Hugger, I agree! We are from different areas, but obviously the same issues apply. The Midwest suffers greatly from a lack of skilled tradesmen. Just try to hire an experienced maintenance man in the Tri-states(Iowa, Illinois, Missouri). I have work maintenance in a foundry for the last 20 out of 21 years. (Tried something else for a year & ended up going back to the foundry.) It is dirty & very hot sometimes, but rewarding most of the time.($$$) It is in no way glamorous! (the glamour comes in being able to fix anything from a 70 yr old machine, to a state of the art 3 million dollar molding machine) We end up hiring guys with mechanical aptitude most of the time. We have a less than 20% retention rate! It seems that if they have ability, they have no drive. If they have the drive, they don't really have the ability. Oh, & I swear everyone thinks they have the ability to be a maintenance man!!! 98% of young people now days have a very high opinion of them selves, but they don't (KNOW) sh*t!!!!!!!!! It is really frustrating most of the time.
The college a person graduates from can make a huge difference in getting hired or not. If a employer has 2 applicants with the exact same qualifications they will go with the applicant that went to the perceived better college. There is certainly nothing wrong with a community college degree and it's the only way many can get a degree, but there can be a cost associated with that type degree. With teaching salary is based heavily on area, more so than most other jobs. I doubt there is any profession with as huge of a difference in salaries for the same job and years than teaching. She can make good money, she just has to be willing to relocate if your area is not a higher paying region. My ex wife has been teaching 30 plus years and does well, my daughter is doing OK but currently working on her 2nd masters and is planning on seeking a teaching job in a higher paying area once her additional master is completed in the spring.
My niece has her teaching degree and could not get a job in the area (upstate NY) so she just took a teaching job in Arizona. If you can get a teaching job in the school district in my town you can do very well for your self (especially the longer you stay there). Every district is different in our area when it comes to pay rates.
This is a very interesting discussion to me, given I've just sent my twin boys to University this year. Quite frankly, I can agree with a lot of what's being said here on both sides, but the key is what the end career goal is. Both my boys are enrolled in Computer Engineering, and school reputation was a big factor in their decision. In fact, I've talked to several employers in their field across Canada who have said they ONLY hire graduates from the school the boys are enrolled in. While it was my sons decision (and I'm paying) I think they made the right choice. Through scholarships and co-operative work terms required in their program, much if not all of the tuition will be covered by them after this first year, and they know I expect them to take over the payments. I personally went the local school route and took several programs, and changed career paths once before I landed where I am now, and thankfully it's been a good ride. I also had to pay my own way through all of that. Fortunately, I'm able to cover the boys education, but I made sure the boys were exposed to trades and provided several examples of people doing better than OK at their trade so they know I didn't simply expect them to go to a university. At the end of the day, the kids have to make the decision on what they want to do, but I made sure they know we planned and saved for their education and it's not unlimited, and I expect some payback when they are out working!
Soft skills plays one of the biggest roles in landing jobs, I incorporate soft skills training whenever I can with my students, if you can sell yourself you can go a long way.
If a young person knows what he wants, and it’s a very prescribed skill with no room for error (medicine, engineering, any of the hard sciences) I’d say go for the upper echelon schools. If his career path is people oriented, with a need for responsibility and self regulation, I’d be aware that smart HR would hire a B student from the most popular party school in the state (UGA here). He (or she, even better if she’s fun)will be out with clients until 2:00am and still make the morning meeting, and ‘talking football’ seals a lot of deals. If a kid’s aimless but smart, don’t buy him a degree, find something that excites him and figure out how to monetize it. College is essential for some fields, but way overrated (or over sold) too. A lot of people end up in college because it’s ‘what’s next’ down the stream, and some people float that river until they’re old and regretful. Some break their kayaks into splinters on rough water and rocks they weren’t expecting. Some see the folks on the banks, docks, or just standing and fishing and wish that were them. Patrick
There are always solutions to problems that don't involve throwing more money at it. My daughter asked if she could live at home rent free while she worked her way through community college. Held three jobs and it took three years to get her AA but is debt free. Now she is enrolling at the University of Florida to work towards her doctorate. Still wants to live at home and pay for it herself. I said of course. I will let her live here rent free, gave her the old truck, insurance, maintenance/repairs and some fuel. She is getting a job at UF evenings and going to school days. I am proud of her. Please have your daughter find out if she can attend for free if she works there. The State of Florida allows a student to attend 17 credit hours a year for free if they work for the university system. Yea it will take a little longer but you have all your expenses covered with benefits and no debt. Mikey
