Strait out of High School

[RotBaron]

I know it was a typo Animl, but it got me thinking… we could really do something with this!
Instead of the woeful military is the only way out of the hood opportunity, how about vocational camp/school? We do not need our military to continue to be a social safety net for poor parenting and schooling. Tech is replacing the need for more live bodies as it is. Tbh too, it was never all that successful; yes, many of you here are the exception to the rule, you thrived, but an honest assessment you know 80%+ of your peers failed to do as well and ~40% didn’t make it all.

It’s 2025, we can do much better than we have. Welding, electricians, HVAC, plumbing, many others…

Very respectable to be a tradesman, elitists that look down upon this work wouldn’t last a week…

This should be debatable w/out going into the verboten, no troll intended… GenZ truly needs more options, and currently GenX still holds the reins.

[icepac]

I don’t see many graduating high school with any more than phone/social media skills.   

Kids aren’t interested in acquiring skills required for adult living.   

Not to brag but at 10 years old I was working and learning engines with lawnmowers found in the trash and etching my own circuit boards in order to make something i couldn’t afford.   

My electronics journey started when my dad took me to “lafayette electronics” and, before that to a hobby shop near arlington heights, Illinois where i was captivated by the slot car race i watched there. 
I also repaired stereos and my family enjoyed our first color TV for the next 15 years. 

My motivation was partly from having no money to spend and building what i wanted.   

Same for computers when i mowed lawns (with my repaired mowers) until i could buy a CB radio and later an altair 8800.     
I built my own oscillator and used a radio shack cw key to learn morse code.   

Last night, i was in a tank hunt and shot bullets at the tank hunting me in a “shave and a haircut” rhythm until he realized i was right there.      Was contemplating using morse code or maybe hitting him with the main gun but this was more fun.

Even now, I collect parts for years on a project car before I have it in possession.   


Where I see kids with skills and the motivation to acquire more skills is at the U-pull junkyards with thier fathers or older brothers.    Later they go solo.

[Maverick]

RB, I fully agree that there is a significant need for trade schools as not all HS grads are really college material or even have an interest in "higher studies". I do think that you have conflated instilling a sense of discipline and drive into an individual with obtaining a skill in a trade.

The past has multiple examples of "problem children" being salvaged by the Military. The old saw about jail or enlisting. Unfortunately, today's volunteer Military isn't likely to accept a real problem child. Or it is probably better for the Military if they don't.

I went to a Jr College to get my A&P so I would be really qualified to work on aircraft for my friend's business after 9/11. There were plenty of recent HS grads there and only one other my age, also exploring a new career. The kids ranged from serious about getting a decent job to just occupying a seat because daddy was paying for it. fortunately there were far fewer morons in the class than students but the morons really slowed things down or disrupted the situation. They really should have been kicked out but the school was also after the almighty $ and wanted the tuition the moron's folks provided. The morons did finish the course but I am hopeful they failed the FAA certification tests.

The trade schools are really not suited for instilling discipline nor should they be IMO.

[Shuffler]

I feel bad for all the people who could not afford to go to college having to pay for the deadbeats that did go to college.

[JimmyD3]

I feel bad for all the people who could not afford to go to college having to pay for the deadbeats that did go to college.

What he said!! 

[Spikes]

I feel bad for all the people who could not afford to go to college having to pay for the deadbeats that did go to college.

Wow, that's an incredibly unwarranted blanket statement.

[fudgums]

I feel bad for all the people who could not afford to go to college having to pay for the deadbeats that did go to college.

Dumb take.

[Dadtallica]

I feel bad for all the people who could not afford to go to college having to pay for the deadbeats that did go to college.

Tell me you don’t really know how money works without telling me.

[perdue3]

I feel bad for all the people who could not afford to go to college having to pay for the deadbeats that did go to college.

Appallingly ignorant.

[horble]

I feel bad for all the people who could not afford to go to college having to pay for the deadbeats that did go to college.

Yes, well, we'll be paying for the baby boomers forever so we're used to it by now.

[JimmyD3]

Lighten guys, geez.

[Banshee7]

I feel bad for all the people who could not afford to go to college having to pay for the deadbeats that did go to college.

I typed out three replies this morning, and I erased them all.  I'm not gonna beat Shuffler up because I think he's a standup guy.  And while it was just a blanket statement that doesn't apply to everyone, I sort of understand what he means in a way. 

I teach high school, so I am involved in these conversations every day.  I blatantly tell my students do not go to college unless they KNOW they need a specific degree for the career/future that they want.  Tuitions have done nothing but increase every year, and I blame federal student aid money.  My generation was told everyone needs to go to college, and the government continued to pour out student loans.  Well, of course, what did universities start doing??  It's gotten to the point now that college is almost a financial scam.  So much that the accepted "on time" graduation has shifted from 4 years to 6 years.  The longer you stay, obviously, the more money they make.

And federal student loans are a joke, too, but I'll save that for another day ($415/mo sucks tbh).  As I have stated in other posts, I teach in a rural county high school.  Our senior class average composite ACT score is 21.5, which is incredible, but the majority of our kids will succeed in the trades.  Many of them graduate with some sort of vocational certification already, which is awesome.  I don't want my kids to go and waste money on a degree they'll never use and get stuck paying student loans.

[Maverick]

I feel bad for all the people who could not afford to go to college having to pay for the deadbeats that did go to college.

If student loan forgiveness had really gone through, that statement would be pretty spot on because all it would have done is shove that debt to taxpayers.

The reason college costs rose so much was the availability of student loans via federal money. The universities know darn well that as much emphasis is placed on  that degree they can charge all the market will bear, the market being loans and their availability. If the federal money went away over night, the colleges would find their market all but gone at their current prices.

[AKIron]

If we are to ever bring industry back to our shores we need more skilled workers and less unskilled societal studies college educated. "Higher education" has become a scam.

[DmonSlyr]

Only thing I'd recommend going to college for is:

Business
Healthcare
Science fields beyond bachelor's degree
Higher education administration types
Computer Coding
Engineering of any type
Architecture/building

Anything else you really aren't going to make enough money ever to pay off the loans. And early on you can forget about high paying jobs. As my professor said "it's your commencement ceremony, the beginning   ".

If you do a trade, you are more likely to get a decent paying job early on, that can help pay for a degree if you want down the line without getting into crazy debt. The unfortunate thing is that many high schools have removed these early learning skills, and that puts those types of kids at a disadvantage. Something I very much want changed. We have to bring back application of study, not just memorization.

Most kids should be working by the age of 18 atleast, but instead get sucked away to college for years wasting precious time they could have been getting real experience and money. Its a great experience, but you definitely need to be disciplined. Some think it's just a giant party. I watched many kids drop out over my 4 years. It was pretty hard too, NGL, 5 tough classes a quarter is a lot.

I think a business degree is the most valuable. You only need a bachelor's and that can get you into the door at so many places.

Problem is that kids are at a much higher disadvantage if they don't get a degree or enter into trade work.

IMO, experience is so much more valuable than any degree, however many companies require a degree as a pre requisit and that puts a lot of kids out of the running.