re: Is anyone else not pushing their kids to attend college?

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Plenty of people figure it out and do better than you are likely doing.

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I’d be genuinely interested to know if, on average, the people who think they have “figured out” what they want to do by the time they are 18 (or have their parents doing it for them) are better off than those who haven’t.

I’m guessing it’s probably about a wash, but I’d really love to know.

I knew I wanted to study physics when I went to LSU…still haven’t “figured out” what I want to do with it though. 50 now, so I still have time.

All three of my 20 something kids now chose their own paths. As a parent i didn't push them to do anything just raise them right and let them figure it out. I have a college degree but my oldest works in production at a manufacturing plant, daughter is a radiologist at Mayo Hospital, youngest is a fireman. All great kids and are productive citizens.

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Surprised at all the responses acting like college is the end all be all. I know software engineers who did a program for 3 months and within 6 months had an $80k/year job, in a profession where salaries go up exponentially pretty quickly. No college necessary.

Electricians do pretty damn well too. As do air traffic controllers. And other trade school professions.

Then again this board is a bunch of boomers who grew up when college guaranteed a good job and when it was $500/semester. Now it’s $10k-$25k. Which means most people have to take out a loan for a degree that doesn’t guarantee an amazing job, so they never pay back the loans, and the boomers complain that they have to pay for them.

Not that I’m for student loan forgiveness, but boomers of all people should be encouraging kids to go to trade schools / software programs over 4 year college. Too many fluff courses and completely worthless majors.

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im a millennial and one of the few who have done the trades and then went back on to get a degree in engineering....im telling you, the trades dont make nearly what the people on this board think they do and the works sucks major fricking arse. if you want your kids to have zero chance to move up into management unless they start their own business(hard AF btw) then go right ahead

my kids are going to need people to boss around anyways, so all good.

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this is the problem with this board...they see the business owner of the plumbing company and think everyone makes that....they dont.

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And I'll re-iterate, the people who have the mental ability to run one of those businesses could have gone to college and run any sort of business, many of which have much higher margins than trades.

The last time I weighed into one of these I tried to explain that in great detail, and even added in that trades are a great pathway to people who have the innate ability but had shitty circumstances growing up that prevented something like a normal/college path to management/ownership. But the people on this board talking about sending kids to college likely did not frick up their kids so much trades are the best (only?) path to this sort of life success.

This is actually why I theorize your highly skilled trades are losing population even though the demand is high. Those guys who were, for example, insanely smart carpenters in the past don't slip through the cracks as often now and get the opportunity to go to college and apply their mental ability elsewhere. Even when carpentry is in high demand with a low supply of labor, it's still not going to have the margins of other economic output.

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Trade school FTW.. less debt, no left wing indoctrination

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This is the kind of shite this board fricks up and someone will actually listen. Trade school is only valuable if you plan on making your own business. If you don’t, better to be white collar with a STEM degree. It’s easy to ignore the liberal kids and teachers.

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Trade school.

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AKA....college

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Well how much time you looking at hoss? Lets just say you ain't no spring chicken.

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I want to work until my late 60’s…so almost 20 years I guess.

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but I am having a hard time pushing him to get a degree just to get one.

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Are you going to pay for him to get a degree just to get one? Or are you wantng him to go into debt, but have a degree just to have one?

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.im telling you, the trades dont make nearly what the people on this board think they do and the works sucks major fricking arse.

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:kige: