Shop Class is Coming Back to School!
My grandfather refinished furniture for a living. It was a skill that helped him create his own business and to pay the bills. I loved watching him work and it lit a fire in me to refinish furniture with my daughter as a hobby.
In hindsight, I wish I followed that interest and made a career out of that trade. Not that I don’t love what I do for a living but maybe in another life or universe, I would enjoy that more, who knows!?
I remember being pushed into going to college by the guidance counselor in high school but I knew college wasn’t for me. Instead, I went to a trade school for broadcasting and 30+ years later, I’m still in broadcasting. Not to mention, college was too expensive, even back then. I didn’t want to be burdened with debt for life.
Cost of college has gotten worse but good news! The industrial arts are coming back to high schools!
Gen Z Will Help Trade Schools Rise!
Want to see college tuition drop? Encourage the rise of Trade Schools. Encourage the young that don’t seem interested in college to skip it and learn a trade! The more people that want to learn a trade, the more people will avoid college. The more people that avoid college, the more colleges will hurt financially! Which may bring the cost down. Trade Schools are a fraction of the price, time and for millions of people, it gave them amazing careers and not life long debt!
When I posted about this on Facebook, I loved what one of my listeners had to say…
-Christine Smothers
“As a professional in higher education and a professor to first year undergraduate students I have told my students year after year that if they don’t want to go to college they should leave. The amount of debt accrued over a 4 – 10 year span (depending on degree type) is so astronomical that you will be in debt until you are nearly ready to retire. Indivduals who decide to go into blue collar professions are able to do so without debt or much debt of any kind.
When you weigh that against the incredible debt that our students are putting themselves into its almost a no brainer. Welders, Construction Worker, Plumbers, Mechanics, etc. make more money on average than school teachers. Why in the world would someone choose debt over a good living? It stumps me honestly.
I am not saying that people shouldn’t go to college, become doctors, lawyers, teachers, scientists, engineers, etc. but you do need to look at the pros and cons as a student making a decision that could and will impact your life moving forward. Many people think that all students graduating from high school should go to college and that is not true, it is not for everyone. For example my now 29yo went to college for one semester and dropped out – she now makes more money than I do (and I have 3 college degrees) at a car dealership. My almost 21 year old also did one semester and dropped out because it wasn’t for her and I couldn’t have been happier – she doesn’t suffer from the debt she could have been because of staying in college and being unhappy with that decision. My almost 20yo decided the day before freshman move-in that she just didn’t want to go, and we supported that decision. She now has a factory job that she loves and makes really good money and was able to purchase a brand new car last month with her own money.
It is ingrained in young peoples minds that to succeed they must go to college, but that is not the fact and it shouldn’t be. Its sometimes hard for me to say these things since I work for a major university, but guess what – we are never hurting for student applying and I don’t want people of any age to thing that college is their only option.”
