My granddaughter was asked by a professor why she was at the small college she goes to and why she wasn’t in an Ivy League school. She told him that she wants to be an Occupational Therapist, which is a 2 year degree and a semester of internships. She will have the Associate’s in OT and her bachelor’s in Rehab a month after her 21st birthday.
Jobs in the medical field are only going to become more common as the population ages, and there’s always the opportunity to pursue more education. I suggested medical training to my son, as a quick road to financial independence, but heavy equipment maintenance offers higher pay in a shorter time. (He’d be a heck of a pediatric nurse ... maybe someday!)
We keep hearing that jobs go begging, especially for government construction jobs, because otherwise qualified applicants can’t pass a drug test.