1. Degrees & Certificates
Some Thoughts

2. AA AS & Cert.
TRANSFER WORK Enter
Move on to an upper the Workforce
level institution / when YOU
4 year university
Graduate !

3. Bachelors Degrees @ SF
 BAS: Clinical
Laboratory Science
 Prepares students to
enter the workforce as
Clinical Laboratory
Technologists or
Medical Technologists

4. Bachelors Degrees @ SF
 BAS: Health Services
Administration
 Applicants to this BAS program
should have an associate degree
in a health-related discipline.
 Health care is a business and,
like every business, it needs
good management to keep it
running smoothly.

5. Associate of Arts
 36 General Education
Classes (Academic)
 24 Electives (Degree
Specific)
 60 Total

6. Associate of Science
 15 General Education
Classes (Academic)
 45 Professional Core
Classes
 60 Total

7. Certificates
 Credit  P.S.A.V.
 Postsecondary
 Credit Hour
Adult Vocational
Classes
 Contact Hour
 Classes Apply to
Classes
AS Degree
 Only Job
 Only Job
Specific Classes
Specific Classes  No GED or
Diploma needed

8. Think About It!
 How Long do you want to go to
School ?
 Are you ready for the academic
challenge?
 Do you have the Resources to
pay for school?
 What is the Forecast for the
Career you want to enter?
 Do you really understand the
Career you are interested in?

9. How Long do you want to go
to School?
We live in a society, and especially
our community, where a degree
has always been stressed as the
way to succeed. Education is
important and forecasters predict
that 80-85 percent of future jobs
will require some post-secondary
training, but that does not
necessarily mean a bachelors
degree.

10. Workforce Trends
1950 NOW Workers have less supervision, so
 Unskilled Labor 60% 15% more independence is required;
 Skilled/Technical 20% 65% businesses have more automation,
so more technical skills are
 Professional 20% 20% required.

11. A recent National Association of Manufacturers study found
that 69 percent of businesses cited "inadequate basic
employability skills" such as attendance, timeliness and work
ethic as the most common reason for rejecting job applicants
•Job skills can also be called transferable
skills. They are best acquired through
experience.
•Management and leadership
job skills are some of the
most transferable. Leadership can mean
training other employees, leading teams, and providing
motivation. It can also mean you have taken initiative to start
Being
new programs or improve your work environment.
able to work independently is an
excellent job skill to possess. If you do have
managerial or supervisory experience, these transfer very well
to other types of work

12. Are you ready for the
academic challenge?
 Are you taking classes that
prepare you for the academic
challenge of getting into the
career you wish to pursue? It’s
easy to say you are going to be
this or that, but is your
commitment strong enough?
 Not everyone has to take the
academic route through post-
secondary education.

13. Your Program of Study
 The AA has 24 elective credits. Use
these wisely! Every AA degree track
has certain pre-professional
(prerequisite) courses that need to
be taken before transfer.
 Check your degree audit at
eSantafe
 Meet with a university advisor
 If you haven’t declared a major, now
is the time.

14. Do you have the resources to
pay for school?
 Education can be pretty
expensive, which is fine,
because it’s worth it. Have you
ever thought about getting
some short term training, get a
job, save some money and
then go back to school? Maybe
your employer sees you as a
valuable employee and may
pay for your school.
 Have you asked your employer
about assistance?

15. What is the Forecast for the Career
you want to do?
Make sure you check the
projection for the career you are
interested in. Every career is
not projected to grow and you
want to be sure your investment
in education will pay off. There
are many people who get
trained in a particular career
only to find out that jobs are not
available when they graduate.
Fact: 1 out of 5 people that see a SF advisor
about an AS degree already has a bachelors
degree.

16. Do you really understand the Career
you are interested in?
 Often students do not really
understand what it takes to be
successful at the career they
choose. It is real easy to think
you want to do something but
do some research.
 “Postsecondary success hinges
on two factors: Academic skills
and commitment that comes
from career direction”
- Kenneth Gray, Penn State University

17. Do You Know What It Takes at This Level?
 Many programs of study
have “weed-out” measures
in place
 GPA Requirements
 Full-time / Part-time
 Be prepared for the
challenge, and your dreams
can become reality

18. Wages
 Initial Earnings for 2009-10 Graduates/Completers with Full Time
Employment in 2010. This is a state average.
 H.S. Grads $20,924.00
 F.C.S. Certificate $37,584.00
 F.C.S. AS Degree $46,604.00
 F.C.S. AA Degree $31,948.00
 F.C.S. Bachelors $48,936.00
 Univ. Bachelors $36,412.00
 Univ. Masters $56,772.00
 Univ. PhD $65,008.00
F.C.S.= Florida College System
 These salaries may be viewed online at:
http://www.fldoe.org/fetpip/initqtrearn.asp

19. Do a Little Research
Here are some useful websites:
• National Occupational Employment Statistics
http://stats.bls.gov/news.release/ocwage.toc.htm
• Florida’s Labor Market:
Salaries
http://www.labormarketinfo.com/library/oes.htm
• Growing or Shrinking
http://www.labormarketinfo.com/library/ces.htm
• Career training at SF:
http://www.sfcollege.edu/careers/

20. DEAD END?
 AS Degrees and Certificates are
not dead-end. Attending school
after graduation is not impossible.
 Continuing your education will
provide avenues for advancement
in most careers.
 Technological advancement will
require that you continue to
enhance your skills to remain
competitive in the job market.

21. "Never follow your passion, but by all
means bring it with you." -Mike Rowe
 Doesn’t it seem strange that we can have a
shortage of skilled labor, a crumbling
infrastructure, and rising unemployment? How
did we get into this fix? Are we lazy? Our
society has slowly redefined what it means to
have a “good job.” The portrayals in
Hollywood and the messages from Madison
Avenue have been unmistakable. “Work less
and be happy!” For the last thirty years we’ve
been celebrating a different kind of work.
We’ve aspired to other opportunities. We’ve
stopped making things. We’ve convinced
ourselves that “good jobs” are the result of a
four year degree. That’s bunk. Not all
knowledge comes from college. Skill is back
in demand. Steel toed boots are back in
fashion. And Work Is Not The Enemy.

22. What Should YOU Do?
 Explore as many options as possible
 Make sure you look at all alternatives
 Prepare by taking challenging classes
 Research occupations
 Shadow someone in a field of interest
 Volunteer
 Visit the Career Resource center
 Explore Your Personality

23. Bottom Line
 Success is enhanced by education, but it is
not a guarantee.
 YOU can be very successful with a minimum
amount of education if you are sharp and
work hard.
 A little research and preparation now can
lead to a lifetime of career success and
happiness.
 Everyone is not academically oriented and
the AS’s and Certificates provide great
options.
 YOU CONTROL YOUR OWN DESTINY!!

24. More Info?
 If you would like more information
about options Santa Fe has to offer:
 Contact: Tom Mason
 Phone: (352) 395-5361
 eMail: tom.mason@sfcollege.edu
 Come By: Charles R. Perry Construction Institute
Building O Room 127