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Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile
Absolutely!
One of the reasons we're in the hole we're in right now is that we (through over-emphasis of college, because there's so much MONEY in it) have allowed the trades to become irrelevant and looked down upon in this country. As such, what has happened to manufacturing? It's gone. "Outsourced".
One thing that I really liked about my particular college program in architecture was that it was not a "typical" elitist-mentality program. It involved a lot of cutting and building stuff out of wood and metal and concrete and whatever else down in the shop, in addition to the more "intellectual" aspects of the curriculum. It tried to keep us grounded in reality that what we were learning was about BUILDING things and understanding how to make physical stuff out of materials.
If we're ever going to capture back our manufacturing in this country (which I believe is the key to recapturing our industrial might and our economic clout), we need to stop brainwashing our youth into thinking that building, constructing and producing things is somehow "beneath them". Completely wrong. I've known some awfully smart and articulate individuals who were carpenters and sheet metal workers. By contrast, some of the biggest idiots I've ever known were ones working in offices holding pieces of paper saying they were "educated".
I absolutely agree that we should be teaching trades and encouraging people to learn them in this country today, not just telling everyone that they can be a "solutions consultant" if they just sign here and keep writing us $10,000 checks every semester.
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I agree with a lot of what you have to say here. The over emphasis of a college education and the fact that education is so readily available has given a lot of folks out there some false hope, whereas they would have been better off pursuing a living in the trades or getting a 4 year start on seniority in some other field.
Don't get me wrong, I am very pro-higher education, but let's face it. College is not for everyone. How many people did you know in college who just were there to be there on their parent's hard earned money, getting some degree that you knew wasn't going to allow a spot in corporate America or in a core sector of the US work force?
Parents are happy to send their kids to college with the hope that their child will come out a corporate super hero, when they haven't educated their child about the reality of the real world. Some parents are not to blame if they don't understand or know.
But let's be real here. Of all the degrees that can be had at a 4 year school, how many would you consider to be in a core discipline? By that I mean that a discipline in which a person can have a career with just their 4 year degree? (e.g. teaching, engineering, etc.)
Yet, so many of my college friends spent 4-5 years wasting their parent's money away in studies of History, Art, Economics, Business Admin, Apparel Mechandising (yes..it's reall..a girlfriend did this and never got far) General Education (four 4 years! Why?), English Literature, etc...you get the idea. Without a post-grad degree, non of these will go very far without luck and perserverance. Yet, so many students graduate thinking this is their ticket to the top floor of some corporation. I don't want to come off mean or condescending, but it's what's happening in America.
Too many people who were sent off to college with poor expectations and false hope...then struggled to earn a C or B average in a mediocre program to only come out to the reality of finding a job in a world full of more qualified people than they are. (remember the girl that is suing her college because she can't get a job?)
A couple of cases:
I have a nephew who I've tried to advise over the years. He's not very smart and didn't exactly graduate with honors for H.S. Although I and his parents would love for him to go to college, I realize it is not for him. He's not motivated to learn from books and school teachers. So why set him up to fail and force him to go to college? I've been trying to get him to consider trade school, but he's more interested in working and getting a nice pay check. But even that is hard to come by these days. His parents are 1st generation immigrants who have been working factory jobs since day 1. So they do the best they can for the kids, but they are at a disadvantage. I have more work to do with him. I'm hopeful he will come around and consider a trade.
My niece, who we took in after her parents went through a bad divorce is very smart. She's focused and tries very hard (straight A senior with a part time job). She's not happy when see doesn't earn top scores for her efforts. She sees her parents struggling and does not want to re-live their lives. As her legal guardian, my wife and I will likely help her fund college, but it's something I think will pay off. She has an interest in finance, but I've been very realistic with her and have tried to do all I can to show her what she's in for and what's available to her in that discipline. I've tried to make her understand that it won't be easy, but the reward for those that rise to the top is plentiful. I think she will suceed if whe works as hard at it as she does now in H.S.
I want all my nieces and nephews to be just like this one, but the truth is I won't get that, so I will do my best to advise all of them so they can find a place in the work force the best suits them so they can have a comfortable living and be able to support their family without the struggles of their parents. I won't sell them false hope....