New Age for Adulthood?

Technological innovations over the last 50 years have brought massive career and social changes. Foremost among these is the reclassification of the age that adolescents enter adulthood. Various ages have defined adulthood in the past - 16 with the issuance of a driving license, 18 with the beginning of military service and even 21 with the right to vote.

What is the new age?
According to a recent study from the University of Pennsylvania, the new age for adulthood is 30! This is the age that most adolescents:

• Finish their post-secondary education and training
• Are financially able to support themselves
• Finally move out of their parents' home

That means that juniors and seniors in high school may be working part time another 10 to 12 years before they find their dream job.

If they have to work at any time during those 12 years, will they be working at minimum wage, $5.15 an hour? Or will they have acquired education that will get them higher wages during that time period?

Career and Technical Education offers opportunities for students to earn skills that will help them earn higher wages during this period:

• One student at the Chesterfield Technical Center is working as a maintenance technician and earning $10.00 an hour with benefits. Counting the weekends, he is currently working 40 hours a week and is getting medical coverage and health benefits.
• A Landscaping student earned $26,000 during one summer while still in college.
• A high school Marketing student is earning $11.00 an hour working in the call center at Capital One. If she works 30 hours a week, she receives medical and health coverage. Even more important, Capital One will reimburse her for any class in which she earns a grade of B or better.

These are just two examples of students who are facing the changing demands of the new economy by taking advantage of Career and Technical Education courses provided by Chesterfield County Public Schools.

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