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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

Nursing is a four year degree.

Do you mean nurses’ aid?

Or did you mean the paramedic course was only 10 months? I thought they were longer than that?

[Anonymous]

Commercial driving - he is too young for interstate but even short haul intrastate he could probably make 50-75. Once he is 21, that easily jumps to 100k plus. I work for a community college in MD that has a commercial driving program and our local employers need us to train an additional 300 drivers in the next five years to fill vacant positions.

[Anonymous]

Most of these jobs are what the people in the working class neighborhood I grew up in did. Almost every single one of the people who do these jobs would cry if their children followed in their footsteps and work as hard as they do to give their kids a chance to escape that life. Now, if you're talking about being an OWNER of a company that offers these skills to clients, that's another thing entirely. If you can subsidize your kid to start a business with the money you saved by not sending them to college, then that might be a good idea.

I just have to laugh at the idea that a security guard or a bartender is something that anyone in their right mind would want to do after about the age of 40. And a nurse's aid? Are you kidding me? Why don't you just go ahead and suggest that he work as an orderly in a retirement home?

The two exceptions that popped out were electrician and HVAC if you are really smart and and can go through all the schooling/training/testing required to become a Master level tradesman. Most kids who go to college couldn't hack that. Underwater welding will pay very well, but it's not something you can do after you are beyond middle age unless you don't mind dying a pretty horrible death.

[Anonymous]

Six years absolute minimum to reach the Master Electrician level.-----

"To become an electrical worker, additional schooling isn't required, but it is a plus if you have it. You could seek an associate's or bachelor's degree at a traditional college, but your best bet is training with an organization like IEC that specializes in nothing but electrican training.

How long does it take to become an electrician in all? To become a journeyman electrician, you will need to complete an electrical apprenticeship. The apprenticeship duration varies from state to state, however it is approximately four years long or around 80,000 to 100,000 hours. During these years, you will learn the basic skills of an electrical worker and the different codes and requirements for various building structures. You may work on commercial or residential buildings.

When you finish your required apprenticeship hours, you then sign up to take an exam. Once you pass the exam, you will officially be a licensed journeyman electrical worker. Not everyone passes on the first try so it might take a couple times to pass (again, your chances or passing increase greatly if you train at IEC). Many people stop here. However, you can further your career by continuing and becoming a master electrician.

In order to become a master electrician, you have to have extensive knowledge and skills of installing electrical equipment. You also need to complete 4,000 hours or about two years of work as a journeyman. In some states, you have to pass an exam in order to become a licensed master electrician.

While the time it takes to become an electrical worker can be lengthy, it is a rewarding career that doesn’t require a college education. Throughout the time it takes to become an electrical worker, you will gain extensive knowledge and skills that will make your job rewarding on a daily basis. And rather than accumulating education debt, you will be getting paid the whole time! Contact IEC today and begin your journey to becoming a professional electrician."

https://www.myelectriccareer.com/how-long-become-electrician

[Anonymous]

Did you know that airplane pilots don't have to go to college? As a passenger, I find that terrifying, but it's true. Many of the airlines have dropped their requirement of a college degree in light of the pilot shortage. And those that do require it don't care if it's a degree in Women's Studies or Theatre. The students a year or two ahead of you in the college based pilot programs are the ones who teach freshman and sophomores how to fly. It's crazy, but that's how it works outside of the military.

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-become-an-airline-pilot

The training is super expensive though. It costs about $250/hour of flight time and you need about 300 hours to get all the necessary licenses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did you know that airplane pilots don't have to go to college? As a passenger, I find that terrifying, but it's true. Many of the airlines have dropped their requirement of a college degree in light of the pilot shortage. And those that do require it don't care if it's a degree in Women's Studies or Theatre. The students a year or two ahead of you in the college based pilot programs are the ones who teach freshman and sophomores how to fly. It's crazy, but that's how it works outside of the military.

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-become-an-airline-pilot

The training is super expensive though. It costs about $250/hour of flight time and you need about 300 hours to get all the necessary licenses.

It's bizarre that you find that "terrifying." Neither of the Wright brothers even had a high school diploma.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I encouraged mine to go to college, but he followed his heart and completed the auto tech program in high school and got a job at Toyota before he graduated. He spent two years there, earned a couple more certifications and is now at a high performance exotic shop with salary/benefits, working on Ferraris, Lambos, McLarens. At 20, he has his own apartment, several cars, and is working on his own line of custom carbon fiber aftermarket parts. My other two are in college, but DS seems driven to succeed without it. He can always go later if he changes his mind.

My brother followed a somewhat similar trajectory - he now owns the high performance shop he started working at in his early 20s (buying out the founder , who retired). He probably earns more than I do (I’m a senior manager in a tech company).

[Anonymous]

My DD did a one year program at Montgomery College to become a certified vet assistant. Pay is not amazing, but she loves her job and has had received many raises as she gains experience on the job.

[Anonymous]

OP, I just finished a road trip to/from CT/FL and I cannot tell you how MANY billboards I saw looking to hire truck drivers, tradespeople and tech people!!! Literally dozens.

It's a need and your ds will probably have a solid career.

[Anonymous]

real estate

[Anonymous]

They are desperate for truck drivers, especially long haul ones, because nobody wants that life if they can avoid it. You're gone for days at a time, and you are stuck alone in a big truck for hours at a time getting varicose veins. You sleep in the crappy little bed in the back of the cab. Pee, poop, and shower at disgusting road stops like Pilot and Love's.

[Anonymous]

Not to mention hemorrhoids.

[Anonymous]

Unless you personally know someone who does these "great" jobs and would switch places with them, just stop suggesting the sad career paths.

[Anonymous]

Yes, the Wright brothers were country bumpkins who couldn't cut it at a university so they turned to inventing motorized airplanes as an alternative. Such low achievers!

"Wind, sand, and a dream of flight brought Wilbur and Orville Wright to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina where, after four years of scientific experimentation, they achieved the first successful airplane flights on December 17, 1903.

With courage and perseverance, these self-taught engineers relied on teamwork and application of the scientific process. What they achieved changed our world forever." https://www.nps.gov/wrbr/index.htm

Both of their parents (yes, even their mom) had college degrees. "The Wright children were educated in public schools and grew up, as Orville later explained, in a home where “there was always much encouragement to children to pursue intellectual interests; to investigate whatever aroused curiosity.” In a less-nourishing environment, Orville believed, “our curiosity might have been nipped long before it could have borne fruit.”

And Wilbur had intended to attend college until circumstances made that a challenge. -- "Wilbur and Orville were the only members of the Wright family who did not attend college or marry. Wilbur’s plans to enter college came to an end when he was injured in a hockey accident in the winter of 1885–86. He spent the following three years recovering his health, reading extensively in his father’s library, assisting the bishop with his legal and church problems, and caring for his invalid mother, who died of tuberculosis in 1889." Sounds like the sort of thing that kids who don't want to attend college and waste their time with research and the written word might do, right? Wrong! He later joined Orville in the anti-intellectual world of editing and publishing. SMH. These two men were for all intents and purposes the intellectual equals to anybody who attended college in their day. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Wright-brothers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

I knew someone who wanted to become a tugboat captain (boat pilot?) in the Chesapeake. But he said you need a college degree now, it’s very competitive.