My house is a little nontraditional. Our oldest just graduated from college, we have two kiddos in upper elementary and middle school, and a rambunctious toddler. Life is crazy and full.

My husband and I both have masters degrees and I have taught at the college level for many years. My mother-in-law was in the classroom for over thirty years. As a result, we believe in education.

College Alternatives Need to be Considered.

That doesn’t mean that we believe there is only one path to success. College isn’t the best route for everyone and it is important to explore college alternatives. As our oldest begins to question going to grad school (which is a requirement to be employable with her major), it is hitting even closer to home the need for real world experiences like apprenticeship programs.

Are you thinking about a plumber right now? That is what pops into my head as soon as the word apprentice pops up. That is a noble profession, but I feel pretty confident that my girl that doesn’t like to sweat is not cut out for plumbing.

The world of apprenticeship programs has finally opened up for other fields including business. Preparing students for fast paced and profitable positions in business without a college degree. Have I caught your interest?

Apprenticeship Programs Are Expanding

I recently discovered a powerful program, and I am more than a little impressed. I was compensated for my time reviewing this product/service, you can read my full disclosures here. All opinions are honest, and I was not required to write a positive review. This fills a niche that has been needing to be filled for a long time. The program is called Praxis.

What is Praxis? According to their website, “Praxis is a 9 month startup apprenticeship program that leads directly to a full time job. No college degree required”.

From my research, it is so much more. Praxis doesn’t just teach you about business theory. This program combines educational modules, 1-1 coaching, real world work experience and personal projects to launch your student to success (and an exciting, engaging, and profitable career).

The folks at Praxis have created a formula that works. The combination of a 3 month business Bootcamp + a 6 month paid apprenticeship at a growing startup results in a guaranteed job with a startup company (no college degree required).

Praxis encourages applications from homeschoolers. In fact, they love getting homeschool applicants. If you are already interested, you can apply here.

Praxis Loves Homeschooler Applications

Homeschoolers are a different breed (typically) and will graduate high school with more life experience than your typical public or private school graduate. This often correlates to higher maturity and work readiness. I have seen that in my own homeschool journey and while teaching college students.

This is not the same as shadowing at dad’s office. These students will be working during their program. The result is more than a job opportunity. Students leave this program with the knowledge and confidence to build, launch, and grow a business. According to the company’s materials:

This is not an internship — participants add real value at a company that wants to see them grow and succeed. They shadow the founder(s) of the company, complete self-driven projects, and get to see what the real day-to-day of growing a company looks like. Upon successful completion of the program, they receive a full-time job offer at their business partner. The average salary is $50,000 per year.

Innovative College Alternative

I could go on and on. Praxis has created powerful tools to help you learn even more about the program and costs/benefits, including a guidebook. You can get the application process started now.

We will be looking at this program for our kids and can’t wait to hear about more results within our homeschooling community. Are you thinking about planning for high school? Check out this post on the high school science sequence.