Posted on 03/30/2014 6:42:52 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
I think that a young guy should have a craft and then turn it into a degree.
Apprentice as a pipe fitter in the mechanical and HVAC trades. Learn about control systems as you do your apprenticeship. Work on construction jobs at good money and then get a mechanical engineering degree between projects and with night classes and web classes.
You can be a highly paid craft worker, a highly paid design engineer and the right combination to own and run your own business.
We are never going to not need new and repaired heating and cooling systems.
Ha! Great minds!
It depends on what you want to do. If you want to qualify for a recognized profession, and become an accountant, an optometrist, a programmer, a stockbroker, a math teacher, or something along those lines, then college is necessary. Those who have a definite career in mind, and ask where they can get the necessary skills and credentials to get started, usually do OK.
You are so right about heating/cooling ...it’s a great trade to learn.
For many, college is a waste of cash and time. The sad thing is most people think if someone does not have a degree they are not worth hiring.
The bulk of what I have learned came to me after I got my degrees.
The author is a bit of a hypocrite for not crediting his college education with being able to think critically and write well.
This is not to argue his point that the experience today seems to be wasted on a lot of people since, I suspect, their college “education” was not a true learning experience. The American University survey is suggestive of that.
Myself...unless I had a ton of scholarships, I would think about it twice. Get a trade...then work your way thru college. I can't imagine starting life $50,000 (or more) in debt.
Oh, let me just say, in all seriousness, that "I studied History and it's helped me in other fields."
But many people study soft fields and derive little benefit from it -- English Lit, PoliSci, Gender studies, communication, etc. These do not always work out for people.
We need more on-the-job training. We need more apprenticeships. We need more respect for craftsmanship.
When I was young, I thought the prestigious, well-paying jobs were in offices, behind desks. I now believe that these are most often dead-ends. I have more respect for plumbers and electricians than I do for most people who work in cubicles.
Society needs to rethink labor. The game has changed and a lot of people just don't realize that it's not the 1980s anymore.
I think it comes down to application. If the instructor just regurgitates from a book or talks about pie in the sky, then no. If the instructor provides information and then shows the student how to apply that information in the world, then yes. Drama can be extremely worthwhile if properly taught. Teaching someone to be a mechanic by regurgitating shop manuals to them would be a waste of money.
Agreed.
I pursued Liberal Arts/Criminal Justice desiring to become a door kicking JBT. After working full time with part time school for the better part of a decade I joined the military and became a mechanic. Probably one of the better decisions of my life. I plan on using the GI Bill to learn a new trade, a tangible skill this time.
If you have the right program, you can be making 50k while you are going to college.
I had my college education sidetracked by the Vietnam draft issues and ended up in the construction business. There aren’t many fields where you can approach and bust across six figures without a degree but construction is one where it is possible. It is also one of the few where being self taught and OJT is respected and valued.
A young engineer is sometimes actually at a disadvantage. Education does not take into account the actual dynamic of the risk of performance and the general means and methods.
Several thoughts here:
-IMHO, college/university *can* be worth it, but it’s also oversold in high school and by TPTB in government. I remember a guy on my floor my freshman year. He was never happy there and left after one year. He now works in a skilled trade (finish carpentry), makes a nice living, and most importantly, *likes* what he does. We ought to be encouraging kids to pursue what works for *them*, instead of a cookie-cutter (and expensive) college-only agenda that might not be their thing.
-I do believe that if you go to a college/university, you ought to pursue your passion. However, you also have to be a realist. If you’re going to pursue a degree that’s not conducive to a high-paying career, especially one that requires graduate school to get anywhere (many of the social sciences, etc), then you need to think hard about the fiscal realities involved - especially at a private school. There’s no shame in attending a local commuter college for a couple of years before transferring, or even the entire four years working while you go take classes.
-The blowoff courses mentioned in the story are a bit like budget earmarks - they are often a bit silly and sometimes of questionable merit, but they generally only represent a tiny portion of the big picture. Usually, these are pet project courses for tenured professors who get to do them in addition to teaching more traditional courses. They might be a waste of resources (depending on one’s view), but nobody is majoring in them. For instance, my last semester in college, I took a film class on the B-Western movie. It was a lot of fun, actually, and I learned quite a bit about the genre. But it was also only one class in one semester of my college years. Most of the time, I was busting my hump in business courses and the like.
Depending on what one "studies" while there it may not be a waste of time, but be selective.
Depending on what one "studies" while there it may not be a waste of time, but be selective.
Well, that's a rather significant concession on this author's part.
Depends on how you do it. I’d advise any young person to start at their local community college and get an Associate’s while still living at home, if possible. Then transfer to a modestly-priced university. For an undergraduate degree, prestige isn’t really necessary in my humble opinion. If you can finish with a debt load around $20,000, it’s worth it. But to do the whole four years living in the dorm on the most expensive campus you can find is foolish, and yes, a waste.
Some careers must have the degree (law, medicine, psych, etc). Fine, but don’t spend private school money on a lesser education. Go to a public school or one that is cost effective. Spending $24k or more per year on a private school is a complete waste of money.
That is outstanding advice! HVAC might be a good field for a young person who doesn’t want to sweat too much yet not adverse to moving around. Their primary job is to make sure people aren’t too hot and not too cold, including themselves.
And, as you said, understanding control systems is a valuable skill, including, but not limited to HVAC.
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