College or trade school Why there isnt one path to success

chichen itza

near cancun mexico is one of the most

impressive sites

of all the mayan ruins a world heritage

site that receives more than 1.5

million visitors every year

as a civil engineer i marvel at the

incredible

humans that constructed these

architectural wonders

just imagine they must have been so

smart

innovative and imaginative

i also love the modern amazing wonders

like the dubai

tower it’s twice as tall as the empire

state building

and it took an average of 12 000 workers

per day

six years to build it

but just as impressive to me are the

hard-working people

that daily build our communities for us

i’ve had the privilege of working with

many modern construction workers

who i admiringly refer to as

humans in hard hats no

they’re not out building pyramids but

they are

spending long days and often nights

building our roads bridges and buildings

and many of them are doing it without a

college degree

but just because they work hard

it doesn’t mean they aren’t smart

as i have associated with these smart

hard-working people

i have felt a great desire and passion

to share two things with the world

one we need to increase the level of

respect and appreciation for those who

build our communities

and two incredible opportunities are

available

for those interested in fields including

construction

that don’t require a college degree

unfortunately our society doesn’t always

share the same belief

a recent news story reported on the

discipline strategy of a local high

school

it’s basically a three-strike system and

you know what happens when you get your

third strike

as your punishment you are sent to the

cte

career and technical education class

to learn carpentry skill are you kidding

me

we should not be teaching our students

that it’s

a punishment to learn skilled trades

instead

we should respect and appreciate those

who build things

and we should encourage those that don’t

fit the traditional college model

to learn things like carpentry or

plumbing or cosmetology

or culinary skills i

suggest today three points that will

help us

to better appreciate the humans in hard

hats

and to re-examine our society’s current

emphasis

on getting a college degree first

i challenge you for one day to keep

track of

everything you enjoy that someone else

has built

the house you wake up in the water that

comes out of your tap

the toilet you flush the road you drive

on

the building you work in the bridges the

schools

the restaurants the theaters even the

baseball

field and the pickleball court wouldn’t

be there for your enjoyment if someone

else didn’t build them

i think you’ll be amazed at what you see

in a day

and everything that they build from the

sidewalks to the roads to the water and

sewer system

it all has one main purpose

to support human life trades people work

hard daily to support

our lives and the lives of your family

and your friends

so let’s begin today to raise our level

of appreciation

and support for these hard-working folks

second even though the costs of college

continue to rise

high school counselors persist in

promoting the idea that

you can’t be successful if you don’t go

to college

i’ve had these conversations while

raising all four of my children

and the message about the necessity of

college remains the same

but did you know that over 40 percent of

the students that start college

they’ll never finish their degree that’s

almost half

and those that do graduate from college

the average college debt is now over

35 000

newly graduated young people face enough

challenges

without adding staggering debt

there’s not one right path to success

and there’s not one right path that

everyone needs to follow

some possible options are yes

get a college degree some careers can

only

be obtained through a specific college

degree

or participate in what i call earn

while you learn by getting some skilled

trade

training and then paying college

expenses with a good job

while attending college technical

schools are a great opportunity

to earn while you learn my youngest

daughter

completed a nine-month pharmacy

technician program

while she was in high school and she has

a great job

at a pharmacy earning a great salary

while she attends college

or enter into an apprenticeship program

the construction industry estimates in

2021

there will be a shortage of 1.5

million people to fill essential

positions

that’s 1.5 million jobs available

and waiting for workers if a high school

graduate

chooses construction and on-the-job

training

over a traditional college degree in

four years

their average salary will be ten

thousand dollars

more than the recent college graduate

and they will carry no debt as i have

worked in the construction industry

i have asked many other professionals

why can’t we get more people to work in

construction

a good friend of mine who’s also the

president of a large home building

company

said to me sid i know you have three

daughters

i also know if one of your daughters

brought home a boyfriend who said he had

no interest in going to college

because he wanted to attend technical

school and work in the trades

you would be thinking to yourself oh

this boy

he’s not good enough for my daughter my

daughter deserves someone who’s going to

college and will be successful

i told him i disagreed in the past i may

have preferred a boyfriend with a

college plan

but i have so much admiration for the

people that work in the trades

i respect them just as much as those

that choose college

as their route to a career

well fast forward with me four years

later

my daughter nikki’s boyfriend sterling

attended technical school while in high

school

and has worked in the trades sterling is

now

23 and recently he bought

his first house he hasn’t been to

college

but he bought a house and put thirty

thousand dollars as a down payment

i think sterling is successful i think

sterling has a good career plan

and i think sterling is good enough for

my daughter

third if you are a parent a high school

counselor or a youth leader

open your mind and explore the

possibility

that young people can find success

without attending college

many options include computer assisting

medical assisting cosmetology

culinary skills or in the trades

there’s carpentry welding plumbing

electrical

these and many other programs are

available where young people

can learn valuable skills that will lead

to long-term careers so help us spread

the word

and help them know that these programs

are available

for youth and young adults if you like

to work with your hands

i think you might like to be a part of a

team that gets things

built realize you can have a

lucrative successful career working in

the trades

and for the rest of you no matter how

old you are

where you live or what you do for a

living

you can help me by raising the level of

awareness

for those that support human life by

building our communities

will you please join me today

to raise the level of respect and

appreciation

for my good friends the humans in hard

hats

thank you

you