<p>My friend is the mother of a rising senior, B/C student / avg stats who enjoys the outdoors and would like to stay in New England. She feels strongly that she would like him to earn a 4 yr degree. He, on the other hand is not so sure. He's interested in perhaps becoming an electrician, or some type of schooling that leads to a more vocational type career. Are there any less rigorous 4 yr colleges in NE that have some type of electrical engineering / career type vocational programs ?? Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>What would be wrong with going to community college to learn the skills for electrician or other trade, while also having the opportunity to sample academic offerings that could prepare him for transfer to a four year school if he changes his mind in that direction?</p>
<p>I mentioned that, but she wants him to have a traditional 4 yr sleep away college (and I gather he has not completely ruled out the idea.) I told her I would ask the CC experts if they had any ideas for school . She works pt time for a local college and he has toured that, but they are mostly business oriented classes. I think her thought is send him off, see if he makes a go of it and have vocational / comm college as a plan B.</p>
<p>RIT has many “tech” type majors. It is a Coop school so there are requirements for job work rotations in the programs. This is an example of some of their majors.
[Undergraduate</a> Programs | RIT College of Applied Science & Technology](<a href=“http://www.rit.edu/cast/undergraduate-programs]Undergraduate”>Degree Programs | College of Engineering Technology | RIT)</p>
<p>Probably a crazy suggestion, but my younger brother majored in Technical Theater at a LAC. He graduated with lots of skills like carpentry, working with wiring, networking, sound engineering, and also with some acting skills that translated into presentation and teaching skills. He was hired by the tech industry to train people on how to build computer networks using a certain company’s hardware.</p>
<p>Look into Pennsylvania College of Technology. They offer both AA and BA/BS degrees usually in more “practical” majors. I have a relative who did his computer degree there and was hired by the FBI. They have some programs in electronics as well Natural Resource management if he would like to pursue something related to his interest in the outdoors. It is under the Penn State umbrella and I know a lot of the students attend Penn State games to get that “big time college experience” as well.<br>
[Pennsylvania</a> College of Technology](<a href=“http://www.pct.edu/]Pennsylvania”>http://www.pct.edu/)
This seems like a perfect compromise!</p>
<p>Not East Coast, but Indiana has a live-in 2-year school that offers both technical and college prep courses called Vincennes University. He could get the “traditional college” experience and still come away with an associate degree and technical expertise. </p>
<p>Surely there is a place on the East Coast.</p>
<p>Forcing a kid who is not interested in pursuing a four-year degree into a program designed to lead to one is probably not a high-payoff strategy. </p>
<p>Suggest to your friend that she let her kid live his own life. Just because he is not ready for college now does not mean he never will be - nor does it mean he destined for a life standing behind a counter hawking fries.</p>
<p>I agree with annasdad.</p>
<p>FYI - Electrician and Electrical Engineering (even with “hands on” co-op job experiecnce are totally different. I can’t comment on engineering tech… but I suspect it is not as vocational as this student would like. It’s worth investigating.</p>
<p>Have you looked at Alfred State – has combined 2/4 years program with heavy vocational emphasis? Very reasonably priced, even for out of state. Has 4 year and 2 year programs in electrical engineering tech (not same as engineering).</p>
<p>Can he shadow a Master Electrician or other skilled tradesperson for a couple of days? Some of the apprenticeship programs are campus-based, but others aren’t. Some of the 2-year schools that offer the apprentice programs do have housing for students. </p>
<p>We just went through a major home restoration project, and I have the greatest respect for the skills of these people. A good electrician will never lack for work.</p>
<p>Happymom, I agree with you, but add that in todays world the master electrician must have verbal and written communication skills and computer skills. Only OP can judge what kid needs, and whether he might benefit from a college environment.</p>
<p>I do agree about modern tech & communication skills being part of the job for tradespeople in this new century. I had several conversations about that sort of thing with various members of our repair crews. The better apprenticeship programs include those skills, and the larger companies clearly are constantly updating their employees’ training. It would not be strictly necessary to pursue a four year degree at a sleep-away college to get those skills.</p>
<p>Some four year schools offer ‘tech’ degrees that would limit the non-tech coursework (e.g. English classes) while offering hands on education. Studies include Industrial Tech, Engineering Tech, Aviation Tech, etc.</p>
<p>I think that your friend needs to let go of what she wants for her son, and let her son decide. If she makes him go there and he is unhappy, he will be miserable and won’t do well. My brother completed a vocational program at a community college and he owns a house & car in the suburbs now. He’s 23, almost 24. He would’ve been miserable in a four-year college program - he just wanted to get out there and work with his hands. He tried a traditional community college program for a semester and left it. He made as much in his first job right out of the program (at 20 years old) as a new college grad. He’s considering going back to do electrical engineering (he does electrical work as well), but if he did his job would pay for it.</p>
<p>They could strike a compromise - he could go to a 2-year vocational program and then go to a traditional college afterwards. He’d have a skill to support him as he worked on the traditional college degree. Or he could get training as an electrician, do that for a few years, and then return to college as an adult student later. There’s no one way to do this. Electricians make good salaries and they are pretty much recession-proof jobs.</p>
<p>cheekymonkey: If your friend’s son is interested in becoming an electrician, encourage him to pursue that vocational training. It is a fine profession, and good electricians (like good mechanics, plumbers, etc.) are tough to find. One of my former students could have gone to a four-year school but chose to become an apprentice for an electrician. Within a year, he had his union card. He make more money than his parents --combined. His mom looks at this as not a job for her son but a career.</p>
<p>Well, I know of one fellow who did the journeyman level training but never got hired. The housing market debacle has hit that field too around here.</p>
<p>Around here, the electricians and plumbers are not wanting for work. The carpenters, on the other hand …</p>
<p>In our area, it is difficult to apprentice for residential electrician. Inner linemen (those that work in places like US Steel and BP) are being selected from the college grads. Outer lineman apprentices are coming from the high school ranks.</p>