Like most other American high school students, Garret Morgan had it drummed into him constantly: Go to college. Get a bachelor's degree.
"All through my life it was, 'if you don't go to college you're going to end up on the streets,' " Morgan said. "Everybody's so gung-ho about going to college."
So he tried it for a while. Then he quit and started training as an ironworker, which is what he is doing on a weekday morning in a nondescript high-ceilinged building with a concrete floor in an industrial park near the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
...
Morgan, who is 20, is already working on a job site when he isn't at the Pacific Northwest Ironworkers shop. He gets benefits, including a pension, from employers at the job sites where he is training. And he is earning $28.36 an hour, or more than $50,000 a year, which is almost certain to steadily increase.His attitude towards his College bound High School friends?
As for his friends from high school, "they're still in college," he said with a wry grin. "Someday maybe they'll make as much as me."LULZ.
The Public Education system is selling education to students. It's terribly expensive - destructively expensive - education, but why not? After all, that's what they sell to the students' parents. You need to invest in your kid's education.
It's a scam. Caveat emptor.
You hear a lot about how much more college graduates make compared to their non-college graduate peers, but it's funny how Colleges don't break that down by major, or compare it to non-College work by industry and job classification. Gosh, I wonder why they don't do that. /sarc
If you have a High School age kid, get them a copy of this:
If I had it to do over again, I would have tried to become an electrician instead of going to college. If I wasn't retired, I would already be making a lot more money than I do now.
ReplyDeleteI will say that my degree opened doors for me, but I've never held a job in what I majored in. This was over 20 years ago. Today I don't think it would open doors for me without the experience I've had.
Both daughters spent years in college. They make good livings. My son never went a day. Makes over 60k a year as a delivery driver, owns 2 condo apartments, and is actually very satisfied. It's not for everyone.
ReplyDelete#1 Son is a HS junior, finishing up the plumbing track at the local trade school. Starting salary for a new apprentice is $36K.
ReplyDeleteBack in the early 70san aptitude test, prior to graduating high school, told me that I was artistically bent.
ReplyDeleteSince I had no talent for what I thought was artistic ability I decided to get a degree In architecture.
To support myself I worked as a carpenter's apprentice in the summers and weekends. The real deal: 40-58 hrs a week in the field and two nights a week at the local JC for bookwork and testing. Review boards for advancement. A four-year program. The money was pretty good.
I remember I had moved into my first apartment and after paying first and last, a cleaning deposit, and filling the 'fridge I had enough money left over to buy a small black-and-white TV with my first paycheck. No car payment.
About midway through my apprenticeship I was on a $23 million dollar project.
The architectural firm that had designed and drawn the plans for the project put a junior partner architect on the project full time due to having to correct the design errors that popped up on a daily basis.
I discovered, in talking with this young architect) that after i got my degree I would have to intern (unpayed) for two years before I could practice. I also found out that I was making more than the junior partner architect. He was pretty discouraged when he discovered that I made more than he did after six years of education and internship.
I was tired of being poor nine months out of the year.
I decided if I wanted to create I had a better chance at doing that as a general building contractor. So, I did that instead.
There are experience requirements to take the test. As soon as I met the requirements I drove to Saramento and took the test.
The test is a big deal. There is a proctor in the room. You are not allowed to leave except a the scheduled breaks.
I knew several people who had to retake the test after failing (some of them multiple times).
The test is scheduled to take eight hours.
I finished in just over an hour and figured I had missed one question
Building contractors get a lot of opportunity to work with a client regarding design if the have earned a good reputation.
With some projects you are totally resposible for design and producing the plans and specifications.
Think homes built on speculation for yourself.
And I discovered that being artistic does not necessarily have do with the talent to draw, paint, or sculpt. Those are learned skills...except for a few gifted people who are blessed with other-worldly abilities.
You can be an artist in any endeavor you undertake.
It is all about passion and attitude regarding your work, whatever that might be.
Addendum:
ReplyDeleteIf you talk to tradesmen and contractors they will tell you that architects and structural engineers should be required to spend two years working out in the field before they are allowed to design anything.