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<p>Fresno (the implied location) is a low income area, so any post-secondary directions that the students consider likely need to be considered in terms of cost and financial reward (that does not mean only in terms of cost and financial reward).</p>
<p>It is not like a generation or two ago, when going to college with the old-fashioned goal of “learning for learning’s sake” also meant an almost automatic upgrade in financial reward, because college was a lot cheaper (often within the capability of student self-funding, even without parent contributions or financial aid) and any bachelor’s degree meant that one stood out among many other applicants for many types of better-paying jobs. Today’s students, even from middle or upper-middle income families, cannot ignore financial realities; those from low income families may face even more financial pressure here. Of course, the reality is that most college students today are there at least partially to upgrade their job prospects; two thirds major in obviously pre-professional majors, while many of the other one third are in liberal arts majors with well-known pre-professional directions.</p>
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<p>Odd that this type of suggestion only seems to come up in the context of those from low income backgrounds like much of the population of Fresno.</p>
<p>In any case, the priority for middle school students is to do well enough in school to avoid closing off any potential post-secondary options of interest, whether it is college leading to a bachelor’s degree or some other type of education leading to other types of skilled work.</p>