Re: business knowledge
It is not just skilled tradespeople who could use business knowledge. Physicians, dentists, lawyers, etc. who want to have their own small practices could use business knowledge. However, business knowledge for such purposes may not necessarily require a full business major (undergraduate or MBA) at a university.
Business schools that want to add value should offer an entrepreneur certificate that is designed to aid their graduates from other disciplines in starting their own small business. So if an art history major wanted to start a gallery, a BCN wanting to start a construction firm, or a doctor wanting to open a new practice, they could benefit from a well designed, abbreviated program. Something like the 10,000 small business program from Goldman Sachs.
http://www.goldmansachs.com/citizenship/10000-small-businesses/US/
Well, college isn’t necessary…if you’re a Muhammad Ali, a George Forman or a Mickey Mantle.
Or an Eminem.
Being 1 month away from the big 50, I really couldn’t imagine doing real work (e.g. carpentry, plumbing, landscaping, etc.) for a living. Weekend chores are enough !!
Every job has downsides. Whether the downsides outweigh the pros really depends on an individual’s preferences, likes, and dislikes.
Skilled trades don’t have a stigma for the vast majority of Americans. I grew up working-class, in communities where most of the adults didn’t have college degrees - and hadn’t even really considered a college degree, either. Growing up there was never the expectation that I would go to college, and in fact, it was assumed I wouldn’t. It was always assumed I’d go into a skilled trade. Skilled work is very respected in poor, working-class and lower-middle-class communities - those jobs are the best jobs. They pay more, offer better benefits, and offer more stability both short- and long-term than the alternatives for people from these communities - which are unskilled retail, food service, administrative, custodial, etc.
There’s only a stigma on skilled labor if you grew up in a college-educated family in a white-collar, middle- to upper-middle-class or higher community. And those folks don’t represent the majority of the population.
Well, I’d say that most skilled labor positions don’t actually require you to strike out on your own. Welders, mechanics, HVAC technicians, and other skilled laborers frequently work for companies as FTEs. Even some jobs that can involve a private practice (like plumbers, electricians and carpenters) can still work for a company if they want.
But the second thing is that you don’t need to have a business degree in order to run a business or have good business savvy. Most people learn business on the job, or through doing. There are lots of community programs that offer business classes and training to small business owners, too. And even at the most a person can take a few business classes at a community college that can teach them the basics - you don’t need a whole business degree. Besides, a lot of business degrees don’t really teach you how to run a small business; most of them run under the assumption that you’re going to be working for a large corporate firm.
We’re looking at a private nonprofit trade school for our younger son, who has always wanted to work in a trade and thrives doing physical labor. He’s bright enough but not even remotely academic. This particular school’s admissions rate is HIGHLY competitive (comparable to a top 25 LAC) because it offers free tuition for three years and its graduates are educated and equipped to run their own businesses after a VERY rigorous three-year program.
We have our fingers crossed but are not terribly optimistic for him. Other comparable associate’s degree programs at colleges in our state are NOT inexpensive, so it’s not like you just go into a trade with no investment in higher education.
I have to admit I kind of wonder how my older son would have done at this school! He was always a strong student and attended a private college preparatory high school that grooms kids for “elite” colleges and universities. I remember at one point he told me he didn’t want to go to college at all and couldn’t he just be a “cop or something.” I told him I had no issues with him going into law enforcement, but he was going to college first. He was always a very strong math student who didn’t care for science all that much, but I directed him to consider engineering, which he’s presently excelling at. But part of me wonders, what if? He could have aced that school’s admissions test. He likes physical work, too, and does not want to be stuck behind a desk some day.
I also have a nephew who went back to study to become an electrician in his late 20s after many hard years working in restaurants. He had a good job for a year but was the first to get laid off and couldn’t find a comparable position. With a young family to support, he returned to working in a restaurant. His wife is a respiratory therapist (two-year program at the local community college) and makes good money, but they both work very hard to maintain a middle-class existence and rely heavily on family members for childcare, etc.
Police officers need post-secondary education (e.g. police academy). Some police departments require college course work (other than police academy) as well.
No doubt, @ucbalumnus, but they don’t require going to an elite LAC or uni, which was the pressure he was feeling at the time. He “settled” for the full scholarship and engineering stipend at Bama and has no regrets. He’s getting hands-on experience through a co-op, will graduate with no debt, and is delighted that he doesn’t have to go to graduate school if he doesn’t want to.
Coming back to the OP, I think that’s partially the point Bernie Sanders is trying to make, not so much that every kid needs a four-year baccalaureate degree, but that post-secondary education, which is a necessity for the vast majority of jobs today (fair or not) shouldn’t force students into debt.
The comments above generally focus on traditionally blue collar jobs, but one can also do various tech jobs without a degree. For example, one can become an excellent coder without a college education, and there are opportunities for skilled coders without a degree, even at some highly desirable companies. For example, in a NYT interview about Google’s hiring process Bock writes:
One can also work independently as a coder and get hired directly from an individual for short term work, in a similar way that would occur with a plumber, carpenter, etc. It’s also fairly easy to independently start your own website, make an app, or similar. For example, a few years ago, I started a website about a hobby of mine. I did not intend to make any money with it, yet within months, I was making more income through the site than I was through my day job in engineering. Obviously most won’t be as successful and there is a higher level of risk without a degree to fall back on, but the point is you can do a lot without a degree besides being a welder, carpenter, or similar physical labor type job.
The company I’ve always used for appliance service and repair is now charging $139 to come look at your washing machine or icemaker. Of course, parts and additional labor is extra.
My nursing salary is only a fraction of that.
Yes, but if someone were to hire a nurse on a contract basis, the cost would be higher than his/her pay rate, because the cost has to cover other expenses besides his/her pay. Other expenses includes sufficient coverage for downtime for those working on a contract basis (like the repair people) and benefits costs (such as employer-provided medical insurance).
^^ My MIL is a (retired) neonatal intensive care nurse who would work on a contract basis on holidays to get triple pay. If memory serves, she was pulling in well over $100/hour after taxes in the early 90s. Granted, that was a highly educated + highly skilled position (she has a masters and had thousands of hours working on preemies), but just as there are plumbers who are making a lot more per hour than other plumbers, there are nurses, as well.
Goes back to my assertion about the business classes-MIL knew where the money was in her profession, went after the certifications to get it, was willing to give up holidays to get the money, and squirreled it away for retirement like nobody’s business. In her case it was natural business acumen, but I think it can be taught.
‘Success in the new economy’ video