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Post by librarylady on Jul 27, 2019 16:49:05 GMT
It is reported that the US is lacking in tradesmen. Just curious how many here attended a trade school rather than a university for post HS education.
DH attended a trade school.
On poll, you can answer twice, once for you and once for Spouse (or significant other).
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Post by just PEAchy on Jul 27, 2019 16:54:37 GMT
My husband & I are both college graduates, he has an advanced degree. My kids are all going to college. However, most of our nieces & nephews have not gone to college. They have gone to trade schools or the military. I’m not really sure of the reason, but they are mostly doing well.
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leeny
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Jun 27, 2014 1:55:53 GMT
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Post by leeny on Jul 27, 2019 16:58:35 GMT
I didn't complete college until I was 45. DH didn't go to college. DD 1 went to massage school, DD 2 went to a private local program for Travel & Tourism and then to a school through the hospital she works at to get her Certified Medical Assistant.
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Post by busy on Jul 27, 2019 17:00:10 GMT
We don't have any tradespeople in my family or DH's family. I don't see DS going that route either.
However, when I worked in commercial lending, I had a few electrician and plumber clients who started and grew their own companies (still local and small, but successful) and they regularly out-earned my attorney and physician clients. I don't know what the income potential is for tradespeople who work for companies rather than owning their own, but there's definitely plenty of financial success to be found in the trades for people who are interested in going that route. Minimal debt required as well, which contributes further getting ahead financially.
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Post by BSnyder on Jul 27, 2019 17:08:44 GMT
Both DH and I are first-generation college students in our families. However DH went to college after serving in the Army.
My dd is a college graduate, but also a trained EMT and firefighter. She first tried college through the USAFA, but decided it wasn’t for her. She is now applying to medical school and as she is now more savvy, going back into the military is not out of the question.
We are unsure of our ds’s path. In hs he is dual enrollment at community college and hs, in a cybersecurity training program. However he hates traditional schooling and finds most of it a waste of time, and so he does not excel by choice despite being quite intellectually gifted. After completing hs, I can imagine him choosing the certification/training route vs. degree and still do quite well for himself. Many tech companies never had or are dropping their college degree requirements.
It looks as through a combination of training and college are the trend for my family.
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garcia5050
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Location: So. Calif.
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Post by garcia5050 on Jul 27, 2019 17:08:54 GMT
No trade school for either of us. But I wish I had gone into computer/development instead of what I did. I learned how to program with short certification programs/coding boot camps. If I had gone to school for the right thing, I’d be making $40k more per year. So that sucks.
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Post by freecharlie on Jul 27, 2019 17:16:08 GMT
I have a masters degree
Dh has an associate degree because that was what was needed for respiratory therapists at the time.
Ds is going to university, he talked about electrician for a while, but I don't think he really knew how to get into the trade
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johnnysmom
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Jun 25, 2014 21:16:33 GMT
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Post by johnnysmom on Jul 27, 2019 17:19:15 GMT
Dh has a bachelors and I am currently working on an associates (I regret not going when I was young). Ds18 is insistent on wanting to go the trade school route and while we're not opposed to it we do have some concerns and would really like for him to at least take some community college classes before he makes a final decision.
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SweetieBsMom
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Post by SweetieBsMom on Jul 27, 2019 17:27:10 GMT
So I have 2 nephews, same age, 21. Nephew #1, everyone talked about how smart he was, went to Boston Latin, good school. Nephew #2, bullied all thru school, always compared to nephew #1 (not favorably) went to a trade HS (which was looked down upon). Both graduate from HS. Nephew #1, going to college, told me he will come out with $250k in loans. Nephew #2 is an apprentice electrician, in the union, has a great job with a pension. Paid for his truck and is currently saving for his first house, I always told DH (this is his side of the family), Nephew #2 is the smarter of the two. Every friend I have who is in a trade is making great money.
I consider myself lucky. I graduated from college in ‘93 and have worked in my chosen field (Finance) every since. I had loans and I lived at home after school so I could pay off my loans before getting married. I think it’s a lot tougher these days for kids graduating. For so long everyone was told you have to go to college to be successful (so I’m not surprised we are lacking tradespeople) and that’s not true. My Dad was a firefighter, my mom stayed home until we hit HS then was a secretary. My Dad worked like a dog to support us so we could attend private HS. He was a firefighter and a driver, window washer, iron worker, on the BFD dive team, was an EMT. I’ve, honestly, never met a firefighter that was “just” a firefighter.
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Post by mom2rjcr on Jul 27, 2019 17:29:56 GMT
I have a bachelor's and a master's degree. DH joined the military right out of high school. He has taken a few college classes here and there, but he has on the job experience. He has done extremely well in the telecom field with hands on learning.
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peabay
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Post by peabay on Jul 27, 2019 17:30:28 GMT
I have a Ph.D.; dh has a J.D. and we have two girls who have graduated college, one in college and one going in 2020. If they had expressed interest in trade school that would've been fine with us. Would love an electrician in the family - can't get one to return calls they are so busy.
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Post by Basket1lady on Jul 27, 2019 18:07:24 GMT
I have a BA, DH has a BS and 3 Master’s degrees. Both of our kids chose college. DH’s mother was a nurse, so she went to college. His father was an auto mechanic and didn’t have any formal schooling until he started teaching at the votech school and had to have continuing education. My mother had a year of college, then secretary school. My dad went to a trade school and was an electrician. My brother also went to trade school and is an electrician. DH’s sister went to college for a year, then secretary school. His brother was a concrete guy, but I don’t think he went to school.
So some trade schools, some college in our families.
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Post by marmargirl on Jul 27, 2019 18:12:41 GMT
I have a bachelors degree; my husband is a union sheet metal worker.
He went through 5 years apprenticeship and has been a journeyman for about 25 years. It’s the best thing he could have done; he makes a lot of money, has great benefits and pension.
I am a big supporter of the trades for both men and women. 👷🏼♀️👷🏼♂️
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pilcas
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Post by pilcas on Jul 27, 2019 18:14:08 GMT
All I know is that whenever I call a plumber or an electrician I always drop a bundle of $$$. I also know that many of those tradesmen who work for companies also do occasional work on their own on weekends. I think they do very,very well, at least in my area..
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Post by auntkelly on Jul 27, 2019 18:16:55 GMT
My husband, and I graduated from law school. My son is getting ready to start his third year of law school and just accepted a job which will begin when he graduates. My daughter recently obtained her master’s degree in data science and started a job she loves. I think my kids are happy so far with their chosen professions, but I would have been fine if they had chosen to go to trade school.
I think there are benefits and drawbacks to either choice. One big benefit of choosing a trade over a profession is that it is generally cheaper and faster to finish trade school versus obtaining an undergrad or grad degree. However, one big drawback to working at a trade, which I saw firsthand when I was a workers’ comp lawyer, is that a tradesperson’s career is often cut short due to illness or injury. For example a lawyer might break his leg and develop painful arthritis, but the lawyer can continue to practice law. A carpenter who suffers the exact same injury might find it impossible to continue to work as a carpenter.
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Deleted
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Jun 10, 2024 6:17:34 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2019 18:17:09 GMT
I went to a nursing school that was part of a hospital, I consider that a kind of trade school.
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Post by Neisey on Jul 27, 2019 18:29:40 GMT
I have a BA and BEd. XDH has his masters. DD1 is in 3rd year of university with a goal of social work or school counselor and DD2 starts in the fall. Currently interested I the medical field or veterinary science. I did try to encourage at least looking at trade school for the reasons already listed here, but neither wanted to be a pipe fitter or welder lol.
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johnnysmom
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Jun 25, 2014 21:16:33 GMT
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Post by johnnysmom on Jul 27, 2019 18:29:57 GMT
I think there are benefits and drawbacks to either choice. One big benefit of choosing a trade over a profession is that it is generally cheaper and faster to finish trade school versus obtaining an undergrad or grad degree. However, one big drawback to working at a trade, which I saw firsthand when I was a workers’ comp lawyer, is that a tradesperson’s career is often cut short due to illness or injury. For example a lawyer might break his leg and develop painful arthritis, but the lawyer can continue to practice law. A carpenter who suffers the exact same injury might find it impossible to continue to work as a carpenter. Exactly one of my concerns about ds going into trades. Also, yes, tradeschool is quicker to graduate from but why the rush to growup and choose a career at 18/19? If he went to community college and took, say, some business classes he would delay a final career decision and it could give him the knowledge he'd want/need if he decided to own his own company in the future, allowing him to hire younger people to do the hard labor while he made money by running the business and doing the some of the 'lighter lifting'. |
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Post by pattyraindrops on Jul 27, 2019 18:46:22 GMT
I have a bachelor's and DH has a master's. My oldest may some day go to trade school, but now he is learning on the job. My other 2 plan on getting doctorates.
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Post by jeremysgirl on Jul 27, 2019 18:54:47 GMT
My DD is attending trade school on full scholarahip. She will be a commercial electrician. She is apprenticing now and loves it.
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Post by ~summer~ on Jul 27, 2019 19:06:06 GMT
I went to a 4 year university and then grad school as did my husband.
My parents, siblings, all my cousins, aunts uncles, grandparents and even great grandparents went to college and grad school. In fact if my kid had gone to UC Berkeley he would have 5th generation!
Actually I have a cousin who went to culinary school instead of college - she’s super happy running a restaurant with her spouse in Oregon. I’d like to think I’d be very supportive of trade school. I’d like to open a restaurant myself haha.
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Post by mustlovecats on Jul 27, 2019 19:11:58 GMT
We both have master’s degrees.
His mother has a bachelor’s degree but I am a first generation college graduate in my family.
We believe in trades but we also believe the degree is valuable. We will encourage our children to get a degree if for no other reason than to achieve what previous generations didn’t, their grandparents were war veterans, coal miners, and mail carriers and lived poor in the rural Midwest. We believe in pursuing knowledge and achievement in addition to making money.
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Post by leannec on Jul 27, 2019 19:14:35 GMT
I have a Bachelor of Education and a Diploma in Broadcasting ... dh is a realtor who basically learned on the job ... dd#1 is in her second year of university working toward a dual degree in Education and Sociology ... dd#2 (age 16) really has no clue what she wants to do but university will probably not be in her future due to a learning disability - I can see her maybe working with her dad  |
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Post by Merge on Jul 27, 2019 19:24:13 GMT
My dad wanted to be an auto mechanic, but his dad said that wasn’t good enough and made him go to engineering school instead. My dad worked all his life at a job he hated - and he probably would have made more as a mechanic.
So I’m certainly open to the trades.That said, we have two girls, and neither of them is the type to want to work with her hands. So off to college they go.
DH and I both have master’s degrees. He makes a lot more than he would have as a tradesman, but I don’t. But I also don’t really see me as a plumber or electrician. I’m just not cut out for that type of job.
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Post by Linda on Jul 27, 2019 19:27:59 GMT
I have a BA but have never used it. DH went in the Army and then to community college for auto-CAD. He has a professional job (engineering supervisor) but worked his way up learning on the job.
DS has an AA (general studies - history emphasis) and is working on a BAS in Logistics. He's in the Navy. DD is working on a BA in English - Creative Writing. Who knows what DD12 will end up doing.
But the previous generation? My mum had a 4yr degree and was a teacher but she was the only one of my kids grandparents who even graduated high school. MIL dropped out to marry at 16 - she later went to nursing school and then in her 60s went back and earnt her RN. Both my Dad and my FIL dropped out of school at 14 (8th grade). Neither received any formal education after that. FIL worked construction after a short stint in the Army. Dad spent 37 years in the British Army and retired as a major.
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mimima
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Post by mimima on Jul 27, 2019 19:28:57 GMT
I have a BA from a 4 year college, Dh is all but First Aid certification from a Certificate at a Community College
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Post by 950nancy on Jul 27, 2019 19:34:03 GMT
Both college grads with Masters degrees. In education (at least here), you really need a masters to get paid decently (or in some districts at all).
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Post by beaglemom on Jul 27, 2019 19:39:43 GMT
I have a masters and dh as a PhD.
Dh's side:
sil1 has 2 masters + MD
sil2 Psyd
mil masters
fil BS
Mine:
Sister BA
Dad Masters
Mom AA
I have 4 kids, but they are all little. I assume they will all go to college, but I am not opposed to trade school. They will all have hefty 529 plans to fund whatever they choose.
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