Mom0012 Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 (edited) Can anyone make some suggestions for good career paths for my stepdaughter, who is not going to be able to make it through college? She is well into her first semester of community college and is doing terribly even though all of her courses are on the remedial level. She has severe learning disabilities, but has held a job at our local grocery store the last couple of years as a cashier and done well. She is very outgoing, dependable, and responsible. Since she loves being around people, that is a must for any job she considers. I am going to crosspost this on the high school and special needs boards. Thank you so much! Lisa Edited November 11, 2009 by LisaTheresa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usetoschool Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 Not a new suggestion, but all of the checkers at my grocery store have been there for years (shopping at the same stores for 15 years) and make decent money and seem to like it. Seems like she might already have a foot in the door of a career. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 (edited) looking back with 20/20 vision, I wish I had gone to tech school and worked on a plumbing or electrician license. What interests her? FEd EX and UPS pay well, atleasts they did years ago. Does she like yard work, landscaping ? There are a lot of trades out there that pay decent wages. My sister worked in the records department of a hospital while she worked on her medical transcription degree which turned out that because she worked in the hospital she made connections that got her foot in the door to work medical transcrition without a degree for some doctors want to train their own people the way the choose. Edited November 11, 2009 by lynn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Girls' Mom Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 If she's good at handling money, she could work at a credit union or bank. Tellers are often young women either in college, or just out of high school. I worked my way from a file clerk at a CU to a payroll accountant without a degree in anything. She could easily work into a loan officer or such. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 Food service union? Hair dresser? Day care? Telephone banks (customer service)? Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted November 11, 2009 Author Share Posted November 11, 2009 (edited) Not a new suggestion, but all of the checkers at my grocery store have been there for years (shopping at the same stores for 15 years) and make decent money and seem to like it. Seems like she might already have a foot in the door of a career. Where I live, it seems like being a checker at the grocery store used to be a career, but that does not seem to be the case any longer. There is a high turnover among checkers and many of them are high school or college kids. Otherwise, I could definitely have seen this as an option for her. We will check into this further though and make sure our impression is correct. Lisa Edited November 11, 2009 by LisaTheresa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted November 11, 2009 Author Share Posted November 11, 2009 looking back with 20/20 vision, I wish I had gone to tech school and worked on a plumbing or electrician license. What interests her? FEd EX and UPS pay well, atleasts they did years ago. Does she like yard work, landscaping ? There are a lot of trades out there that pay decent wages. My sister worked in the records department of a hospital while she worked on her medical transcription degree which turned out that because she worked in the hospital she made connections that got her foot in the door to work medical transcrition without a degree for some doctors want to train their own people the way the choose. My husband and I were talking about UPS this morning. In some ways, I could see her loving doing the deliveries and I hear they are very good about promoting from within. My husband was thinking she would have to start out by loading trucks though and we don't know if that would really work. She is only about 5' and while she has a very musclar build, she is quite overweight and has always hated to do anything physical. I may look into UPS a little more though. Thank you! Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted November 11, 2009 Author Share Posted November 11, 2009 If she's good at handling money, she could work at a credit union or bank. Tellers are often young women either in college, or just out of high school. I worked my way from a file clerk at a CU to a payroll accountant without a degree in anything. She could easily work into a loan officer or such. Thank you, Apryl. I thought about her being a clerk at the bank too, but numbers are a real weakness for her. We have been amazed that she was able to handle the cashier job at the grocery store to be honest. Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tangerine Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 (edited) Most retail stores and restaurants (Starbucks is my area of expertise) don't require a college degree for store managers. ETA: This does, however, require a certain amount of ability with numbers. I'm pretty terrible at math, but I did fine. You have to be able to count out drawers and safes, order cash, analyze a profit and loss statement, and understand your store budget. Edited November 11, 2009 by Tangerine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
readwithem Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 not a career but a book suggestion - "Real Education" by Charles Murray. Excellent discussion of how not everybody should be going to college. You might also want to read the article in Gwen's thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted November 11, 2009 Author Share Posted November 11, 2009 Most retail stores and restaurants (Starbucks is my area of expertise) don't require a college degree for store managers. Sarah - This is another option that my husband and I have been talking about and that we will see if she is interested in pursuing. I don't really know what's involved with being a store manager or if it would be possible since she functions at a very low level academically, but it's one more avenue for us to pursue. I think we've been hoping that somehow she would be able to make college work if she took things slowly but it's becoming very obvious that it just isn't going to happen so now we're scrambling to try to find other options. Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted November 11, 2009 Author Share Posted November 11, 2009 not a career but a book suggestion - "Real Education" by Charles Murray. Excellent discussion of how not everybody should be going to college. You might also want to read the article in Gwen's thread. Thank you. I did read this. We knew college would be difficult if not impossible for her, but we had to let her try. She really wanted to go and we felt we had to give her a chance. Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 Has she looked into any sales position? Either retail or within a corporate environment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
readwithem Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 Thank you. I did read this. We knew college would be difficult if not impossible for her, but we had to let her try. She really wanted to go and we felt we had to give her a chance. Lisa Oh! I wasn't criticizing you for her college history. I just loved reading his reasons for college not being a good fit for everybody, and could "delay" their actually finding their niche. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akmommy Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 Is she good with her hands? I heard a news report not too long ago that was saying the average age of our vocational workers right now is like 55. So many people anymore are choosing college rather then vocational trades and we could really end up with a shortage of this type of worker in the next 10-15 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 Post office? I'm guessing the math requirement is not too strenuous, and it would give her a chance to interact with lots of people. I like seeing a friendly face at the post office. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted November 11, 2009 Author Share Posted November 11, 2009 Has she looked into any sales position? Either retail or within a corporate environment. This is a definite possibility. She has always had a special interest in cars, so my husband was thinking she might like to work someplace like CarMax. Thanks. Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted November 11, 2009 Author Share Posted November 11, 2009 Oh! I wasn't criticizing you for her college history. I just loved reading his reasons for college not being a good fit for everybody, and could "delay" their actually finding their niche.:grouphug: I really didn't take your comment that way at all. I had read the article before and agreed and knew that my stepdaughter probably shouldn't be going to college, so I was just trying to explain why we had her go anyway. Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cera Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 I think it depends on the grocery store. I know on the east coast there are still some where working as a cashier would be a viable career (Wegmans). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JillZ Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 Is she good with children? My sister (who doesn't have a college degree) works in a daycare center. She loves it and the kids and teachers love her. It seems to be a great match for her, and she is able to make a difference in people's even without a college degree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne in CA Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 I was thinking of posting day care myself. My step daughter who is not academically gifted does this and loves it. Also, in home daycare is a great way to be home with your own kids when you get married. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-FL Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 While she may need a class or two, here's what comes to my mind: Bookkeeper Restaurant/hotel staff Just about any small business position--large corps are often like the govmt & like to see the college degree. Librarian Receptionist Tour guide Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted November 11, 2009 Author Share Posted November 11, 2009 Thanks again for all the suggestions! I've made a list of them all and will discuss them with my husband and stepdaughter and see if there's something here that sounds right for her. Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emzhengjiu Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 If your step daughter is attending a community college now, does it offer career testing and counseling? The test results might be very useful. The student services department also may help her find a job. Ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 I love my job as a Typewell transcriber (I'm employed by our local university, but it can be handled in an entrepreneurial way as well). It takes 2-3 months to train for and it pays well. My other thought is the direct selling route: Pampered Chef, Uppercase Living, Tastefully Simple, CAbi clothing, Tupperware, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 Where I live, it seems like being a checker at the grocery store used to be a career, but that does not seem to be the case any longer. There is a high turnover among checkers and many of them are high school or college kids. Otherwise, I could definitely have seen this as an option for her. We will check into this further though and make sure our impression is correct. Lisa Depends upon if it's a union job or not. In CA (years ago), Safeway clerks were part of a union and were paid pretty well. In FL (many years ago), no difference between that and Mickey D's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fivetails Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 Have you checked around your community for any organisations that work with people who have disabilities? I'm thinking of places that arrange job placements with employers who are aware of, and willing to hire, people with developmental/intellectual/etc disabilities ~ I'm not sure what degree of disability that your daughter has? You worded it as "severe learning disabilities" ?...many of them also have educational components as well - academic upgrading, computer skills, etc... every program is different, of course... but would something like that be a positive option for her? :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 UPS is probably hiring temp workers for the Christmas season. The last time I looked, they required you to be able to lift 75 lbs. They have great benefits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraGB Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 How about a CNA (certified nursing assistant)? The classes are only about 3 months long and the income potential is good. I would encourage her to do something she really likes. Neither dh nor I have college degrees, but we have been successfully self employed for over 10 years. College is not necessary. Unless, of course, she wanted to be a surgeon or a lawyer or something that needs specific training. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicAnn Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 I think she should consider not just the immediate job, but if she can advance in the area. One thing that can be very frustrating for people without degrees is to have younger less experienced people hired and advanced above them because they have a degree. So consider if she can advance in the job, if she wants to. Also lots of jobs that don't require a degree may not pay well or may not have good benefits. You might want to consider how important these aspects will be to her. If you anticipate lots of health problems, you might look at the opportunities with better benefits. Even if she doesn't go to college, there might be classes that will increase her ability to find jobs - secretarial skills, computer skills, people have mentioned electric/plumbing etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lgm Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 Mail carrier sounds good as she is reliable and responsible and likes cars, but this website has some ideas: http://careerplanning.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&zTi=1&sdn=careerplanning&cdn=careers&tm=18&gps=210_161_1076_604&f=20&tt=14&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//career.missouri.edu/students/explore/thecareerinterestsgame.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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