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Stopped by a career fair at the local high school and noticed something strange
I went to help my niece at her school's career fair last Tuesday. On one side you had all these booths pushing four year degrees, talking about student loans like they're no big deal. On the other side you had the trades like plumbing and electrical, but they were stuck in a corner with barely any students stopping by. I overheard one kid tell his friend that he'd rather flip burgers than get his hands dirty. It got me thinking - are we really setting kids up right by pushing everyone toward college, or are we just making a second class out of blue collar work? Has anyone else seen this shift at local job events?
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hayes.joel12d ago
Buddy of mine skipped college, now runs a HVAC crew at 28.
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the_linda12d ago
Yeah I gotta push back on this idea that pushing college is ruining things. The post talks about one kid saying he'd rather flip burgers than get his hands dirty - that kid might just have different strengths and goals. @hayes.joel's buddy running an HVAC crew is great for him, but the trades aren't for everyone either. A lot of high paying tech and healthcare jobs still require degrees, and student loans can be managed if you pick the right school and major. Not every kid wants to work outdoors in the heat or crawl under houses. Some kids are better off in a classroom learning theory and analysis. The real problem is we're acting like there's only one right answer when there's clearly room for both paths.
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