Many employers want to see a B.A. from any college in any major, as a signal that the candidate can stick to a task, face challenges, and achieve a goal. Some do not. If not college, you need to have a plan such as a trade school or the military, as others have noted. Just hoping to have a successful life based on high school whims isn’t enough!
I think everybody needs some form of after high school schooling. Career opportunities for HS grads are very limited. It doesn’t need to be a 4 year college. But even if you go with a trade/apprenticeship take some community college to acquire some of the soft skills (communication, critical thinking) you’ll need in life.
I don’t think we actually disagree that much. Yes, a lot of manual work (including the ones you described, and more) will be replaced by machines. However, a lot of other manual work (including plumbing) will remain. Same with higher value-added and “creative” work. Some of those (including some of ones you listed plus many others such as traders and doctors) will also be replaced or their numbers drastically reduced, and others will not. The cause of replacement or reduction is due to not only the effects of AI, but also the internet-based platforms (which will displace many traditional intermediaries).
-If you have always felt trapped in a classroom and felt you were counting the days to each vacation and to graduation,
-If reading/writing/math are hard for you,
-If you do not enjoy thinking about more abstract ideas,
-If you view college not as a desirable adventure in and of itself, but as an evil to be endured either because your family expects it of you or because you heard it may lead to better paying jobs,
-If you prefer working with your hands or body, and your genius lies in these areas, not in book learning.
I believe all students should have the option of going to college someday, and we should not track kids too young and limit their options before they are old enough to know what they will want— but I also believe no one should feel forced to go to college. There are well-paying trades out there, and there are people with talents with their hands or bodies who can excel at careers in which I— a bookworm with no manual dexterity or strength or visualizing skills— would fail utterly.
Approximately half of high school graduates do not enroll in a 4 year college. Not enrolling in a 4 year college is quite common in many areas. Some students start at a community college for a variety of reasons including saving money, a 4 year degree is not necessary for many types of employment, and some have more important things to do than immediately enrolling in college after graduation. There is not a simple one path fits all students. However, it’s important to have a good plan about what you are going to do after HS.
See https://smartasset.com/retirement/the-average-salary-by-education-level
At my university the average income with a four years BS last year was just under $70,000 with placement of about 94%, but this university is heavy with STEM majors. The website given above is based on national data.
It is also true that all majors and all universities and colleges are not the same, but success is not limited to the Ivies. The technician who just sold this old man some hearing aids is still paying off a $30,000 loan from a proprietary, two year associates program. A neighbor’s son is still paying for an associates program he never completed. There are some sad stories out there.
Some problems are motivation related. Motivation is personal and based on your selection. What would you like to see yourself doing ten years from now? Be realistic and leave out winning the lottery.
Students and parents need to focus on the wide range of options. Questions are the starting point but it takes effort to find answers. Don’t just accept a few anecdotes to supply your answer.
I don’t think people need a reason not to go to college. What they need is a reason to go to college. If you don’t have one yet, then find a trade that you want to learn and do that. Maybe you will want to get a bachelor’s degree at some point, but for now, you don’t have to go if you don’t see a purpose in it.
Great posts on this thread.
My S dropped out of college after his first year. He attended local state and CC for a few years, but had no interest in the grade, just liked going to school. High IQ kid who hates tedious work. Well so do I but I do it anyway! haha. Now at 25yo he is in the pipefitter union, 1st year apprentice making about 43K and after 5 years will be making 100K. Training is free in the union. He absolutely loves, loves, loves his job and the training. I wish we had figured this out 7 years ago.
@mamom you are lucky there was a path into the union. Around here those paths are very closed off to all but the most well-connected. Lucrative trades have acceptance rates into apprenticeships that can rival Harvard.
@CCtoAlaska Agree, you definitely need to pull some strings and reach out to everyone. Women and minorities and in high demand and may have an easier time getting in.
@mamom not in this area. It’s still an old boys’ club. There are covenants that demand higher admission for minority apprentices but it does nothing. Women are barely on the agenda. The city has started its own apprentice and pre-apprentice programs maybe to get around that problem but years of meetings have done nothing. Most apprenticeships go to suburban, wealthier white young men and the process is all but closed to “outsiders”. It’s not a path I even mention to students unless they are in a family in the trades. The outsiders who do get through don’t get the jobs once they are finished. The situation here is really rooted in extreme racism (and sexism, although I’ve known more women in the trades than minority men).
I agree with everything from the post this quote comes from, except this quote itself. I found K-12 education to be make-work boredom interrupted occasionally by bullying. I couldn’t wait to get out. That’s not a reason not to go to college. It may be a reason to be glad to escape the stultifying prison of high school, though. There’s a reason I and some of my homeschooling friends sometimes use the word “incarceration” when describing our various K-12 experiences.
A student should not go to college if they are not ready to succeed at college, however.
@“Cardinal Fang” I agree with you completely. I hated high school - detested it. Loved college from the minute I got there. I tell my high school students all the time not to assume they will hate college merely because they don’t care for high school. I’ve heard back from several who agree with our thoughts. I’m pretty sure it has to do with being treated like an adult instead of having to do things like asking to go to the restroom or various busywork assignments. It’s also easier to find like-minded peers in college IMO.
It would depend on what job was desired or what the plan was. You don’t need a degree for quite a few things. For me it would depend on what the alternative to college plan was going to be.
Even if the student has no alternative plan, they should STILL not go to college unless they are ready to succeed at college. Failing out of college is expensive and demoralizing.
@CCtoAlaska there are alternatives, in the Boston area. If, DS had not gotten into the union we could have paid for him to take a welding class at Wentworth https://wit.edu/continuing-ed/programs/workforce-training/welding Ideally, the union is best (free training and access to union jobs), but other alternatives exist. It is difficult to break into any of the trade unions, but I think worth a try. I tell anyone I know trying to get in to reach out to every one they know, network and talk to their local representatives and congressional reps for a “good word”. I know “white men” who have had to apply 2-3 years in a row to get in.
My brother got a welding cert a c.c. through a state retraining program and was never able to find a job. He said it all went to people with connections and he lived in an area where lots of welders were being laid off from shipbuilding and aviation jibs.
There are many jobs in many industries that require a college education / degree. They simply will not interview you without, period.
However, there are many trade and service based jobs that don’t require a college education. Laborers can make very good money, work with their hands (if you like that it’s a great thing), etc.
The challenge with not having that college degree is you’re shutting yourself out on a major segment of the economy by not being eligible for any of those jobs. What you want today may not be doable in the future. Hard to bang nails all day when you’re 50+.
What’s a shame is to see many college kids graduate and still not know what they want to do. Have a niece and nephew in that category. Both went to good schools, graduated on time and are still not working in any profession that required the degree. One is going back to school to get his nursing degree (at age 30) and will have a great job upon graduation but he didn’t know what he wanted to do and has bummed around for several years working menial jobs to afford rent. He would have been better off not going to school and working / saving until he figured it out. Niece (his sister) is tracking in a similar fashion.
I think more kids who sense they want to go to college but don’t have a clue should go the community college route, work, knock off some gen eds at a low cost and transfer once they know their direction.