3 ms·

Agreed 100%. I know many will tear me apart for this, but not everyone is cut out for higher education, and lowering standards does not make that any less true

by EpicEng 13y ago

Agreed 100%. I know many will tear me apart for this, but not everyone is cut out for higher education, and lowering standards does not make that any less true. There is nothing wrong with skilled labor. We need it and it is vital for any economy. The problem is that many of us teach our kids to look down upon such career paths. "You're nothing if you don't go to college" seems to be a common sentiment instilled in our children as they grow up. Well, often times you're nothing if you do go to college because a million other 22 year olds with the same middle of the road academic resume graduated right alongside with you. Have fun delivering pizzas.

caseysoftware 13y ago
I have a electrician cousin and uncles in carpentry and EMT.. sure, they don't earn as much as most software developers annually, but they started before and with less debt than almost anyone who went to college. Throw in the fact that working more than 40 hours is called "overtime" in many cases, it seems like reasonable trade offs. (Then again, maybe it's a "grass is greener" view.)
- EpicEng 13y ago
  Funnily enough, I also have a cousin who is an electrician. We have been very close all of our lives (my parents adopted him at 14) and he went the college route at first. He wanted to write software. Now, Josh (my cousin) is not a stupid person by any means, but he's also not academically inclined. He's not very technical and, for example, doesn't enjoy reading the Principia in his spare time. What he does enjoy is having a steady job that pays him well enough to support his family. He has that as an electrician and he has a good amount of job security. He is not an unskilled worker and he cannot be replaced by any Joe Shmoe off the street. That's more than can be said of many of the people I went to high school with (graduated in '01) who have college degrees (lots of marketing and psychology majors here).

by EpicEng 13y ago

caseysoftware 13y ago

I have a electrician cousin and uncles in carpentry and EMT.. sure, they don't earn as much as most software developers annually, but they started before and with less debt than almost anyone who went to college. Throw in the fact that working more than 40 hours is called "overtime" in many cases, it seems like reasonable trade offs. (Then again, maybe it's a "grass is greener" view.)

EpicEng 13y ago
Funnily enough, I also have a cousin who is an electrician. We have been very close all of our lives (my parents adopted him at 14) and he went the college route at first. He wanted to write software. Now, Josh (my cousin) is not a stupid person by any means, but he's also not academically inclined. He's not very technical and, for example, doesn't enjoy reading the Principia in his spare time. What he does enjoy is having a steady job that pays him well enough to support his family. He has that as an electrician and he has a good amount of job security. He is not an unskilled worker and he cannot be replaced by any Joe Shmoe off the street. That's more than can be said of many of the people I went to high school with (graduated in '01) who have college degrees (lots of marketing and psychology majors here).