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> Saying that everybody should not go to college might at first seem elitist, but I think its elitist to presume that college is the only path, where people dem
by rurp 6y ago
> Saying that everybody should not go to college might at first seem elitist, but I think its elitist to presume that college is the only path, where people demonstrate their "merit".
This seems self evident to me and I'm always surprised at how much pushback people get for saying that sending 100% of kids to college isn't some especially useful magic bullet.
Personally I have a college degree and have been through trade schools in two different industries. The trade schools were much cheaper, much shorter, and vastly more useful to my earning potential than going to college. I loved the college experience but it felt much more like a middle class luxury than an economic necessity.
- biophysboy 6y agoOut of curiosity, what were the trade schools/industries?
- jcims 6y agoAll of them. There's a huge problem with folks not getting into the trades. HVAC, electrical, framing, millwork, machining, masonry, plumbing, welding, etc etc. I live in a small town. A young local guy started up a small plumbing company about five years ago with contemporary thinking, branding, marketing, etc. He's a super sweet dude that volunteers a lot of time, runs some community facebook groups, etc. Today he's got 50 employees operating out of two locations. Shit's there for the taking.
- biophysboy 6y agoWhere is this the most true? I would imaging there is more trade worker scarcity in some places than others.
- jcims 6y agoI don't know if it's bad everywhere but it's bad here in podunk USA. Weeks and weeks of lead time, no call backs, etc...
- biophysboy 6y agoAnother question from me: what do you make of the "its backbreaking work" argument? That is, trades are more precarious as you age. Its easier to sit in a chair at 50 than to hunch and squat and crawl.
- eli_gottlieb 6y agoYou sit in a chair until 50, you'll have a heart attack. You do physical work until 50, you'll have an injured spine. Take your pick. Wage labor wasn't designed to be healthy.
- jcims 6y agoIt's definitely a factor, some more than others. Unfortunately because the labor pool isn't replenishing like it used to, tradesmen are doing the heavy stuff much later in their career and taking larger tolls on their bodies.