Poor economy sends many back to class

Dave Breitenstein

FORT MYERS, Fla. — The economy stinks.

Annual pay raises barely match the inflation rate.

You’re just happy a pink slip hasn’t arrived in your mailbox — yet.

Rather than tread water at a dead-end job, more adults are returning to college during the economic downturn. All five colleges based in Southwest Florida have reached record enrollment levels, and the State University System of Florida reports 13.4 percent more people applied to graduate school in 2007 than the prior year.

“This is the largest increase in graduate school applications, in both number and percentage, as far back as our records go,” said state Chancellor Mark Rosenberg. “Our universities are helping people in the Florida workforce prepare for career changes and new opportunities.

“By giving them richer knowledge and training, we are also helping our students insulate themselves against uncertainty in the job market.”

That’s exactly why 38-year-old DeAnna Helton returned to college.

“I lost my job in October through corporate downsizing because of the economy,” said Helton, formerly a title insurance underwriter. “It was a complete shock. They announced there would [be] 1,100 layoffs nationwide, but I never expected it would be my position.”

Helton, now working as director of sales and marketing for 1031 Tax Free Strategy, is attending Hodges University and will earn a master’s degree in management this August. She hopes to parlay that into entrepreneurial jobs and speaking opportunities.

Doom and gloom seem to permeate every major announcement about the real estate market, the U.S. dollar’s value against the Euro, the unemployment rate and dwindling budgets of government agencies.

“When there’s a down economy, people are more self-reflective about their careers,” said Michael Savarese, graduate studies director at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU). “Their dollars are tightened, and they could stand to use some money.”

The state’s five fastest-growing occupational categories during the past year, according to Florida’s Agency for Workforce Innovation, are:

• Educational services: 6 percent.
• Arts, entertainment and recreation: 4.2 percent.

• Accommodation and food services: 2.9 percent.
• Health care and social assistance: 2.8 percent.

• Local government: 2.8 percent.

The hottest or fastest-growing professions usually make it to the top of the list because they are newly developing fields or jobs, thus requiring technical or computer expertise.

“The jobs growing most rapidly generally require more education and skills,” said Rebecca Rust, director of the labor market statistics center at Florida’s Agency for Workforce Innovation. “But when you look at the number of jobs gained, most of them are low-wage jobs.”

For example, Florida saw 7,700 new jobs created within the fastest-growing category of educational services. But accommodation and food services, despite a smaller growth percentage, added 21,600 new positions. That’s because hotels and restaurants employ five times as many workers as colleges and schools.


Career advancement

FGCU’s graduate program reflects a typical “what’s hot” list. Savarese said business, education and health-related master’s degrees are the most popular programs because students know jobs await them upon graduation.

To Jennifer Ruscalleda, not having a college degree means working her tail off and still not being able to pay her bills on time.

“With the economy the way it is now, you can’t survive anymore without a degree,” said Ruscalleda, a full-time education paraprofessional, or teacher’s aide, at San Carlos Park Elementary School. She also picks up extra hours working at the after-school program. “I was living paycheck to paycheck, and with a little help from Mom and Dad.

“But I’m 26. I thought, ‘I’m good enough to become a teacher, I should be teaching and that’s what I’m going to do.’”

So after a full day of working with autistic students, Ruscalleda becomes a student at Southwest Florida College, where she is majoring in early childhood education. She expects to earn a bachelor’s degree, and subsequently a teaching job, in December 2010.

Education is a field where more degrees clearly equal more dollars.

In Lee County public schools, a first-year, full-time educational paraprofessional can earn $14,006 annually, while a rookie teacher makes $37,080.

Lee County public school teachers also earn an extra $2,500 annually by having a master’s degree, even if it’s not related to the subject they teach. High school principals earn an additional $3,000 per year with a doctorate. In Collier County, the rates are even higher, paying teachers as much as $6,015 more for master’s degrees, and $3,519 to high school principals with doctorates.

The benefits go beyond just cash. A teacher cannot transition into administration without a master’s degree. The same holds true in the private sector.

“Look at who’s getting promoted,” said Curt Bradbury, center director with Career and Service Centers of Southwest Florida, an agency that connects employers and job seekers. “Whether their graduate degree has anything to do with their current job has little to do with a promotion.

“Employers are looking for that extra effort, that you’re seeking knowledge and proving yourself to complete that degree, or going back to school at night.”


Keeping a job

While some workers are trying to advance in their current field, others simply are trying to stay afloat.

In December, Lee County had a 5.7 percent unemployment rate, which ranks ninth highest among Florida’s 67 counties. Charlotte County was fifth-highest at 6.2 percent, while Collier was ranked No. 27 at 4.7 percent. The U.S. Department of Labor reports a national average of 4.8 percent for December.

Statewide, the construction industry lost 3.3 percent of its jobs last year, followed by information (2.3 percent decline), manufacturing (2.1 percent) and real estate (0.7 percent). While layoffs are a direct result of the stalled economy, experts still point to education levels.

“Who gets laid off first?” Bradbury asked. “The entry-level worker, then skilled technicians, then back-office people. And who is the last to go? Middle and upper level managers, who probably have bachelor’s or master’s degrees.”

Helton already has felt the wrath of layoffs. And it’s not out of the question for Ruscalleda, either, as school systems are facing budget constraints, compounded by cuts required in previous years.

Although Ruscalleda briefly attended Miami-Dade College, she couldn’t settle on a career choice and subsequently stopped registering for classes. Now, after another 12-hour work day followed by a fast-food dinner on her way to a three-hour class, she acknowledges her mistake.

“I should have done this years ago,” Ruscalleda said. “It’s a punishment I have to pay.”

(The News-Press of Southwest Florida)