Something I’ve been saying for years, that continues to ring true today, is this: it matters less where you start after high school than where you end up. If you’re going to college for the prestige, or to meet someone else’s expectations, or because you think you have to—well, those are probably not the best reasons. 

Young people who choose college should do so because it fits in their overall education and career pathway. It leads to where they want to end up. 

By the same logic, young people who choose a different pathway after high school should do so because it fits their life and career plans. It leads to where they want to end up. 

You see, there are so many new on-ramps to success in today’s economy. The college degree, while still important, is no longer the only gateway to a rewarding career. It doesn’t matter what pathway you take if it leads to where you want to go. For young people to succeed, all options must be on the table. Because it’s where you end up, not where you start, that matters. 

For more on this critical topic, join me on October 21 at the Education with Purpose: Call to Action event, where we will celebrate all postsecondary pathways that lead to viable careers. Check it out at EWPAction.com. See you back here tomorrow for more on The Perna Syndicate.