A lot of people are talking about wages in the skilled labor market these days. Some say low wages are the reason for the lack of qualified applicants for skilled jobs in Wisconsin. However, looking at starting salaries without accounting for potential growth in earnings can be shortsighted. Salary...

Samuel Michael is a Wisconsin Technical College student and an intern for the Statewide Marketing Consortium. In a recent blog post by Jeffery King, an education blogger and social media expert for OPPapers.com, Mr. King explained the “5 Reasons Community Colleges Make Sense Right Now.” Those five reasons include: An easy transition from high school Great savings Advantages to living at home More time to think about your career path Boost your confidence Now, I would agree with Mr. King on most of these points, but I would add that they aren’t reasons that community colleges make sense now ; they are reasons that community colleges make sense. Period.

It's been more than a decade since I first graduated from a Wisconsin Technical College . I attended full-time for two years while working two jobs and one unpaid internship. What I got out of attending a technical college was much more than just a piece of paper saying I attended.

In this economy where unemployment remains high and employers cite many environmental barriers to full employment, many technical college graduates are hanging their own shingle and establishing their own businesses. Entrepreneurship is on the rise and a technical college education helps many of...