Somewhere around the turn of the century, maybe in the last decade or so, there was a change in the job market. New requirements for employees coming into the job market, a higher standard. The days of getting high paying jobs based simply off prior work experience are behind us; that experience still means something, but not as much as it used to. So what are employers looking for then? A college degree.

This shouldn't come as a surprise, with new technology and new outlets for education, degrees are becoming easier and easier to obtain. You can now complete an entire degree program without ever stepping foot on campus. Can you blame a company for expecting their employees to have a degree when there's an influx of college grads job hunting? It's an employer's market, and seeing that someone put in the effort to finish their schooling helps separate them from the pack.

Epec Engineered Technologies understands this and wants their employees to be qualified, and educated. Epec also knows that we live in a fast paced world; everyone is always in a hurry, and there is always something to do. College takes a lot of time and energy, and it is not cheap. Unless a student has serious aide, it is hard to get through college and still afford to feed themselves, without working a full time job. Once you have that full time job, there's another problem a working student may face: odd class times. For me personally, I find that a lot of my required classes land smack dab in the middle of a work day. How am I supposed to be at work 40 hours a week, and attend 10 hours of class a week during the work day? Adam Providing IT Support to Our Fan & Motor Assembly Department

Thankfully, I work for Epec. I don't have this problem; I'm not struggling to keep my head above water between work and school. Whether I have to come in late after my morning class, leave midday for a noon class, or takeoff an hour early for a later class, Epec is on board. I have never had even the slightest problem trying to manage my school and work, as Epec will happily work with me and my school schedule. This is my biggest saving grace at the moment. The stress of having to try to juggle work and school at the same time can be tremendous. Especially as a working student who not only is worrying about finishing up their projects at work, but also studying for a midterm class exam. Plus, add the three hours of homework that night from another class. It's priceless not having to worry about time conflictions or having to explain to your professor that you won't be able to attend class regularly because you work full time. I'm also not the only one either, I personally know of quite a few other employees at Epec who also work and attend school full time.

This is a model that more companies should be following. What is the value of a student currently attending college? Their value is in their potential. They are the workforce of the future, the employees that companies will be gunning for in the next decade. They have a higher ceiling than students who have already graduated; more capacity to learn and adapt. Hiring a college student who hasn't finished their degree program in a lower-level position allows the company to do fine tuning. By the time they have their degree, the company gets their true return on investment. A highly educated, qualified employee who knows all the ins and outs of a their company with work experience that is molded for their specific job.The price? Being supportive of their employees and their future. Epec gets that.
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