 Hello, everyone, and welcome to Working Together on Think Tech Hawaii, where we discuss the impact of change on workers, employers, and the economy. I'm your host, Cheryl Crozier-Garcia, inviting you to join the conversation. You can call us at area code 808-374-2014 or tweet us at thicktechhi. 2017 has come to a close, and it seems as if this time of year is a time for reflection on where we might be going. Almost every day I get questions from students, parents, and others who are considering university education about whether they should apply for admission to college, what school to apply to, what they should study, or how they can pay for that education. I've been collecting those questions, and today we'll be looking at some of the most frequently asked questions. Hopefully one of them or more of them will be something you've been thinking about. So our first question has to do with what you can do with a particular degree that isn't business-related. And it says, I'm getting ready to graduate in May with a degree in history. I decided to study history because I like knowing about people and events from the past. But now I'm not sure what kind of job I can get with this degree. Where should I look for a job? Well, there are a number of places you can look for a job. Essentially, any position that requires a bachelor's degree but does not specify what that degree should be in would be a field that you could probably pursue and apply for. The reality is not everybody you see in the business world has a business-related degree. In fact, about 80% of college graduates who complete university education with a bachelor's degree do not end up working in the field that they studied in undergrad. So a degree in history does more for you than just teach you about the past and about here, about people and events from the past. The other coursework that you've taken prepares you to do things like work with mathematics, to think critically about issues and problems, and hopefully to prescribe solutions to those questions and problems. And also, you've had a good opportunity to learn how to write effectively. I'm sure that you had many, many term papers that you had to work on while you were working on this degree. And so you really should have a good grounding in all of the skills related to the work world and a generalized idea of where the organization fits relative to society. So I would say that any job that you may be looking at that requires a bachelor's degree but doesn't say what that degree needs to be in should be a job that you might want to consider. Some industries that you might want to look at are banking. Banks have pretty rapid turnover in some positions, and so that would be a good place to start. The utilities, if you like the idea of going to work for a really large company, you can also go to work in many of the service industries, food and beverage, hotel operations, hospitality, these kinds of things, all of which would be very helpful, and you would find a degree in history to be especially meaningful as you begin to look for positions. So don't limit yourself or think that just because your degree is in history that you can only go to work for the Bishop Museum, that'd be great but it isn't true. You can go to work any place that you'd like to. And a degree in history can set you up for graduate education as well. Many attorneys go into law school with degrees in history or other humanities related fields. A number of medical professions that require training past the undergraduate level also or are useful to a person with an undergraduate degree in history. So don't think just because your degree is in a particular field that you can only pursue work in that field. And that's not true. You can pursue work in any field that you think might be interesting to you. What you've got is good general grounding in writing and critical thinking and mathematic ability, all of those things. So good luck to you and let us know how this comes out. I think that you are on the right track simply by thinking in advance. We're five months until you graduate in May. So think about it now. Start applying now. Get ahead of the game and good luck to you. We will be, I'll be interested to see what happens. So email me back and let me know, okay? Now let's go on to our next question. I just finished my first semester of college. The work is hard, but I really loved the oceanography class I took. And I want to manage a major, sorry, in marine science. I'm a certified scuba diver and I work at one of the big restaurants in Waikiki. I get into the tank and hand feed the fish. My father says I have to major in business so I can get a good job. He says he's paying for my tuition so I have to do what he says. What can I say to my dad so he'll let me study what I want? Well, first of all, Mermaid, you are not the only person in history that has asked that question. How do I convince my parents to do something that they would prefer that I not do? Since you are already a certified scuba diver, you are in, excuse me, you're in a competitive advantage position relative to others that may want to pursue a career in marine science, primarily because you have already proven skill in that area. So this is a leg up, a competitive advantage that you can exploit for your own benefit as you pursue the job. What I would recommend you do though is talk to your father from the perspective of evidence. So show him where you would like to work, show him as well what the pay and benefits look like for people who have gotten into the marine science occupations and you can do that by looking at some of the information online. There are job descriptions available at a place called Onet and that information will be on our website later on today but look up the job descriptions, look up the mandatory qualifications for those jobs and compare them to what you already know. I think you'll find that you do have the information and a competitive advantage in moving forward over perhaps others that are interested in marine science. The other thing I would suggest, if your father is absolutely bound and determined that there's not going to be, he is unable to provide you financial assistance unless you major in business or in a business related field that you consider majoring in business if that's important to you and then minor in marine science. Take all of the coursework that you need in order to complete a minor in marine science and from there you can then begin to apply for marine science type positions but kind of from a back office perspective. So for example, since you work in one of the hotels you don't say which one but you work in one of the hotels in Waikiki hand feeding the fish. I don't think you order the food yourself. I'm pretty sure you don't schedule the cleanings or any of the water changes or things that need to be done to the tank, you just go in and feed the fish. Well somebody else has to do all of that logistical work, all of that purchasing for the food and equipment that takes care of the animals in the tank and if you would be happy doing that kind of work that is to say supporting the mermaids or the divers in the tank then certainly a degree in business would help you there. So I would try to get dad on your side, talk to him about how important it is to you to do something that's going to make you happy in your career life because you know what they say right if you find a job doing something you love you'll never work a day in your life I think most of us would like to have that and we don't but you already know what will make you happy and there is any number of professions that you might enter that would allow you to use your love of scuba diving and your love of deep sea life and at the same time make a good living for yourself and support yourself and your family. So mermaid good luck to you, you've got a long way to go if you just finished your first semester but again I think it's great that you're thinking three years into the future about what you would do when you graduate and I would recommend that you continue to work at the big restaurant in Waikiki hand feeding the fish number one because you will continue to log hours that are necessary to maintain your scuba diver certification and also you will prove to your family that this is something that interests you and that you'd be willing to work at for the majority of your professional life so that you don't have to convince them you've already proven that you're able to do this kind of work and it will look good to future employers also in the marine science arena if you go into their organizations with certifications and numbers of hours and work experience under water so good luck to you and I hope everything works out three years is a long time but it's good that you are focusing on your future today. Okay, next question. Ooh, this is a good one. It's about returning to school. I'm a mother. I work full time and recently my youngest child finished college. I quit school when I got married and I regret not finishing my degree. Do you think I can get back into studying and finally finish college? What challenges would I face? Well mom, first of all, congratulations on your youngest child graduating. That's a huge accomplishment and I'm sure that your child or even your multiple children could not have accomplished what they did without lots of help from mom so I give you huge props for that and now that your kids are grown it makes sense that you would want to pursue something to get back into university and into perhaps finishing up that degree. What challenges would you face? Well the good news is you don't have to worry about daycare because your children are grown and gone. You don't mention whether you're married or involved in some kind of relationship but if you are you may experience challenges that have to do with your partner where your partner may be upset because you are spending time on something else rather than with your partner. Certainly there may be financial considerations that you would need to overcome so you may also want to look at the issues around simply being out of practice from doing schoolwork. I have a friend who did the same thing. She waited until all her children were grown and then she went back to college to complete her bachelor's degree and for her she was able to manage the tuition issues and financial issues because she worked for a company that allowed her to avail herself of tuition waivers and some in-house scholarships but her major problem was that she had been out of the classroom for so long that she had forgotten many of the skills that are required of undergraduate students so she had forgotten how to do higher function math. In order to get ready for that she took a remedial algebra course. She had forgotten some things that had to do with academic writing so she needed to take some additional coursework in research methods. So those are some of the challenges. Another set of challenges that you may encounter may come from the idea that you're older than maybe some of the students in the class. Now I don't mean that in a negative way. I mean that because you have been accustomed to taking a leadership role among people that are younger than you and that's both in your professional life since you say well you don't mention if you work but I'm sure you were in a position to assume leadership over some of the decisions that your children made. You would advise them sometimes you would flat out tell them to do things or not to do certain things and you need to be very careful that as you begin to get back into student mode that you're not playing mom with your classmates because that doesn't help them master what they need to master in terms of of adulting and in terms of what things should and should not be done in the business community. So mom again congratulations for getting your children through school huge props for that. You've proven yourself able to do a lot of the things and maintain a lot of the skills that are necessary to be successful as a degree seeking undergraduate student. So huge props to you and avail yourself of all of the support systems that you might have available to you once you enter the university setting. Okay so I'm hearing from my beloved voice from Houston that we need to take a break. So we will be back in a couple of minutes with more FAQs for the new year. I'm Cheryl Proger Garcia this is working together on Think Tech Hawaii and we will be back in 60 seconds. Hello everyone I'm DeSoto Brown the co-host of Human Humane Architecture which is seen on Think Tech Hawaii every other Tuesday at 4 p.m. and with the show's host Martin Desbang we discuss architecture here in the Hawaiian Islands and how it not only affects the way we live but other aspects of our life not only here in Hawaii but internationally as well. So join us for Human Humane Architecture every other Tuesday at 4 p.m. on Think Tech Hawaii. Welcome back to working together on Think Tech Hawaii. I'm Cheryl Proger Garcia and we are talking about New Year's FAQs frequently asked questions particularly questions that pertain to university education and and advising people about how they should proceed with areas of interest regarding university education. So here's a good one and this is this is a huge issue and and one which a lot of people don't talk about but but is incredibly important okay. So my family emigrated to the US from another country. My brothers and sisters and I are the first generation born in the US. None of us went to college. We started working right after high school. Now my kids are talking about wanting to go to college and I don't know how to advise them. What should I say to my kids? Well first of all huge props that your children are considering university education. I think it's great and particularly it is a way to sort of prove to that the American dream is in some ways alive and well and living in the hearts of your children and in your household as well as in the households of your brothers and sisters. Here is how I would advise you to advise your children. The first thing is your kids need to get with their guidance counselors and other helping professionals in their school. They should talk to their teachers, they should talk to their counselor, they should talk to school administrators. Anybody that has completed a university education is fair game for who your kids should be talking to. They should ask questions about what those people studied, what their experiences were in the university setting, what they did with their degrees, how did they approach success and these kinds of things. And the purpose to all of that questioning is first of all to help your kids decide whether they really do want to go to a university pursue a traditional undergraduate education or whether some kind of professional or vocational school might be a better choice for them. So for example if you've got a kid that's interested in accounting it makes sense for them to go to university and to get a bachelor's degree in accounting. On the other hand if your child says no dad that's not what I want to do, I want to be an auto mechanic then university education is less helpful to them than perhaps a professional or vocational school in which they could actually learn auto mechanics and mechanic related work. So choosing the appropriate type of education and the appropriate program should be primary in your kids' mind. The second thing that I would do is communicate to your children whether or not or help them decide whether or not they want to stay in the local area and perhaps commute from home to school and back again or whether they'd like to attend a local university and dorm. Now if they did that and it was a public university you would get to avail yourself of resident tuition which is often lower than non-resident tuition or out-of-state tuition or some other type of schooling situation. So where they go to school and what they study these things are things that they really do need to have a look at. You should also be gathering the paperwork that you will need to help your kids apply for financial aid and so at a minimum you will need to provide to the financial aid office at the universities or at the schools where your kids are interested in attending. You will have to provide your income tax forms, you will have to provide perhaps W-2 statements that show your income etc. If you have various kinds of financial investments or other things that can be used to perhaps pay for some of your children's tuition you will need statements and information on all of that stuff and you should start gathering it now because the longer you take the harder it is and the more likely that in the rush you will not be gathering the information you need without having a lot of headaches. You should also tell your kids that they need to be aware of whatever kind of entrance examinations those colleges and universities require. So it may be SATs, it may be ACTs, it may be other kinds of standardized tests, not only do your children have to take those tests but they have to request that the testing agencies send that information to the various universities that they are applying to because university will need that information in order to determine first of all what what classes your kids should be placed into in their first semester or in their first year of undergrad and then they'll also need that information to determine whether or not your kids would qualify for academic or merit-based scholarships. So as I said it's a big deal but it's something that you should really consider doing and doing early okay. So good luck to you and to your family as you send your kids off on the journey to higher education okay. You know for many of us the holiday season is a time for dreaming. We remember those fun times we had as children, we reminisce about watching our own kids grow up and we recall those loved ones who can't be with us but we don't just dream about the past we also contemplate the future. This is a time for resolutions to improve some aspect of our lives to look forward to a better tomorrow and to take action so that our future can be better and more satisfying than our past. Education is an investment whose value can't be quantified. We know how much the tuition and books will cost but there's no way to determine the many ways in which an individual can change and grow as they walk the path of knowledge. I know that my own life has been richer and far more exciting than it would have been had I chosen not to pursue a university education. I've been to places and met people that I would not have had access to without having spent several years getting those diplomas. The gift of an education is a gift that keeps on giving. That's all for today's episode of Working Together on Think Tech Hawaii. I'm Cheryl Crozier-Garcia and behalf of all of the volunteers here at Think Tech, happy new year. We'll be back in two weeks. Till then, take care.