Ditch college, learn a skill

we've heard that before, here it is again in a slightly different form

https://fee.org/articles/ditch-college-get-a-real-skill-live-a-good-life/

 

When I graduated from high school I only knew one person from my class who went into a skilled trade. He became an auto mechanic. Spent two years fresh out of high school earning his A.A.S. but he started working in a shop after the first year.

While I was in the Navy he was enlisting in the National Guard to work as a diesel mechanic.

While I was stacking up my resume full of HR certifications and a bachelor's degree he was collecting as many certifications as he could as well as building up experience.

He makes less than I do. But it took me a few years to ramp up to where I am. He started off at a higher pay rate and plateaued. Perhaps best of all he has an incredible mobility. He left our little next in Northeastern PA and just moved one day to the Carolinas. He went with no job lined up, no place to live, just picked up and moved. His wife found them a place and he walked into a job within days. He's a Subaru certified technician and there just happened to be a Subaru dealership down there just itching for an experienced and certified tech.

No student loan debt. And, though his pay is lower, he's been earning a decent living for more years than I have despite us starting off at the same time.

There is no shame in being a mechanic. There is no shame in being a cosmetologist. There is no shame in being a welder. In fact, those are all jobs that we need for our society to continue functioning. Unfortunately we have had at least 2-3 generations of parents, teachers and guidance counselors telling us that without a college degree you end up working at McDonalds (where another former classmate of mine stayed and makes around $100k overseeing multiple stores). Better, we were told, to have a degree in general studies and a low paying indoor job than have to work with our hands.

It's not a new concept that skilled and semi-skilled tradespeople tend to make decent livings. It's just that we somehow got our heads into the space that a degree in ANYTHING will give us even more than them. That's a stupidly dangerous mindset.

 

There's the economics of those scenarios but there are also intangibles. What I mean specifically is that he might be happier as a mechanic. I know a number of people in the trades who are very bright and could easily have gone to college and gotten good grades. It just wasn't suited to their personality or chosen lifestyle. One man I know, also a car mechanic, has his own little garage. He might get the idea of going to the beach (or whatever), work a few extra hours to finish a job and just close his business for the day. He says that he makes as much money as he needs to maintain his lifestyle and doesn't push harder than he has to. Some days that sounds pretty good to me.

 

There's no shame in any of those jobs. If I was advising a young person today, I would tell that person to at least consider learning a trade. Earning a college degree is great and all, but it no longer guarantees being able to earn a good living.

Yes, they definitely do this. And it's a total lie. A young person can earn a certificate in HVAC repair in six months with a starting salary of $12.

 

My families plumber handles million dollar contracts for different school districts and such. The guy makes A LOT of money. But when I call him for a silly little job like replacing a faucet for me (I suck at plumbing), he stops what he is doing and makes time for me. Last time he came to see me, he fixed a bunch of stuff and even went underneath the house and on to the roof, and he brought a guy with him to help. He only charged me $100.00, and when I tried to pay him more, he refused.

There are some very nice people out there.

 

I worked as an Lpn for one of Northwestern University's ambulatory clinics. While not rich, as a Lpn I made $21 an hour. One of the clerks whose job was a scheduler, and only made $11.50 an hr. She complained because she had her degree ( her bachelors was in Criminal justice but with not many job prospects, she had to work as a scheduler) and we degree-less Lpn's made $21 an hour. It came down to a skill issue and her degree in Criminal justice didn't mean she deserved more money at a hospital than someone like me who at the time had skills that Northwestern NEEDED. My best friend has her masters degree in Museum studies and is still working retail and has mentioned time and time again that it isn't fair that I get paid more than she does. Currently i am working as a personal trainer and get paid $30.00 an hour(despite people having exercise science and kinesiology degrees, you actually can be a personal trainer without those degrees. I now have my bachelors degree in something entirely unrelated. ) Her Masters degree in museum studies wouldn't help her at all in the personal training world. Yes I get paid more but it has nothing to do with my degree and having one in my profession wouldn't mean I was worth more.

 

My dream job is to be a male stripper, does not require a college degree. Just some dancing skills to do the job. But that does not work out for me because I don't have the look. Society needs every profession, there is no shame to have a job for making a decent living.

 

One of my nephews did this. He was hired before he graduated. He now makes over $15 an hour, he only has a GED and that was a struggle for him. He's a simple dude, but a VERY good one. Takes care of his family and children and works hard and is just an overall sweet kid. He has a chance, if he wants it, to move to another company about 2 hours away that will pay him $18 an hour. That may not seem like much, but from where he started and his journey for him to be working everyday...it's great to see.


My wife and I always talk about the trades. Or other ways of earning a living. Not all routes lead through college.

 

Tekman, I don't think you should be body-shaming yourself. You should follow your dream.

Stripper School

 

He he! :smile:

 

And it's online, too!

 

Impressive! Welcome aboard by the way. Keep up the good work on your MSPH

Abner :smile:

 

There is no shame whatsoever in the trade professions. As a matter of fact, I wish I would have become a plumber. I have a buddy on mine and he makes great money as a plumber. He has been doing it for well over 20 years. Plus there is no risk of losing your job due to outsourcing.

As a side note, here is a nice plumber joke he once told me:

A prominent lawyer calls a plumber to fix a leak in his shower.

After about 25 minutes the plumber hands him a bill for $200.00.

The lawyer, enraged, says: “I’m a famous trial lawyer, and even I don’t make that kind of money for 25 minutes work!”

“Neither did I when I was a lawyer”, says the plumber. :sly:

 

Yeah, my plumber has a really nice top of the line "Indian" motorcycle, among other things. That thing is sweet! I have been toying with the idea of getting a very slightly used (a few hundred miles) Harley. Why pay for brand new? it loses money the minute you drive it off the lot anyway. Everyone tells me I'll get hit by a car or something. I would probably only really use it to go to the pet shop or the Circle K, short trips like that.

 

I heard something related to this on NPR a couple months back. One of the guys interviewed had a degree in something (I forget), but went in to welding. He said that once he gets his feet wet, he can make upwards of six figures with benefits. Not bad at all. I guess people were tripping out because he had degrees.

 

So which is funnier . . . ? That I knew about this school or that you actually explored the website?:kiss:

 

Uh, I was only checking to make sure it was legit and stuff. Or something. :tongue:

 

Riding to the Circle K and the pet shop? Living dangerously I see. mfg: j/k

Saludos amigo.

 

And here I thought that Ditch College was a school that offers degrees in ditch digging.

 

No, Ted. You go to the well-known college, School of Hard Knox, for ditch-digging. ...A life-experience degree. :smile:

J.