[cashflyer]

In some schools, kids can take both paths. I did in my school.
I took some AP classes, and I also took shop, drafting, and home-ec.

And at home, my father always insisted that I help him with any repair project. Plumbing, electrical, horticulture ... you name it. By age 14, I was not only able to change a tire, but also knew the basics of rebuilding a small block.

This is why parents, or the absence thereof, are such a huge factor in any child's development (imo). Without a parent teaching me, my only fallback to a hands-on education would have been that shop class, that drafting class, and that home-ec class.

You take that away, and what is left?