Democratic Primaries
In reply to the discussion: How Biden helped create the student debt problem he now promises to fix [View all]TexasTowelie
(112,121 posts)at Austin Westlake High School which is probably the most wealthy school in the Austin area (with the possible exception of Lake Travis).
The first question that they asked my friend was "what sport do you coach?" Noting that his career options would be limited in the future, my friend returned back to college to become a math teacher instead.
I also know a brother and sister who had music and fine arts degrees. However, they did not take the courses to obtain teacher certification. Both of them found employment as teachers at Montessori schools, but their pay is significantly less than if they had obtained the teacher certification to make them more employable. I value their friendship and admire their artistic talents, but I was surprised that their father didn't provide more career guidance since he was an assistant superintendent. I'm not aware of how much debt they accumulated, but I saw how their families struggled financially over the past 20 years.
FWIW, I played trumpet from fifth grade through my last year in college so I do recognize the value of music and art in people's lives. However, I also tried to acquire skills to enhance my employment opportunities. I even started to work on my teacher's certificate after I graduated and I had a BS degree in mathematics and chemistry, but withdrew from college when I finally received a job offer. The job only paid $16,000 a year, but the alternative was to spend at least another $15,000 to get the certification and I was also going to have to search for a new roommate for the spring semester. I also started my classroom observations during that first semester and I was able to conclude that I wouldn't have been happy if I became a teacher since the teacher (a middle-aged man) couldn't maintain discipline in the class.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden