Job Training

When the stimulus bill passed in February I scoured it for any programs for job training. Couldn't find any. Then Obama changed the rules for Pell Grants. I was ecstatic. But he didn't go far enough in reorganizing the program. So I was in the same place I was before. Now that we are in this economic mess I wonder why there is not an emphasis on job training.

With so many people out of work you would think that the administration would be focused solely on job creation. That isn't the case. After all, this country has a lot of other problems facing it right now also. But the central issue is jobs for most Americans. Many people have worked in industries and in small towns in rural America that are just not viable anymore. How are they supposed to get a job in a new industry without training?

If you have worked your entire life in one field, and suddenly find yourself out of work what are you going to do? There are a lot of people in your industry that are also out of work. Your industry may no longer be viable to sustain employment. While I think there may still be some opportunities a degree in journalism might not be the best option with so many newspapers going out of business. Everything is online now and that makes them no longer relevant. While journalism may be your passion, it may not be economically sustainable as a career in the long run. So what are you going to do?

You may have a degree in journalism, or in many other fields that are going by the wayside. You may also have a large load of student loans because it was important to go to a good school and get a degree. A degree that is now worthless. You need to make a living, and you need a new career but how are you going to get it. Job Training is the answer. You have to go back to school to get a new career going. But where is that money going to come from? It isn't smart to take out more student loans to pay for another career that may turn out to be bust also. So you look for job training programs. Chances are that you will not qualify for any that you find. You either made too much money the previous year to qualify, or your degree disqualifies you from eligibility. Just like it does with the Pell Grant.

It was my hope that Obama was going to lift this one restriction on the Pell Grant, but alas I was very dissapointed. I never had a scolarship in school. Nor did I receive a Pell Grant. But now when I need the help, it's not there. How am I supposed to train for one of these Green Jobs when I have no green? This is a new field, and I don't know anything about it. I imagine most people in America are in the same boat that I am. So where is the training going to come from for this new career?

We talk about overhauling so many different things like tort reform and medicare, but has anybody stopped to think that our education system needs to be reformed. Now I'm not talking about K-12 education. I'm talking about what happens after K-12. Colleges and Universities. We strive to get our kids into these places, but are they really doing us any good? Why are so many of these places focused on 4 years? I need to make a change now, and so do many Americans. I can't take 4 years out of my life when I have no other income.

Now don't get me wrong. I know that you can't just pour water on it and poof instant career. But what I'm saying is that there need to be more programs geared towards new careers in less time. I want to go back to school, not pay a lot of money and not waste any more time studying the geography of South America. Plus I want to make money when I get done. Most of the jobs that are a result of any job training program pay $8 - 12/hour. You can't live off of that. It's time to reform adult education.