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