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One common trend I have seen in my social circle is the lack of any employable skills. They may or may not have college degrees, but in general their degrees di

One common trend I have seen in my social circle is the lack of any employable skills. They may or may not have college degrees, but in general their degrees did not give them concrete job skills or they don't have a degree and no skilled trade. What would ideally happen is people learn a skilled trade if they are stuck on the job market. This training should also happen in high school.

XorNot 12y ago
Except the education system is bad at picking winners. What's in demand when you're in highschool is not what's in demand by the time you're entering the workforce.
- rjsw 12y ago
  I remember finding that "Computer Programmer" wasn't listed as a possible job when we got careers advice as early teens.
  - arethuza 12y ago
    My 15 year old son got recommended the following options by a career guidance system his school uses: - Lawyer - Town planner - Royal Marine Officer I'd love to know the "logic" that led from his interests/skills to that selection! [NB Only one of these got the reaction "don't do that" from his mother and I].
- shoover 12y ago
  How do they pick? Maybe they need help picking better. Seems like there's a lot of people around here interested in trends and intelligence that could help with that.
- IndianAstronaut 12y ago
  It's not about picking winners. It is about giving students at least one practical skill early on, then letting them choose what they want to do. I am a programmer, but I can also weld and fix cars. This is because in high school I took some auto shop classes. Let's say for some odd reason programming doesn't work out anymore as a career(this is happening to lawyers and pharmacists), I have something to fall back on.
  - wavefunction 12y ago
    >>I am a programmer, but I can also weld and fix cars. This is because in high school I took some auto shop classes. That's a pretty flippant dismissal of the knowledge required to either "fix cars" or "weld" for a living. My brother was an excellent welder and it's a very hard life.
    - viewer5 12y ago
      > very hard life As in "physically demanding", or "lots of technical knowledge needed"?
      - wavefunction 12y ago
        Both. Also in steadily working. My brother was one of three people with certain certifications in our state of several million people and had to put up with the sort of nonsense that would have us quitting immediately. But it's part of the job of an iron-monger.
shoover 12y ago
Agreed. Figuring out how to evaluate the trades and schools seems really important. I would be worried about ending up with more debt and still no job, in cases where the school was bad or the job market wasn't really there in the end.

XorNot 12y ago

Except the education system is bad at picking winners. What's in demand when you're in highschool is not what's in demand by the time you're entering the workforce.

rjsw 12y ago
I remember finding that "Computer Programmer" wasn't listed as a possible job when we got careers advice as early teens.
- arethuza 12y ago
  My 15 year old son got recommended the following options by a career guidance system his school uses: - Lawyer - Town planner - Royal Marine Officer I'd love to know the "logic" that led from his interests/skills to that selection! [NB Only one of these got the reaction "don't do that" from his mother and I].
shoover 12y ago
How do they pick? Maybe they need help picking better. Seems like there's a lot of people around here interested in trends and intelligence that could help with that.
IndianAstronaut 12y ago
It's not about picking winners. It is about giving students at least one practical skill early on, then letting them choose what they want to do. I am a programmer, but I can also weld and fix cars. This is because in high school I took some auto shop classes. Let's say for some odd reason programming doesn't work out anymore as a career(this is happening to lawyers and pharmacists), I have something to fall back on.
- wavefunction 12y ago
  >>I am a programmer, but I can also weld and fix cars. This is because in high school I took some auto shop classes. That's a pretty flippant dismissal of the knowledge required to either "fix cars" or "weld" for a living. My brother was an excellent welder and it's a very hard life.
  - viewer5 12y ago
    > very hard life As in "physically demanding", or "lots of technical knowledge needed"?
    - wavefunction 12y ago
      Both. Also in steadily working. My brother was one of three people with certain certifications in our state of several million people and had to put up with the sort of nonsense that would have us quitting immediately. But it's part of the job of an iron-monger.

shoover 12y ago

Agreed. Figuring out how to evaluate the trades and schools seems really important. I would be worried about ending up with more debt and still no job, in cases where the school was bad or the job market wasn't really there in the end.