AFT President: Not Everyone Needs College

[Anonymous]

With the advent of AI, I don't know what's better. A lot of white collar jobs will cease to exist.

[Anonymous]

I’d be surprised if we’re soon saturated with smart plumbers. The best are clever problem solvers and skilled craftspeople.

My dream family would have a doctor, a lawyer, a plumber and an auto mechanic.

[Anonymous]

Trades are hard on the body. By 50 many are in chronic pain and on disability and Medicaid, which will soon no longer be an option. Don't know the answer, but I wouldn't push my kids into trades unless they signaled a STRONG interest. My son enjoys physical work - lawn mowing etc. He thought maybe he wanted to be an arborist. But google the injury rate. Imagine yourself at 45 not 19 looking at week's worth of 9-9 hour days of physical work. There is a reason blue collar parents wanted white collar jobs for their kids. Maybe encourage kids to do trades in their 20s with the expectation of college and white collar work in their 30s? The tricky part is kids and mortgages hit in your 30s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:With the advent of AI, I don't know what's better. A lot of white collar jobs will cease to exist.

Have you played with AI lately. It is bad and getting worse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not everyone needs college, no. But our educational system fails so many kids that are capable by not at least giving them the option because they haven’t been adequately prepared, not because they can’t handle it.

Agree that K-12 needs to be more robust, but the push for "college for everyone" has really degraded the expectations in college. Some people really "can't handle it" and unfortunately, colleges have responded by lowering standards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With the advent of AI, I don't know what's better. A lot of white collar jobs will cease to exist.

Have you played with AI lately. It is bad and getting worse.

No, it's just that its increasingly becoming paid. Try this: https://chat.deepseek.com/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone pushing the trades over college is gong to regret it. Most Americans have historically been in the trades, but they wanted their kids to attend university instead - it was considered progress.

One day the tide will turn - trade work will become saturated, lose its luster, and people will wish for a better future for their kids.

+1. It also feels behind the curve now. People have been pushing this for over a decade. Enrollment growth in trade schools has been strong since 2020. For the right people it is still a good idea, but it seems like it is becoming saturated.

Try finding a reasonably-priced plumber or electrician and then come tell me the trades are saturated

This.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I clearly remember Obama trying to push college on *every* kid. It was shocking.

He proposed one year of education beyond high school

Skilled trades!
Scandalous!

https://www.npr.org/2009/07/15/106636657/should-everyone-go-to-college

Apparently people aren't done "Thanking Obama".

[Anonymous]

There should be basic I.Q. requirements for attending college.

Say anyone below 115 I.Q. is weeded out.

[Anonymous]

Randi Weingarten is directing the violent riots in LA as well as the planned riots for this upcoming weekend.

[Anonymous]

We should probably start to make rich people pay their taxes in America and sy away from the whole king peasant dynamic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:An excellent interview with Randi Weingarten. We need to help all kids succeed and that includes non-college and apprenticeship options.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0-ZMd-vHpw

Randi is also fomenting violent riots, and targeting innocent federal workers for severe bodily injury:

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/asra-nomani-2-1-billion-machine-behind-spontaneous-anti-trump-protests