Career path crisis
Praxis is a for-profit apprenticeship program in the United States. It places young people at paid positions with startup companies. Participants in the program are not required to have a college degree. Praxis is an alternative to college. In my own personal experience, I gave college a try, I didn't stay very long. I gave working in the restaurant a try, I stayed longer than college but ultimately left to do other things. I tried full time missionary work, though fulfilling and great work, it was more to serve, not to pay my bills once it was over. Now I'm in praxis and learning new things that are centered around my growth in my career path.
This is not a "college is bad" case study. This is a "Whatever the normal is around you vs. The alternative. Praxis being the potential alternative. College is the most common normal in our society though. So I have found this graph from finder.com and this is their info on college students and graduates. It's almost hard to look at.
That's a lot of people paying money for a 41% rate of not even using the thing they worked so hard to get. It's discouraging. Despite being in this alternative program myself I've interviewed four of my fellow participants and asked them 5 simple questions. 1: How did you hear about Praxis? 2: What made you sign up? 3: Were you doing something else career-wise before Praxis? 4. Do you have a goal you wish to achieve career wise? and 5: What's the most valuable skill you have learned in Praxis? Below are the interviews themselves. I'd encourage you to take a look at them.
konnor zoom.mp4Konnor
Konnor wasn't sure college was for him in his current time. He even had 2nd thoughts on entering into this college alternative program. After having seen some insight that Praxis could help him achieve what he could be in the future though, he made the jump and is now learning a lot about time management and pushing through those creative walls that many encounter in their own career journeys.
Jayla and Philip Career Path Crisis case study.mp4Jayla
Just having exited highschool, Jayla couldn't justify the cost of University in her home country of Austraila. What she thought would be a fun gap year actually turned into a stay at home covid year and she joined praxis to use that time of solitude to get a jump start on her career.
Jaime interview (1).mp4Jaime
Jaime was a bit confused when starting off his career, as most are. He was conflicted with college due to pricing, maybe a trade school would be better? After doing research on Praxis he saw opportunity in his future rather than debt, and went for it.
Nick and Phil.mp4Nick
Nick liked the idea of learning essential skills and tools he would need for the workplace. He was in college for a while and swapped degrees, soon after he dropped it. Nick still had work after college but nothing was clicking for him. Praxis did click though. Now he is setting his feet on the ground for the end of the year to then have a game plan for his career path.
a simple thought about this all
From interviewing Praxis participants I can gather that the majority of individuals feel the pressure of the unknown in their lives. "What am I going to do?" can put a lot of weight on us. If you don't have the perfect answer to that question for yourself, life can quickly become stressful. This is human nature though, no one is perfect, therfore, we will never have the true answer to that question. However, we can do our best and find the best route for us. That is a realistic goal. So find what makes you click, find what makes you excited about life, and chase it. If that's college for you then awesome! If that's an alternative like Praxis, great! So long as you, the individual, are chasing your passions and or learning them, you'll find some happiness in your life.