Been unemployed for a long time and brooding quietly in my room

[Lejuan]

My life hasn't worked out the way I've planned since high school. It's still not. Most people aren't that lucky.

 

[CAhobbit]

I think a lot of people look down on trade schools as if it's not prestigious like going to college. Most of the people I know that skipped college and learned a trade are doing just fine and are generally better off since they don't have a ton of debt. Not to say college isn't worth it, but depending on what you plan to do for a living, it's not for everyone. I'm so disgusted by the college system in America for becoming too much of a business. Everything is about making money. Tuition, housing, books--they're all way overpriced for what you actually get out of them. Getting financial aid for school is an even bigger racket with ridiculous interest rates and fees that guarantee you'll spend a couple decades paying them off. It's starting college kids off behind the 8-ball and not enough is done to make sure those kids will get jobs, much less jobs that will pay them enough to live comfortably and still pay off their debt.

That is 100% it! It continues to have a stigma placed upon it. I wish more people would look into what Mike Rowe has been/is doing to bring a much better light to trade type jobs. But our whole system is set up with a one-size-fits-all handbook they hand out to the youngin's at an early age and so many just follow the same path thinking that's what they need to do. While some are successful I've seen far more not be successful.

I knew very early on into community college that is wasn't for me and that I'd rather just work. Each job has taught me new skills (and honed others) that has made my knowledge in various job fields expand/branch out over time. It's hard to think I was making $4.20 an hour at my very first job in 1996 but it's also exciting to look back and see where I was and where I am now.

 

[Mr. Green]

I understand that, but the point I was making is that no matter how much planning you do, things won't always go according to plan. My plan since JRHS was to be a horse vet. Laid out all my classes I wanted to take in high school only to have the school itself nix them all. Not having the money for college and having to become part of the family business finished off that life plan. Having to be a caregiver of some kind for the last 20 years has me just pretty much existing now.

It's the cards we're dealt.

You did the best you could. Taking care of family member is honorable. Sometimes this culture seem to be about work, work, work. Working hard is easy but life balance is more important.

 

[nexus]

I think a lot of people look down on trade schools as if it's not prestigious like going to college. Most of the people I know that skipped college and learned a trade are doing just fine and are generally better off since they don't have a ton of debt. Not to say college isn't worth it, but depending on what you plan to do for a living, it's not for everyone. I'm so disgusted by the college system in America for becoming too much of a business. Everything is about making money. Tuition, housing, books--they're all way overpriced for what you actually get out of them. Getting financial aid for school is an even bigger racket with ridiculous interest rates and fees that guarantee you'll spend a couple decades paying them off. It's starting college kids off behind the 8-ball and not enough is done to make sure those kids will get jobs, much less jobs that will pay them enough to live comfortably and still pay off their debt.

Good point. There is a tremendous amount of pressure for kids to go to college and the fact of the matter is not everyone is wired that way. I live in one of the most competitive cities in the country surrounded by A-types, and admittedly, my wife and I fall into that category. Our kids grew up in a neighborhood that most would consider very upscale (I was raised in public housing) and even though our public high school is one of the top 20 in the country, half of the neighborhood kids went to private school and paid $25K+/year in tuition. But even all of those advantages are not a guarantee. Sure, many of our neighbors have kids that went to top schools (my son went to Georgetown and will be going to an Ivy for his MBA). But I also have several neighbors whose kids either went into the military, are in a trade school, or still trying to figure it out. My youngest daughter falls into that category. She did a year of college and it just wasn't for her. It took us a while to accept that and get out of the stigma that she HAS to go to college. In many respects trying to push her down the same path as her sister and brother did more harm than good. So at this point we are focused on helping her find the right fit for her, which will likely mean getting a job and starting down a career path, going to trade school, or going into the military. Any of those would be fine. The main thing is that she is able to be happy, get married, have kids, and have a good life.

And you're also right about many of these colleges being a racket. In a lot of cases some are being run much more like a business and less like institutions of higher learning. Many of these online programs and smaller schools are just after the student loan money. As a result even if kids make it through the 2-year or 4-year programs they aren't prepared to compete, are bogged down with debt, and end up working in jobs that have nothing to do with their degrees. And don't even get started on folks that go $200K in debt to get degrees in worthless or over saturated majors. Realistically it is taking longer and longer for graduates to pay off loans, because tuition costs continue to increase, while incomes are stagnating and the market for higher paying jobs is tightening. So yes, a lot of pressure.

As far as the post that started this thread, my recommendation is to look about 3 years down the road to pick a job path and work your way back. This is basically what I'm telling my daughter. If she wants to go into graphic design in three years she could be making around $35-$40K; as a Starbucks barista she'd earn good money, know lots of folks in the community and have tuition benefits, and be able to move into management; working in retail she could be an assistant store manager in about 2 years and a store manager in 3-4, and so on. Fortunately the job market is relatively strong, so getting an entry level is still doable.

 

[ChunkyZergling]

Just getting out of high school and thinking your plan for getting an advanced degree means you'll be set with a career is the epitome of naivete. I know a lot of people that have advanced degrees and can't get jobs in their field. Some that have jobs find that the work they can get pay much less than they expected and they've got quite a bit of debt from their education path dragging them down. There are no guarantees with any degree, four-year or otherwise. Career requirements change. The economy can change. The focus of an advanced degree can disappear from the field you're studying. Some people are better off going into a training institute and getting work as some sort of technician. They don't have anywhere near the debt and often have the institution trying to place them in jobs.

I think a lot of people look down on trade schools as if it's not prestigious like going to college. Most of the people I know that skipped college and learned a trade are doing just fine and are generally better off since they don't have a ton of debt. Not to say college isn't worth it, but depending on what you plan to do for a living, it's not for everyone. I'm so disgusted by the college system in America for becoming too much of a business. Everything is about making money. Tuition, housing, books--they're all way overpriced for what you actually get out of them. Getting financial aid for school is an even bigger racket with ridiculous interest rates and fees that guarantee you'll spend a couple decades paying them off. It's starting college kids off behind the 8-ball and not enough is done to make sure those kids will get jobs, much less jobs that will pay them enough to live comfortably and still pay off their debt.

I understand that, but the point I was making is that no matter how much planning you do, things won't always go according to plan. My plan since JRHS was to be a horse vet. Laid out all my classes I wanted to take in high school only to have the school itself nix them all. Not having the money for college and having to become part of the family business finished off that life plan. Having to be a caregiver of some kind for the last 20 years has me just pretty much existing now.

It's the cards we're dealt.

I don't know if mama was right, that we each have a destiny, or if it was Lt Dan, that we are all just floating around, accidental, like on a breeze, but I think... I think... maybe... it's both happening at the same time.

Forrest Gump

 

[ChunkyZergling]

Attitude is important. In a lot of cases, current attitude is more important than current skills. If a prospective employer likes your attitude, you're nearly home

False

 

[devilof76]

If you're useless, attitude will get you nowhere, but if you're only mostly useless, it could save you.

 

[Lejuan]

If you're useless, attitude will get you nowhere, but if you're only mostly useless, it could save you.

False

OK. Ever done any hiring Chunky?

 

[fosing]

 

[Mr. Green]

Attitude can be important or useless if there are nepotism, favoritism going on. The same can be said about smiling to a guy who may think you could be gay.

Question: Anyone here takes off their wedding ring for the interview? It doesn't matter to Mr. Green since he is not married. But an ex-college professor of his say she would do so. Mr. Green did encounter a recruiter who asked if he's married. Against the law, of course, but w/e. How rude!

 

[fosing]

^that kind of attitude will get you nowhere. blame nepotism. blame the ass kisser. blame jesus. blame the universe.

 

[Mr. Green]

Blame it on fosing too! lol

 

[WWEJedi]

Trade schools or skipping college is fine.... not good advice in my opinion for various reasons.... but does anyone actually get a job to be proud of it? Or have a job where you make a real difference? A job where what you do actually matters? Or is it all about the money? I mean, money is nice and all.... but at the end of the day I don't know how (and I don't mean to be mean, just my opinion) anyone could be proud doing a job millions upon millions do around the world like working at Starbucks or mechanic or any other "generic" job that in the small grand scheme of life... literally means nothing where the point of your existence.... becomes non-existent. Where whatever job one did year after year... becomes meaningless.

I want a job that is unique to only a few. A job that actually makes a difference and matters.

 

[Mr. Green]

It's a matter of available job. One can aim for an astronaut position but since only a few actually get to go into space, that is a long shot. How many mathematician, physicist are unemployed? They either teach or branch off to something else. Of course, the opposite can be true. If one got the intelligence and resource, one can aim for a fulfilling position. But still, it is not for everyone.

 

[crows]

porn stars have the best jobs, the greatest satisfaction, and they dont really do anything that hard

 

[devilof76]

A job that actually makes a difference and matters.

Yeah, mechanics don't matter.

 

[WWEJedi]

Yeah, mechanics don't matter.

Technically speaking, every job matters to make the world go round. But does that car mechanic job make a true difference? Does it make a true impact that betters society?

 

[CAhobbit]

Trade schools or skipping college is fine.... not good advice in my opinion for various reasons.... but does anyone actually get a job to be proud of it? Or have a job where you make a real difference? A job where what you do actually matters? Or is it all about the money? I mean, money is nice and all.... but at the end of the day I don't know how (and I don't mean to be mean, just my opinion) anyone could be proud doing a job millions upon millions do around the world like working at Starbucks or mechanic or any other "generic" job that in the small grand scheme of life... literally means nothing where the point of your existence.... becomes non-existent. Where whatever job one did year after year... becomes meaningless.

I want a job that is unique to only a few. A job that actually makes a difference and matters.

But the world doesn't currently function where everyone can do a jobs that only a few do. Maybe it will in the future but as of now society needs nurses, doctors, construction workers, welders, receptionists, realtors, and so on. Not everyone will have a job the like/love but an entire day and life doesn't have to encompass just work. Making a difference can happen within a career but it can also happen outside of it just as easily.

 

[devilof76]

Technically speaking, every job matters to make the world go round. But does that car mechanic job make a true difference? Does it make a true impact that betters society?

Who gives a **** about society except for sycophants and power lusters?

 

[CAhobbit]

Technically speaking, every job matters to make the world go round. But does that car mechanic job make a true difference? Does it make a true impact that betters society?

They can ensure ambulances are running up to par to ensure they can get to people in time, or that meals on wheels van that helps deliver food to those that can hardly care for themselves, or get a person to a hospital to see a sick or dying loved one, or a scientist to a lab where they can find a cure or invent something incredibly beneficial for the planet, or that truck that needs to get supplies to build houses, and so on. Lots of jobs have touch points that = betterment of society or helping parts of society that we don't really realize. But dig deep enough and one can start seeing all kind of branches that can occur.