Option for a kid that will not go on to college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Plans could change but as of now, my rising senior will not be going to a traditional college after high school. Has anyone been in this situation? I'm looking for ideas to explore with him, training programs, vocational programs, trade school, etc. He doesen't really know what he wants to do so I'd like to be able to provide him with some good options that we can discuss together and figure out what would be the best fit. So far he is talking about plumbing. This is fine if it's what he really wants but I think he's saying plumbing because it's the idea his school counselor talked to him about. I want him to know there are other things to consider as well. I welcome any suggestions or ideas.

The least, have him enroll at the community college and work part-time.

My nephew didn't go to college because he didn't know what to do, 3 yrs. later and he still doesn't know what to do. He just works doing odd/restaurant jobs.
If he had some type of degree under his belt he could find better jobs.

Older sister went to college and younger sister is heading that way as well.

[Anonymous]

My BIL was a paramedic in his twenties, then went back to school to become a nurse. I believe he took a 10-month course.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Plans could change but as of now, my rising senior will not be going to a traditional college after high school. Has anyone been in this situation? I'm looking for ideas to explore with him, training programs, vocational programs, trade school, etc. He doesen't really know what he wants to do so I'd like to be able to provide him with some good options that we can discuss together and figure out what would be the best fit. So far he is talking about plumbing. This is fine if it's what he really wants but I think he's saying plumbing because it's the idea his school counselor talked to him about. I want him to know there are other things to consider as well. I welcome any suggestions or ideas.

The least, have him enroll at the community college and work part-time.

My nephew didn't go to college because he didn't know what to do, 3 yrs. later and he still doesn't know what to do. He just works doing odd/restaurant jobs.
If he had some type of degree under his belt he could find better jobs.

Older sister went to college and younger sister is heading that way as well.

I disagree. Do not waste money on classes if he will end up in a trade. If he's leaning towards a degree in something then sure. Do CC for a year or 2 of general ed classes you can transfer. I would require they get a job and not just sit on their butt on a device of some sort.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Plans could change but as of now, my rising senior will not be going to a traditional college after high school. Has anyone been in this situation? I'm looking for ideas to explore with him, training programs, vocational programs, trade school, etc. He doesen't really know what he wants to do so I'd like to be able to provide him with some good options that we can discuss together and figure out what would be the best fit. So far he is talking about plumbing. This is fine if it's what he really wants but I think he's saying plumbing because it's the idea his school counselor talked to him about. I want him to know there are other things to consider as well. I welcome any suggestions or ideas.

The least, have him enroll at the community college and work part-time.

My nephew didn't go to college because he didn't know what to do, 3 yrs. later and he still doesn't know what to do. He just works doing odd/restaurant jobs.
If he had some type of degree under his belt he could find better jobs.

Older sister went to college and younger sister is heading that way as well.

I disagree. Do not waste money on classes if he will end up in a trade. If he's leaning towards a degree in something then sure. Do CC for a year or 2 of general ed classes you can transfer. I would require they get a job and not just sit on their butt on a device of some sort.

Most CCs offer both vocational classes and academic classes. Many students study trades at ccs and it is a good path.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Plans could change but as of now, my rising senior will not be going to a traditional college after high school. Has anyone been in this situation? I'm looking for ideas to explore with him, training programs, vocational programs, trade school, etc. He doesen't really know what he wants to do so I'd like to be able to provide him with some good options that we can discuss together and figure out what would be the best fit. So far he is talking about plumbing. This is fine if it's what he really wants but I think he's saying plumbing because it's the idea his school counselor talked to him about. I want him to know there are other things to consider as well. I welcome any suggestions or ideas.

He needs to tell you what he wants to do. Have him investigate some options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Plans could change but as of now, my rising senior will not be going to a traditional college after high school. Has anyone been in this situation? I'm looking for ideas to explore with him, training programs, vocational programs, trade school, etc. He doesen't really know what he wants to do so I'd like to be able to provide him with some good options that we can discuss together and figure out what would be the best fit. So far he is talking about plumbing. This is fine if it's what he really wants but I think he's saying plumbing because it's the idea his school counselor talked to him about. I want him to know there are other things to consider as well. I welcome any suggestions or ideas.

The least, have him enroll at the community college and work part-time.

My nephew didn't go to college because he didn't know what to do, 3 yrs. later and he still doesn't know what to do. He just works doing odd/restaurant jobs.
If he had some type of degree under his belt he could find better jobs.

Older sister went to college and younger sister is heading that way as well.

I disagree. Do not waste money on classes if he will end up in a trade. If he's leaning towards a degree in something then sure. Do CC for a year or 2 of general ed classes you can transfer. I would require they get a job and not just sit on their butt on a device of some sort.

It's not a waste of money. Community Colleges have trade classes/degrees. I work in the Construction industry and people get better pay, are more qualified and move up faster if they have a CC degree as oppose to just a HS diploma. Common sense!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So many great ideas, I really appreciate this. And it's encouraging to hear so many success stories outside of traditional college. I must admit, I have been worried but I also know there are many ways to succeed.

For the people that have asked what's he interested in, he doesen't know. He's always been an athlete and has been on high-level travel teams so that pretty much took up all of his time. But he doesn't have dreams of going professional or anything like that.

Can he look at youth coaching jobs?

[Anonymous]

Real estate broker/realtor

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:flight attendant
phlebotomist
child care (may need a CDA)
bus driver (needs CDL)
police/fire/emt
vet tech/work in an animal shelter
arborist
work in a nursing home
PCA for a person with disabilities
security guard
cable/utility worker
store employee (can work up to manager as the PP mentioned about her friend at VS)
administrative assistant (DCPS has a lot of attendance clerk and similar office jobs that only require a HS degree)

There are so many entry-level jobs that could be a fit depending on what your kid likes to do! And once he figures out his passion, there are ways to move ahead in most fields. Sometimes that will require additional school but if it's on a topic he cares about he might be more interested.

I vote no to security guard, unless he's also studying something else, in which case security guard is a decent placeholder job because you can review material on your downtime.

PCA would be another placeholder -- it tops out very quickly and the top is not high. If he's reasonably smart, he's overqualified.

Vet Tech is a highly competitive field and salaries are very low because lots of people want to work with cute animals. It's probably worse than chef, because there are even fewer VT jobs available relative to the supply.

[Anonymous]

If you are in Fairfax, FCPS Adult and Community Education offers multiple apprenticeship programs and other trade-oriented classes that might be interesting to your child.

https://aceclasses.fcps.edu/Default.aspx

[Anonymous]

Guys with forklift certifications make a decent salary right out the gate and there are a lot of job openings. Once you have it, you can work while getting a CDL. It pairs nicely, IMHO.

[Anonymous]

My Dad's best friend was an Emergency Room PHysician.
When he retired he and his wife would rent a condo for a month in Sanibel Florida each year.

A retired plumber owned the condo rental and the retired plumber lived in the unit next door and owned several additional rentals.

The retired Emergency Room PHysician always said he wished he'd been a plumber as he would have been able to buy a condo in Sanibel instead of renting for a month each year.

[Anonymous]

Plumber, Electrician, Commercial Welding
Tugboat Captain on the Bay

Commercial Welding and Tugboat Captains make big money.

My CPA is married to a commercial welder. He makes way more money than she does.

Trucker-need CDL--paying 100,000 k now and still an extreme shortage

PS. I think your son will be doing better in 4 years than many of the college graduates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Military. If he is physically/medically able.

It doesn’t matter how “interested” he is it now. He doesn’t seem to be interested in much of anything passionately at the moment.

The military will teach him a skill, he will gain leadership knowledge, it is character building, provides everything he needs, money for future college.

It isn’t permanent. He can serve 4 yrs then do something else, but it is a fantastic springboard for many many things. A great opportunity creator

People always come onto these posts and push this. The majority of parents DON’T WANT their kids to go into the military, unless it’s something the kid is dead set on themselves.

[Anonymous]

The 2022 grad in my circle whom I am most proud of us is about to start in an HVAC program. I bet he’ll end up more comfortable than his seemingly college bound younger siblings.

I don’t think I saw aircraft mechanic mentioned yet. And on that note, becoming an air traffic controller involves a 2 year degree. I would encourage him to explore the city, transit authority, and other large municipal employers job listings to see if any of those that aren’t for college grads are appealing.