Countless newspapers and blogs have featured the struggles faced by college graduates to find good jobs. Despite the media attention given to the diminishing opportunities for new graduates, many colleges still offer promises of career success and higher earnings. The New College Reality: Make College Work for Your Career, by Bonnie Kerrigan Snyder, provides the unedited truth about college today. The twenty-two rules presented in the book serve as a guideline for students and parents when planning for college.
The overall message of the book is that finding a promising career field and saving money should be the focus of college, not going to the school of one’s dream or maintaining a perfect GPA. Rule one -a college degree is the new high school- has been stated many times. Other rules might not be as familiar or widely accepted. For example, Kerrigan Snyder recommends choosing a career path before choosing a college and starting your college visit at the career center rather than at the admissions office.
Despite rising tuition costs, many students and parents think finances shouldn’t be the main concern when choosing a college. The New College Reality asserts that money should be a major consideration and that the choice about where to attend should be made with the head rather than the heart. The book’s advice on financial aid will be particularly useful for high school students and their parents. Kerrigan Snyder also recommends doing your own research rather than trusting advice from college employees.
The New College Reality is a must-read for students and parents, mainly because it presents honest information that few other sources will provide. It may be hard for students to hear that college is not about having fun or taking interesting classes, but about gaining useful skills for a very difficult job market.
Buy The New College Reality: Make College Work For Your Career