Technical Schools Vs. College

I was listening to a conversation between two sets of parents not too long ago and they were talking about higher education for their children. They were debating Vocational Technical Schools and 2 or 4 year colleges.

One parent was saying that college was not as necessary anymore and that the wold needs more welders, construction, mechanics and manual labor workers than it needs business majors.

The other argued that in order for the construction worker to have a business they needed a business degree to be successful. They would also need accountants and financial planners to save for the long term. These jobs require college education.

I thought both sides had a point, but I also though both might be a little short sighted.

When I was in high school, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I was already a farmer/rancher and could have continued to do that and been able to make a living. That’s not really what I wanted to do. My mom and dad wanted me to be a veterinarian and I went to a year at OSU didn't want to be a Vet, and didn’t like college so I left college and didn’t have any direction.

I decided at that point, I would enroll in a Vo Tech school. I took classes in residential wiring and construction. Then got a job as a journeyman electrician. I was proud of my accomplishments and had a great job that paid a pretty good salary. Then the bottom dropped out of the Oil industry and it affected everyone. Work was still there, but new construction dropped to nothing and I decided I needed options.

Close by my home town was a Junior College. I went to check it out and ended up enrolling. I still didn’t know what I wanted to do. but I thought by the time I got the general education out of the way, I’d figure it out. I did, and went on to get a degree in Fine Art and then Visual and Graphic Design at a 4 year college.

I’ve worked for almost 30 years in the Advertising and Graphic Design industry and have had my own business for over 16 years. I have been lucky that I’ve been able to do what I love and make a living. However I also am comforted by the fact that I have always had manual skills that I can fall back on if I needed (it also helps around the house).

My advice is, think about letting your kids do both. Put some time into Vocational Technical schools to learn a trade, then go to college and continue education. Both are worthwhile, both can provide you with skills and employment for the rest of your life.

Both give your kids options, they don't have to pick one or the other, they can do both! You can’t prepare them for life any better than that!

© 2020 Michael Burke

The importance of planning and setting daily goals!

Good day! I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy.

Most of us are having to stay home and work right now, so it's more important than ever to have a clear set of goals to help plan your day.

Some, have had a home office for years and have a routine to make their day productive. However, with our families at home with us, we are having to switch things up a bit.

If you don't already, I would suggest setting a long term set of goals and a daily set of goals.

Most successful people already know and understand the importance of setting goals, but I've found in the last few weeks my goals have had to change a little.

Some people call them lists, some call them daily goals but the end result is the same. The following examples are how I set up my daily tasks. While at home with my son right now, I'm teaching him to do this as well.

A.    I have a journal that I work in and at the first of the year I write down my long term goals for the year. I can go back to the front of the journal at any time and make sure my daily goals are getting me closer to my long term goals.

B.    Every night I try right down the date and my goals for the next day. I could say list, but goals mentally tells me its a challenge and not a chore. By doing it at night, it means I don't have to take time out of my morning, I can sit down and get started first thing.

C.    I try to right down at least 10 goals for my day. Don't worry if you can only think of 8, that's fine. If you have 12 that's fine. I've found for me, 10 is a manageable number. The following is a sample of a normal set of daily goals. Except the coffee, they can be done in any order.

1. Get up and have coffee. ( No goal is too small. I try to make my daily goals manageable)
2. Check and respond to e-mail
3. Network
4. Finish any work I didn't get done the day before (this is a goal that will vary from day to day)
5. Get any billable projects that need to be done today (this also will vary from day to day)
6. Get 30 min of exercise ( can be as simple as going for a walk, just something that gives you a mental break)
7. Invoicing
8. Clean office space
9. Write goals for tomorrow
10. Tell my family I love them!

These are a simple sample of daily goals I use almost every day. They change up from time to time, but they are totally customizable and when I check them off, I feel a sense of accomplishment which helps with stress.

Now, with the current situation in place I have my family at home and that creates a whole new set of challenges.

My son now has to do virtual classroom, so I have become teacher, lunch monitor and recess monitor (making sure he doesn't recess all day!). My wife is also working from home and needs the dining room as an office to do calls and virtual meetings. All of this changes my work dynamic.

My daily goals have had to adapt to the new situation. Here is how my day goes now.

1. Get up and have coffee (that will never change!)
2. Make sure my son gets to work on school and be available to answer questions or give any instruction as needed. This could take an hour and a half to two hours out of my day.
3. e-mail
4. Network
5. finish work that is undone and do any new work that needs to happen (many times individual projects will become separate goals)
6. Take at least 30 min to do something active with my son
7. Read a book
8. Update my LinkedIn page
9. Write my blog.
10. Tell my family I love them! (this will always be on my goals list)

My goals list has always been moveable and the difference now is it has to be very flexible and I need to remind myself that some of the goals just wont happen. I have to take into account the kid needing snacks and drinks (he's still figuring out he can do that on his own) and every so often I hear "MICHAEL" which always seems to require me to get up and go where ever my wife is to find out what she needs!

Even in the unusual circumstances we find ourselves in, I still manage to write down a list of goals that help make my day manageable and as profitable as it can be.

Making goals you can check, helps keep you mentally fit and helps keep better track of your day. Making your goals flexible is important  if you want to accomplish anything especially with your family at home and if you want to keep your sanity!

Stay safe and be well.
Michael Burke




© Copyright 2020 Michael Burke