College vs vocation for high stats kid

[Anonymous]

Two professional family. DMV.
DD 11th with very high stats. Public HS.
Unique ECs, part time job, leadership, varsity sport.
Follow their passion, nothing done just for college apps.

Cost of college being ridiculous (likely won't qualify for FA) + the rat race sucks + crazy competition every step of the way in schooling and career....
(Kid is more STEMy, not interested in Wall St or CS or medicine)
-Anyone ever consider a vocation or small business might be better?

[Anonymous]

What vocation are you/is she thinking of?

[Anonymous]

My high stats kid is very drawn to that. However, we have talked abt the social aspects of college being a big part of its value and he can see the appeal as well. So for now plan is college but he knows we are completely fine w something off the beaten path afterwards.

[Anonymous]

What does he want to do?

Unless you/he would need to go deep into debt, going to college is the more financially advantageous decision. It also is more flexible and living in the dorms allows for a more gradual/supported introduction to adulthood.

Unless I really couldn't afford it or my child had very specific alternative plans, I would encourage college.

[Anonymous]

A kid like that can get a full ride somewhere. Do that, at least while specific plans for vocation or small business are being formulated.

[Anonymous]

What do you mean by "a vocation"? A vocation is a career you feel passionate about. It's most commonly used for religious positions.

Since many of the kinds of careers that people feel passionate about involve college I am not getting how college vs. vocation is a choice.

[Anonymous]

There's more to college than just getting a job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A kid like that can get a full ride somewhere. Do that, at least while specific plans for vocation or small business are being formulated.

This. There is no reason a high stats kid with good letters of rec couldn't get a full ride or at least a very generous ride somewhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What do you mean by "a vocation"? A vocation is a career you feel passionate about. It's most commonly used for religious positions.

NP here. I'm not totally sure what to make of this? People typically talk about three real paths out of high school — the military, college, or a vocation. It just means working, like in the trades. In some contexts, yes, it can have overtones of "having a calling", but in most situations where someone's talking about a high schooler and their future, they just mean "work" (and, usually, work that has a longer-term timeline, as opposed to "getting a high-turnover retail job").

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do you mean by "a vocation"? A vocation is a career you feel passionate about. It's most commonly used for religious positions.

NP here. I'm not totally sure what to make of this? People typically talk about three real paths out of high school — the military, college, or a vocation. It just means working, like in the trades. In some contexts, yes, it can have overtones of "having a calling", but in most situations where someone's talking about a high schooler and their future, they just mean "work" (and, usually, work that has a longer-term timeline, as opposed to "getting a high-turnover retail job").

I am the one who posted that and I teach high school so I have more conversations about what kids are doing after graduation than most. I have never heard people use the term vocation that way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do you mean by "a vocation"? A vocation is a career you feel passionate about. It's most commonly used for religious positions.

NP here. I'm not totally sure what to make of this? People typically talk about three real paths out of high school — the military, college, or a vocation. It just means working, like in the trades. In some contexts, yes, it can have overtones of "having a calling", but in most situations where someone's talking about a high schooler and their future, they just mean "work" (and, usually, work that has a longer-term timeline, as opposed to "getting a high-turnover retail job").

I am the one who posted that and I teach high school so I have more conversations about what kids are doing after graduation than most. I have never heard people use the term vocation that way.

It's very common. Vocational school is another term for trade school. It's so common it has wiki entries:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocational_education_in_the_United_States

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocational_school#:~:text=A%20vocational%20school%2C%20(alternatively%20known,the%20tasks%20of%20a%20particular

[Anonymous]

Not mutually exclusive. It’s possible to do college and working at the same time. Full ride somewhere.

[Anonymous]

Regarding affording college, you might take a look at Jeff Selingo's Who Gets In And Why, or at least watch a YouTube video on the idea of "buyers" and "sellers" in college acceptances. There are a number of excellent under-the-radar schools (St. Olaf is my go-to example of a phenomenal place that is worth a visit early in the application cycle, because your search could be over, but there are many other great ones out there) that have money available for merit aid that make their schools more attractive to students who might otherwise go to schools that are harder to get into.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Two professional family. DMV.
DD 11th with very high stats. Public HS.
Unique ECs, part time job, leadership, varsity sport.
Follow their passion, nothing done just for college apps.

Cost of college being ridiculous (likely won't qualify for FA) + the rat race sucks + crazy competition every step of the way in schooling and career....
(Kid is more STEMy, not interested in Wall St or CS or medicine)
-Anyone ever consider a vocation or small business might be better?

Yes yes yes! Interestingly I know a UMC family (Indian who are typically very focused on education and status colleges) but the mom works in construction management. She says none of her co workers or industry peers - who make plenty of $$- care at all about prestige colleges for their kids. At most, they will go to a cheap local school and then focus on the trades

[Anonymous]

Sorry but as a Catholic I see vocation instead of vocational school and I immediately think, “wow, that’s a rare breed to have a vocation these days.”

So maybe be careful how you use that word in certain contexts/or around Catholics, or else you’ll end up with old ladies praying for you and a priest in your kitchen after schoo.