Things always have a way of working out!

My son graduated high school in 2020. The next step goal was for him to attend a fashion school in New York. He applied to his top choices and was informed a few weeks after Covid lockdowns began that he was not accepted. After watching the news and seeing the current state of New York at the time he felt that the outcome was best.

We immediately moved to Plan B and he went into the workforce. He did pretty well working in the role but he wasn't fulfilled. He's part of the "Show me the Money!" generation so he began chasing paychecks and realized that his desire to be a fashion designer and to grow his clothing business would not die.

Since Covid, many top schools increased their efforts by promoting and offering new and existing certification/certificate programs. People not being able to afford college. People not having the capacity to attend college full time. People looking to expand on their current skills are a few reasons why these programs exist.

Just so happens that my son's top school choices that he was turned down from all now offer fashion certification/certificate programs in his primary areas of interest and currently enrolled in 1 of 3 to start. He was granted a scholarship as well, so the out-of-pocket cost wasn't too much. Things always have a way of working out!

As a parent, there are multiple options your child can take advantage of to have a promising future. Check out certification/certificate programs in their (not yours) preferred area of study and explore additional options in the event Plan A doesn't work out as planned.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jamelah Henry specializes in producing "All-Star" employees for the workplace. She is a product of a job training program from early in her career. She used the skillsets that she learned and was immediately recognized by top employers. After a few short years in the workforce, she was promoted to a management position. She spent the last 18 years of her career working as a manager, trainer, recruiter, and entrepreneur specializing in hiring, training, coaching and developing both existing and new hire employees to bring their best to the workplace.

She is an SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) Certified Professional, earned a B.S. in Human Resource Management from Wilmington University and a member of the Delta Epsilon Rho Honor Society. She is also a current member of the National Resume Writers Association (NRWA) and working towards a certification as a National Resume Writer. In her spare time, she likes giving back to her community supporting causes such as Poverty Alleviation, Economic Empowerment, Civil Rights & Social Action.