How do you feel about your teen going to trade school?

[Anonymous]

Daughter is forgoing college and enrolling in trade school fall 2025 to be a welder.

We are thrilled and support her 100%.

The world needs more tradespeople.

How would you feel if your teen said no to college and wants to join the trades?

[Anonymous]

Depends on which kid. A trade would not suit one of my kids. Another one of my kids is very interested in food and we would support culinary school, but would also want them to get a degree in business management to complement, whether through community college, online, night school etc.

The us would do well if it emulated countries such as France or Poland, which celebrates trades and encourages kids to consider them while in secondary school.

[Anonymous]

They have Associates Degrees in Culinary Arts which besides learning the art it also includes general education classes that colleges require.

Johnson and Wales in Rhode Island has a BS in science for culinary arts.

Why would anyone mind if their child knew that early what they wanted to do as a career? I’d be happy.

[Anonymous]

Disappointed because they can do more than that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Disappointed because they can do more than that.

Excuse me? Please explain?

[Anonymous]

I’d love it. Our family is all lawyers. We need people who know how to fix things!

[Anonymous]

It depends on their abilities. If they are a top student, high test scores, etc. and can get into a great college, I’d be disappointed.

If they are a mediocre student, I’d fully support trade school.

It isn’t that one path is better than the other, but I would want my child to find a path that suits their abilities and talents. Yes the world needs great plumbers and welders, but it needs great doctors and computer programmers too

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It depends on their abilities. If they are a top student, high test scores, etc. and can get into a great college, I’d be disappointed.

If they are a mediocre student, I’d fully support trade school.

It isn’t that one path is better than the other, but I would want my child to find a path that suits their abilities and talents. Yes the world needs great plumbers and welders, but it needs great doctors and computer programmers too

People throw around being a doctor like anyone can do it as long as they have top scores. That’s not true. It takes a certain type of person to become a doctor, a certain personality type. And anyone interested in working with their hands would be bored to death sitting in front a computer.

There are students who want badly to be a doctor and they work hard towards. There are students who want to build things or fix things, that’s where their talents and abilities are even if they were valedictorian.

Welders who work industrial can earn $200,000 after experience. It’s plain snobbery to be upset at your kid having a goal as welder. I’d be happy.

[Anonymous]

I would be fine with my child going to trade school. If it makes them happy, that’s the most important thing. College isn’t for everybody.

[Anonymous]

Sounds great OP! Good for her!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It depends on their abilities. If they are a top student, high test scores, etc. and can get into a great college, I’d be disappointed.

If they are a mediocre student, I’d fully support trade school.

Do you honestly believe top students with high scores don’t want to do the trades? Do you think so little of the trades that you believe they are only for mediocre students?

[Anonymous]

We are just starting to look into various trade schools for our 10th grader. Would you mind posting where your daughter decided to go? There are so many and we don’t have any experience. We fully support our kid wanting to something hands on instead of college. He isn’t sure which area yet and is keeping all options open.

[Anonymous]

18:17 again and our kid takes honors classes and earns As with some Bs. He interested in trade school because he really wants to do something more in the vocational world right now, not because he can’t get into college.

[Anonymous]

I would love it. My kids would rather do something with their hands than sit behind the desk in college.
Older one is going to community college for sure. I'm not pressing for 4- year college unless DC decides to continue.
I don't have family or friends who would even care where my kids go or if any. It also helps that both have quite big investment accounts; working for money is less important.

[Anonymous]

I could not be happier. We have way too many people in this world sit in an office in front of their computers. Go fix something, be outside working, think about how to create something. I'm with PP who talked about desire as the only true motivation in being the differentiator. Truly, it's not about your talent but about what you want to do. If both align, you're lucky but not all of us are. It's better to have identified the thing you most enjoy and are interested in a long time commitment to doing. That's what you'll spend energy and time wanting to do succeed in. Talent only takes you so far. I speak from real life experience with a daughter who is highly intelligent and to whom everything coming easy for. She is more messed up than my son with learning disabilities left and right but whose temperament and efforts have helped him succeed.