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“I loved reading your new book. It felt like a continuous motivational and inspiring story, with many subtle nudges of positivity and realism...and incredibly useful advice.” – Max Altmark, Parent
Our world has changed drastically over the past few years. The decline of the importance of the four-year degree continues, while the need for a workforce with practical, STEM-based skills and knowledge accelerates across all industries.
In Dream Differently 2.0, Dr. Vince Bertram discusses:
• How the global pandemic changed the world of work
• The Gig economy and remote work
• Internships and what employers look for
• How to stand out with skills in high demand by employers
• The YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and the “content creator” economy
• AI and how it’s changing everything
• On-demand and continuous learning
• Return on investment in education
“Every parent needs to read this book to gain a better understanding of what their child is facing in the ever-evolving world when it comes to their future.” – Paul Schiele, Parent
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DREAM DIFFERENTLY 2.0
CANDID EDUCATION AND CAREER ADVICE FOR STUDENTS AND PARENTS
VINCE BERTRAM
Dream Differently 2.0
Candid Education and Career Advice for Students and Parents
All rights reserved
Copyright © 2024 by Vince Bertram
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Published by BooxAI
ISBN: 979-8-89383-354-6
CONTENTS
Reviews
Introduction to 2.0
1. The Three Questions
2. Do You Have A Dream?
3. Beyond Your Wildest Dreams
4. Dreams In Action
5. The World Doesn’t Care About Your Dreams
6. It’s Not Your Parents’ Economy
7. Where To Find The Jobs
8. Don’t Be A Commodity
9. Do You Need College?
10. Your Education Pathway
11. Experience
12. The Three Answers
About Vince Bertram
Notes
REVIEWS
“I knew I was going to enjoy reading your book after the first page. It feels like you are talking directly to me. It’s easy to read and not complicated. I don’t know how you did it, but you explained how many students like myself think. It’s amazing how the book shifted my perspective on subjects I thought were just too hard for me. You are changing lives!” – Karina, Student, Florida International University
"A very insightful book written by someone who genuinely cares about America's students. Bertram addresses the topics people are too timid to talk about but should. I think every high school student should read this book before going to college. You won't be disappointed. Even as a senior in college, I learned a few things from reading it.” – Alicia, Five Star Amazon Review
“…I want to provide them with something that would have a lasting effect, a source of guidance as they continue their educational journey. A copy of Dream Differently could not be a better fit.” – Keith Killebrew, Teacher, Keller ISD
“I liked your first book a lot and often promoted it. I like this edition even more.” – Dennis Dio Parker, Toyota, and Founder of FAME
“I loved reading your new book. It felt like a continuous motivational and inspiring story, with many subtle nudges of positivity and realism...and incredibly useful advice.” – Max Altmark, Parent
“This book is a must read for every high school student and their parent(s) and/or guardian(s). In Dream Differently 2.0, Vince Bertram provides direction to students and parents on the opportunities available other than a traditional four-year degree for post-secondary education. He shares examples of pathways of students he has met and discusses the journey these students took to pursue their goals.” – Dr. Prissy LeMay, Assistant Superintendent, Grandview School District
“Every parent needs to read this book to gain a better understanding of what their child is facing in the ever-evolving world when it comes to their future.” – Paul Schiele, Parent
INTRODUCTION TO 2.0
Our world has changed drastically since Dream Differently was first published in 2017. The importance of the four-year bachelor’s degree continues to decline while the need for workers with practical, STEM-based technical knowledge and skills accelerates. The COVID-19 pandemic further eroded once-strong notions of the American workforce while the steamroller of digital technology flattens older industries. Dream Differently was written as a forward-looking guide for students, and the trends described have radically transformed the business and workforce landscape in just a few years.
My goal for edition 2.0 is simple: to give the best advice based on my own and others’ experiences and the data, especially when those experiences and data require us to reassess old views. Since the end of World War II, the American worker has pursued a linear course. Regardless of one’s vocation, the educational pathway was almost the same: a high-school diploma followed by either a four-year bachelor’s degree, a two-year associate degree, or a trade school. Whether blue- or white-collar jobs, the worker was expected to have “finished” their education before starting a career. Government-sponsored programs encouraged this pathway by helping more students pay for college, and employers all but solidified it by requiring a bachelor’s or associate degree for many new hires. A student’s professional dreams only changed the details of this pathway – usually by the choice of a major – not the pathway itself. The few instances of the college drop-out finding success and fortune, though highly publicized, only reinforced the rule: they were exceptions. If you want to succeed, go to college, and then get a job.
This remains the dominate education pathway and continues to work for millions of students around the globe. But it is not the only pathway. The biggest change between the first edition and the current one is this: Today’s students don’t have to follow the dominant educational pathway to achieve their professional dreams. The world has changed. The economy has gone digital. And the college model has, by and large, failed to keep pace. Particularly in the second half of this book, I want students to understand that it’s OK to forge their own pathway. In other words, a high-school student facing the world in 2024 shouldn’t act like it’s 1994. Immense resources are available to anyone with an internet connection and a dream.
To Students
Most of my career has been with students just like you: excited and ready to take on the world but without a map of how to proceed. Dream Differently was written to help you create that map. More importantly, I hope that this book helps clarify and explain what happens after. You likely have listened (or will listen) to a commencement speaker at your graduation talk to you about the world after high school or college. Not to take anything away from them; they are usually very successful people, and their stories are inspiring. They usually aren’t cynical about the world, as some adults have become. But their purpose at the graduation is to excite you for the next step. “Oh, the places you’ll go…!” They avoid the procedural and dive right into the motivational. They aren’t going to talk to you about rent or student-loan debt. They aren’t going to tell you about what employers look for in new applicants. And they probably aren’t going to talk to you about the work of getting experience at internships. They want you to dream big!
I want you to dream, too. But I want you to dream smart. In the pages that follow, my intention is to challenge you about what comes after. It’s time to get down to business. I’m going to ask you to take that dream that now lives in the clouds and put it in front of you. I’m going to tell you to think about finances and tell you to question why you should go to college. I’m going to tell you that employers don’t really care about where you go for your undergraduate degree, so don’t stress about it. What you should stress about is your resume. What’s on it? Anything that can help you in the future? No, that summer waiting tables doesn’t tell that graphic design company anything other than you waited tables.
As you’ll see in the following pages, nearly every job or career that exists or will exist in your lifetime will require some competency in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Do you want to be a writer, an artist, a welder, or a historian? In today’s digital and interconnected world, each of those professions requires one or more STEM skills. The goal of Dream Differently is to encourage you to take your dream out of the clouds and examine it. What does that mean? It means that you must work backwards. You must start with those who do your dream job and find out what education they needed, what skills they had to have, what experiences they had before they got to do what they do, and what skills they’ve acquired in their jobs. Only by knowing where you’re headed will your education pathwaycome into focus.
To Parents and Families
Our world has changed. The education pathway that you may have followed to start your career has splintered. While the four-year college degree remains a key that unlocks a lifetime of fulfillment and prosperity, it isn’t the only key. After reading this book, your child might start saying things that alarm you, such as, “I don’t know if I need to go to college for four or more years.” Or “What if I delayed college and worked for a few years at a temp agency?” Don’t be alarmed; hear them out and then work with them to develop an education pathway that takes them from the high-school diploma to the career they desire.
Perhaps you’re reading this book based on a review or a friend’s recommendation, and you’ve given it to your child. When your child reads it, it’s unlikely they will come to you and plan an education pathway that makes sense. My advice is simple: Before you give your child this book, read it yourself. It will help you understand why the way you may have gone about building your career might not be the same for your child. More importantly, it will lead to a deeper conversation with your child about their dreams. If they want to be, say, an artist, you don’t have to worry that they’ll be living at home until they’re thirty. Instead, you and your child can have that conversation about all the ways that an artist’s skills are in demand in specific industries or companies. I never fully intended for this book to be read and understood by the student alone. As their parent or family member, you have the greatest influence on their next steps in life after high school. You should plan those next steps together.
THE THREE QUESTIONS
A former colleague of mine recounted a time in his high school trigonometry class when a fellow student asked their teacher, “Ms. Winston, why do we need to learn this?” She thought for a moment and replied, “In case you become a high school math teacher.” You're probably not alone if that answer doesn’t motivate you to dive deeper into trigonometry. It is interesting that this conversation stuck out in his mind after all these years.
You may have had a similar experience, sitting in your trigonometry, biology, or chemistry class and wondering, “When will I ever use this?” It’s a fair question. Teachers should be able to tell students why they study certain subjects, although I don’t suggest putting them on the spot in the middle of class. (And no, it’s not just in case you want to become a teacher yourself one day).
Another common answer – “because it will make you an educated person” – is equally unsatisfying. Certainly, you want to be an educated person, but as you look around, you see plenty of educated people who never use trigonometry, calculus, or chemistry at all. Whatever they might have learned about those subjects during school, they’ve likely forgotten by now.
True, there are thousands of jobs you could get that will never ever ask you to do long division, much less algebra, trigonometry, or calculus. There are thousands of jobs that will never test your knowledge of circuit breakers or chemical compositions. There are thousands of jobs that will never ask you to know a single line of computer code or decipher reams of raw data.
And yet, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers1, engineering and math fields dominate the list of college majors that employers are looking for in job applicants. Nearly every survey you can find lists finance and accounting, computer science, mechanical and electrical engineering, business administration, and information sciences as the most in-demand majors of employers. Not only that – these careers are also among the best for making a difference in the world, whether you dream of improving the lives of people in under-developed countries, curing humanity’s worst diseases and afflictions, or protecting the environment.
Of course, not everyone has such lofty aspirations – and that’s OK!
Want to be a video game developer? You’ll need to understand trigonometry.
Want to be a writer, artist, or musician? Many of those careers use information technology, advanced mathematics, and information sciences. The idea that all one needs to be creative is a laptop, palette, or instrument is dead and gone. Or, more accurately, you could be creative with these simple tools and your own talent, but you’ll likely understand the meaning of “starving artist.” Put simply, to create in the 21st century is to have access to and knowledge of a vast array of multimedia tools and channels.
But you may not know that because the way many U.S. high schools approach subjects like trigonometry or other STEM fields focuses more on the calculations than on the applications. Too often, students are told that they’ll need to know trigonometry if they become a high school math teacher or because it’s going to be on the test, which we demonstrate by teaching rigid lessons on sine, cosine, and tangent formulas.
Although there are a host of reasons education is approached this way, it ultimately does a great disservice to students because it fails to help them develop a real appreciation for how subjects like trigonometry apply to the real world. In all the professions mentioned above, it’s almost always more important to understand the principles of trig – and what their use can tell you about the world – than it is to know the equations by heart or to be able to calculate them in your head. That’s what calculators are for.
In fact, it’s increasingly important for job seekers to have at least a basic understanding of trigonometry and STEM fields. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, between 2020 and 2030, employment in STEM occupations is expected to grow 10.5 percent, three points higher than the average of all fields.2
The purpose is not to push you toward a STEM career. For reasons we’ll get into later, I believe that developing STEM skills has many advantages. But you may have different dreams, and I don’t intend to dissuade you from pursuing them.
What I intend to do is provide you with information, perspective, and a few questions that, if answered honestly, will help you plot an educational and career pathway that will help you achieve your dreams. By the end of this book, I want you to appreciate why the pathway to becoming an artist might lead through trig; or why the journey to becoming an engineer might include the writer’s workshop.
This is a book about education beyond high school, but we’re not going to talk about that just yet. Instead, we’re going to talk about dreams – specifically, your dreams. Think back to when you were young – around eight or nine – and an adult asked you, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
Do you remember your answer? If you’re like most people, whatever you thought you wanted to be when you were eight or nine has likely changed. With age comes wisdom, and you’re now wise enough to know that your childhood dream of being a superhero was a bit misguided. So, how would you answer the question today? What do you want to be when you grow up? What do you want to do with your life?
If you don’t know how you would answer that question, that’s okay; just keep reading!
If you do know what you want to do with your life, congratulations! You’re already a step ahead of many of your peers. But the questions get more difficult from here. How confident are you that your current career goals, ambitions, and desires are more attainable than your earlier dreams? Do you have a plan to make your dreams a reality? There’s no right or wrong answer. I’m not telling you that your dreams are wrong or misguided. But think about them in a serious way because I’m going to assume no one has really asked you to before. In fact, much of what you’ve heard from teachers, school counselors, and speakers probably comes down to some variation of “Follow your dreams.”
“Follow your dreams” is a nice sentiment, but – just like the traditional answers to questions like “Why must we learn this?” – it does a great disservice because it fails to challenge you to examine your dreams and develop a plan for achieving them. The goal is to get you thinking about how to follow your dreams in a smart way, whether you dream of becoming a superstar mathematician or superstar athlete.
Perhaps you’re very good at STEM subjects in school. Or perhaps you’re much better at their counterparts in the humanities, which include social studies, English and other languages, and history. Most people tend to gravitate to one or the other.
You’re going to hear a lot about STEM subjects and careers in the pages that follow. It’s a field that arguably more students should study. But I’m also serious when I say that I don’t want to push you in any career direction. I’m not suggesting that you ignore your dreams and become an engineer. What’s most important is that you have an understanding and appreciation of how your education – past and future – is relevant in real life. This applies to STEM as well as to the humanities.
For example, let’s say you’re very good at STEM subjects – so good, in fact, that your dream is to work at Google or a similar tech giant. Before you ditch the humanities entirely, just listen to what a Google executive once told me:
“ If there is one skill that I never imagined would be so important in what I do and the success I’ve achieved, it’s writing. Even though I really didn’t understand at the time what those classes were going to do for me in the future...actually struggling to get the Bs that I got in those classes turned out to be pretty valuable because I write all the time today. It’s so important to my work that I write well.”
Even STEM experts need to know how to write (without relying entirely on ChatGPT). Would you take your English courses more seriously if you knew how valuable writing would be to your future? No one is saying you need to be a writer, but you should try to be competent at writing, to express yourself clearly and forcefully with the written word. This is exactly what is meant by following your dreams in a smart way. The goal is to show you the importance of having a plan for your career.
At this stage of life, it may be very difficult to see much beyond high school or college, but you should be thinking seriously about your career. And in the first part of this book, we’re going to start with a simple question: What is your dream?
Next, we’ll move to the world economy you will enter when you start your career. For many readers, this moment will happen when they leave college with a degree. But for others – indeed, for a growing number of others that would have seemed inconceivable just a few years ago – you might not have gone to college at all, or you might still be taking college courses while pursuing your career, or, just as likely, maybe your education doesn’t involve college, but rather some hybrid path of learning. Regardless of your higher education, eventually, all of us must enter the “workforce.” The start of your career should be an exciting moment, a time when you look out at a world full of opportunities – a world that is much different than the one your parents entered decades ago. Both are more exciting and, yes, scarier. The question you need to be able to answer is: Will you be ready for this rapidly evolving world?
After that, we’ll finally tackle the subject of higher education. Notice I didn’t say college. In 2017, as I noted in the first edition, there were plenty of signs pointing to the diminishment of the four-year college experience and subsequent degree. For many reasons we’ll get into later, the value of that costly degree has been declining. From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic to spring 2022, undergraduate enrollment declined 9.4 percent!3 COVID-19 can explain some of this decline, but not all of it. In fact, between spring 2021 and spring 2022 – or when the public began to emerge from the pandemic’s restrictions – enrollment declined by 4.7 percent. Simply put, more and more people are questioning the value of the college degree – as they should.
A 2021 study found that less than half of high schoolers wanted to attend a four-year college. That seems low, doesn’t it? But it’s not really all bad news, as the study notes:
“Even before the pandemic, students were starting to consider more affordable, direct-to-career alternatives to a four-year degree, said Jeremy Wheaton, ECMC Group’s president and CEO. Still, most said they feel pressure, mostly from their parents and society, to pursue a four-year degree even though community college or career and technical training may make more sense.“The good news in here is that there’s been an uptick in the awareness of career and technical training as a pathway to a good career,” he said. “What is troubling is the decline in education overall.”4
So, while we’re going to look at how to choose the right school, how to choose the right major, and the types of work experiences you should acquire while at college, we’re also going to look hard at whether college is the right choice for you. No one is saying to ignore your education; far from it. There are multiple higher-education pathways that don’t take you through college. By the end of this section, you should be able to answer another simple question: How will your education help you achieve your career dream?
