Is a college degree the one sure path to career success?

My family always assumed I would go to college. For my first career, as an engineer, it was pretty much a given; when I moved from industry to consulting, it was a requirement for licensure. But with a down economy, rising costs, and the never-ending decline of campus social culture, parents are asking, “Isn’t there an alternative?”

In some careers, it may actually be better not to pursue the ivy-decked halls of higher education.

Recently I spoke with Ken Auer, one of the nation’s leaders in software development, about the idea of formal apprenticeships. Ken doesn’t see this as indentured servitude, like it was in the days of Johnny Tremain, but it’s a lot more intense than an after-school job, too. In his field, Ken said, the hands-on approach where students learn from masters of the craft is the best way to teach software development.

While the four-year college program is “a well-worn path,” he said, the emerging model of apprenticeship training is becoming “well-accepted in this industry.”

“It’s way better than a computer science degree,” Ken said.

One thing that makes this field so ripe for apprenticeship is the difference between learning facts and actually gaining experience, he said.

“Software is more like a trade than an academic discipline,” he explained. “You don’t experience ‘history,’ you learn it. You don’t have to do anything. A computer science program teaches the theory of how software works, like studying the history of architecture when what you want is to build a house.”

Ken has practiced this sort of training for many years. In fact, his company is named “Role Model Software,” to reflect the concept of disciples learning from a master teacher. It also reflects Ken’s Christian world view; he is an elder at his church, Southwest Wake Christian Assembly, which meets in nearby Raleigh, N.C.

“In the late 1980’s, I learned object-oriented software development by doing it,” Ken said, “and most talented people I met in the field did not have computer science degrees.” His first apprentice actually lived with a family where Ken worked for six months, and Ken was “amazed at the results” of the intense, one-on-one interaction and training that were possible. He trained “two or three dozen” developers in similar ways before starting RoleModel Software where he has trained several more.

To make this proven training method available to more students, Ken has created the RoleModel Software Craftsmanship Academy (www.CraftsmanshipAcademy.com) and is accepting applications for the first session this summer. SCA will offer the equivalent of 6 months of project-based training with Ken and his development staff; the latter half of that time will be working for actual customers, and graduates will continue into a twelve-month internship with RoleModel or another firm. Several screened companies have already committed to provide internships in anticipation of the SCA program and its expected results.

Ken speaks of the importance of having “an integrated lifestyle,” where each part works intentionally and harmoniously with all the others – career and family, spiritual and physical. It naturally leads to the training methods used by Christ with His disciples.

“You have to think about how your career choice will affect your family,” Ken said. “How will taking four years off for college affect your family?”

For more information, visit www.CraftsmanshipAcademy.com ]]> http://www.raisingrealmen.com/2012/05/apprenticeship/feed/ 0 http://www.raisingrealmen.com/2012/05/a-boat-for-a-young-explorer/ http://www.raisingrealmen.com/2012/05/a-boat-for-a-young-explorer/#comments Tue, 01 May 2012 16:29:15 +0000 Hal http://www.raisingrealmen.com/?p=5334 Read More]]>  

We both have great memories from childhood–spending time on the water with our dads or grandfathers, fishing with friends, or exploring lakes and ponds near our homes.

The water’s still there, but we didn’t have a boat to share with our own children, and we didn’t have the money to buy one.

Then we got an idea …

What if we built a boat as a family project?

We built this neat little craft for just $65 — with hand tools — while we were on vacation!

Like to know how?

We’re writing a downloadable ebook with plans, instructions, and photos of the project.  Send no money now — just sign up below and you’ll be the first to know when it’s ready!

Sign up here and we’ll contact you as soon as it’s ready!

Email Marketing You Can Trust

But I’ll never be a brony.

A raucous gathering at an Anaheim hotel on a recent Saturday night looked like any fanboy mini-convention — about 150 people, mostly guys in their late teens and early 20s, watched animation on big-screen TVs, recited dialogue from memory and jumped out of their seats to cheer for a storied franchise.

But it wasn’t a Marvel superhero, a Christopher Nolan blockbuster or a million-selling video game that had them rapt. It was the rainbow-hued fantasy world of “My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic,” a reboot of a classic kids TV series airing on cable network the Hub, that has found its way into the hearts of an unexpected demographic: adult men.

“My Little Pony” has spawned a testosterone-fueled subculture in Los Angeles and around the country so strong that its devotees have a name, “bronies” — combining “bro” and “ponies” — and produce a steady stream of flying-pony-inspired blogs, rock bands, fan art and YouTube videos.

(Los Angeles Times)

National Review’s Greg Pollowitz asked “‘Testosterone-fueled subculture?’ Really?” It’s one thing to have a quiet appreciation for Thomas The Tank Engine (especially the early episodes narrated by Ringo Starr) … at least those stories were written for boys. But young men celebrating a little pony with cutie-marks and brushable rainbow mane?

You don’t have to go hyper-masculine to choose a hobby that doesn’t call your gender identity into question. Whatever good qualities MLP might have, this particular expression of them is not the stuff of manliness, Bro.

“How old is he?” I asked

“Eighteen.”

My eyebrows went up, “What is he planning to do next year?”

“Oh, he’ll be going to a university,” mentioning one many hours away.

I was concerned she didn’t believe he was mature enough to drive but was prepared to stand up for his beliefs in the college environment. We continued to talk and after a while she mentioned that she hadn’t spoken to her parents in over 20 years.

“Oh no! What happened?” Breaking contact permanently is the capital punishment of relationships.

“My parents just wouldn’t let me grow up! They kept treating me like a child, not letting me do adult things, so when I was 19 I ran away and never looked back.”

I paused, stunned. “Perhaps you should reconsider and allow your son to get his driver’s license.” She suddenly turned white as a sheet as she realized for the first time that she was doing the same thing to her son.

So, what kind of parent should you be? Benevolent dictator or trusted advisor?

Well, it depends on the season of your child’s life. A toddler is in desperate need of a benevolent dictator to teach him the law of God and the rules of civilization, but if we haven’t transitioned to the role of trusted advisors by the time our children are on their own, we’ve made a grave error.

As we travel around the country, we meet many Christian families. Unfortunately, quite a few great families seem to falter during the transition from childhood to adulthood. We’ve noticed that the adult children of parents who retain control too long tend to either rebel or become passive, lacking drive and motivation. This is especially true of boys. God made them to be men. He made them to lead.

Of course, it’s right and proper to train them to obey! “Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves.” (Luke 22:26)

As they get older, though, we’ve got to prepare them to stand alone and to be adults. We won’t always be there and even if we could be, they need to learn to rely on God themselves. So how do you do that? How do you move from a benevolent dictator to a trusted advisor?

“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much.” Luke 16:10

We give them as much responsibility as they can handle, as soon as they can handle it – and a little sooner than they think they can. That way, instead of pushing us away so that they can stand on their own two feet, they are reaching back to us for advice!

The process starts the first time you give them a job on their own, “Put all the toys away,” and it doesn’t end until you’ve got a young man who’s taken his place in the world, serving the Lord on his own. It’s not easy to figure all this out, but it is worth it to see those arrows fly out straight and true!

You can learn more about making the transition in our workshop, Homeschooling is Not Enough, which isn’t really about homeschooling at all.

Hal & Melanie

Hal & Melanie Young are the authors of Raising Real Men: Surviving, Teaching and Appreciating Boys, the 2011 Christian Small Publishers Book of the Year. Learn more about raising boys to godly manhood at Raising Real Men. Follow them at Facebook and on Twitter.  And keep an eye out for their upcoming book on marriage!

Some days our boys are just full of beans–and while holiday candy just boosts the effect, we’ve learned it’s not just the sugar which causes it! Children generally but boys in particular are energetic, enthusiastic, excessive creatures, and there are days when home life is mostly a blur or activity. It’s great when you’re doing yardwork, but hard when it’s time to concentrate on schoolwork, for example.

Are your guys driving you around the bend today? You might enjoy hearing some of the ideas we share in Boot Camp 9-12, our weekly webinar series about raising your young men in the 9- to 12-year-old range, and preparing them to make their teen years a blessing to both of you. This week we’ll talk about actually getting them through fifth grade — yes! It’s possible! — and not only that, planning to make your life simpler and give them a sense of direction as they move toward high school and beyond.

This five week series just started but your subscription allows you to go back in time (sorta) and listen to the complete recorded workshop – slides, audio, video, and even the chat conversations. Won’t you join us tonight?

CLICK HERE BEFORE 6:00 EASTERN TIME and we can add you in!

This amazing footage from a NBC news helicopter in Dallas-Fort Worth, shows the recent tornado striking a truck terminal and throwing semi  trailers hundreds of feet in the air (1:00 mark).

And this video from a home security system in West Liberty, Kentucky, captured the effect of a twister as it ripped the siding off the house and disintegrated the neighbors’ storage buildings. Check out the tree rolling around the lawn after it was uprooted, and the backyard furniture bounding across the yard like tumbleweeds. Wow. The garage only stood for thirty seconds, and the whole event was over in sixty.

We aren’t amateur storm chasers by any means, but I admit there are times I’ve enjoyed the spectacle when maybe I should have been inside, instead.  These videos are not only good supplements for science class–and something the boys would find fascinating, to boot–, they offer an opportunity to talk about the need for discretion and judgment to complement our sons’ natural courage and daring!

The goal of all of this for our sons is to become young, strong, independent men, who can stand on their faith, and stand for God and Christ, come what may; who can do what God has called them to do, and be what God has called them to be.

Because we don’t really know what our sons are going to be called to face, and we don’t know what career God is going to bring them into or what opportunities or challenges they’ll encounter, we want to prepare them to be young men who have the faith and strength of character to say “Wherever God takes me, I’m going to rely on Him.”

We have to give them a vision:

“Your goal in life is not to be a teenager. Your goal is to become a man, and we’re giong to help you become a man. What are the characteristics of manhood? We want to look at these virtues, things like honor, diligence, courage, and integrity, things that even a young man like you can develop and practice in small ways around the house …”

"Show them how it's done."

If you’ve got a son in that crucial age between 9 and 12, when those changes you’re bracing for at 13 are actually cranking up, we think you’d enjoy the program we’ve got lined up. This week we talked about the emotional and mental changes which show up long before the first whisker appears, and next week, we’ll dive into how that affects their schoolwork–and what we can do about it! Why not join up with dozens of couples already on board? We’re meeting Mondays at 8:00 (Eastern), and we’d love to meet you online.

CLICK HERE to find out more!

This month we’re back at home base focusing on online events (Boot Camp 9-12 and The Ultimate Home School Expo) and preparing for our next road trip – from Michigan to Maryland, then to our home conference in North Carolina!

ONE OPPORTUNITY LEFT! 

Wednesday, May 16, we’ll be on the road through Virginia, and we’ll be available to speak anywhere in the state (the yellow zone, right). Since we’re on the road already, we’ll be glad to stop over at no charge to your group!

So drop us a line (speakers at RaisingRealMen.com) if you’re interested!

We’re traveling through West Virginia on the way home. Hopefully we’ll make it home tonight — probably in the wee hours — unless we are too tired to keep going.

We had a wonderful stopover in Minnesota Tuesday night. We spoke at a church in South Haven, in the middle of nowhere, and had tons of people show up! It was a great lot of fun to meet the Gunn family, who have followed us for a long time and were extremely gracious hosts …

Our drive across Wisconsin the next day was incredibly gorgeous. The little farms you play with as a child looked nothing like the farms in the Carolinas,. Well, now we know what they designed them after! We saw lovely white farmhouses, big red barns with barn quilts painted on them and tall white silos. Lovely country! Wednesday night we spoke at a high school in Shawano, Wisconsin for a support group there. It felt a little weird to say the things we do in a public high school building, but we had a good turn out – some from quite a ways away – and good sales, too. We stayed with the Bergmann family and had great fellowship!

Thursday morning, we made a trip to Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers (Matt’s a fan) and ate the celebratory meal of the trip at Krolls West. We greatly enjoyed booyah (which is similar to Brunswick Stew), fried cheese curds and bratwurst. So yummy!

Thursday night we stayed with cousins, a young homeschool family, outside of Chicago and greatly enjoyed our marketing discussions (Melanie’s cousin is a marketing director at a Christian publisher). Last night we stayed with the Back family, old friends in Ohio. Today we made our last stop at United Dairy Farmer’s – a wonderful store with not only milk at $2.50 a gallon, but what they call “Seriously Chocolate” milk. It’s the best chocolate milk ever – like drinking chocolate pudding!

It was a great trip, full of ministry, fun and new sights!

Since our last update, it’s been a whirlwind! We spent last Wednesday night with a family in Minnesota who found out about our ministry by attending a Households of Faith Gregg Harris conference in Texas put on by some old friends of ours from when we lived in Louisiana – Gene & Lora Keeth. We’d donated some resources to the attendees and through that, this family offered us hospitality. They have three grown daughters still living at home and no sons. We had very sweet fellowship with them, and the next day they helped us with our inventory and adding “Made in the USA” stickers to all our merchandise for the border crossing.

The border crossing took a few hours and we had to have an immigration interview, but there was no trouble (well, other than $300 and something in GST taxes, but we expected that) and we were able to briefly see some of the northern lights on our way into Winnipeg.

We had a wonderful conference in Manitoba! The Lord seemed to really use our messages to touch and encourage the homeschoolers there. We spoke with many who the Lord blessed through the conference. In a wonderful blessing, the hotel we found on Priceline for just $67 a night for each of our rooms (in a place where rooms run $150-$200 a night) was really nice and the closest to the conference location and within walking distance for the boys and Hal at least, so we parked there and saved a lot on parking fees. Our sales were just great for a small conference like that, praise God!! We had great fellowship with the Manitoba board over lasagna Saturday and pulled out yesterday after the boys changed a tire that popped on the trailer. We’re now out of spares for both the trailer and the van — please pray for protection from further flats!

For lunch yesterday, we had Tim Horton’s doughnuts, which are apparently the favorite food of all Canadians, judging by the Tim Horton’s on every corner. They were yummy!

Last night, the Lord provided another inexpensive, but really nice Priceline hotel find — and it was Christian run! We stayed in Fargo, North Dakota, last night and we’re headed to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, tonight to speak. Please pray! We need the Lord who calmed the storm to calm this wind! We’re traveling into a headwind of 50mph and it cost us about $50 in gas to make it the first 70 miles. We can’t afford that!!! We are currently drafting trucks like Richard Petty on the prairie!

Tomorrow we speak in South Haven, Minnesota, west of Minneapolis and the next night in Shawano, Wisconsin. Please keep praying for us, dear friends!

Hal & Melanie