Thinking About Learning A Skilled Trade? - A message to our youth.

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In 2012 college graduates over age 25 earned 25% more than the median average wage worker according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Naturally as a father of three, I would use the logic that college means my child will make a decent living and not break their backs doing it, therefore that’s best for them, so I’ll do whatever is required to get them to a college or university.

But in the past TEN years, we’ve been reminded time and time again that college does not ensure employment, let alone a job that pays well. According to the BLS, 72.6% of recent college grads were employed and over a quarter-million Americans with a Bachelor degree or higher are working in jobs paying minimum wage.

The overwhelming cost of college has left our children with more debt then they are ready to handle. Since 1988 college tuition and fees have more than doubled in 2011, cited in a CNN money story highlighting inequality in America. And the college and university system has been criticized for their inability to prepare our children for a complicated and obstacle filled “real world.”

A Trade Education

Our perceptions of manual labor, blue-collar jobs, and trade schools have become toxic in our society. Why aren’t we engaging our youth in the trades?

The expectation that EVERYONE in each subsequent future generation should go to college is just silly.

Equally as silly is the idea that all laborers or blue collar workers are not intelligent or successful.

Two of my newest employees are college educated, obviously they were intelligent enough to complete the requirement for their degrees, and possibly could continue to pursue and obtain advanced degrees. Instead they choose to enter careers in the trades, where with their hard work and motivation they will no doubt be successful.

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