Reply to Alternative to College: Great for the USA but NOT my kids!

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[quote=Anonymous]I know there are a lot of us here who have kids/teens who feel the college experience looming ahead. Some of our kids are looking forward to it and should go this route. Others are not and probably deserve a second path to success. And I am sure ALL of us are dreading having to pay for it.

My husband works with a lot of federal and state agencies, community colleges and industrial partners who are worried about the so-called skills gap. (I am trying my best describe the bits and pieces I hear from him!) As I understand it, a lot of manufacturers in the USA are facing the impending retirement of their skilled labor within the next decade. Some of them don't want to or can't send their manufacturing off to China or Mexico, etc. So there are movements afoot to get industry to collaborate with community colleges to create work-study apprenticeship models, not too dissimilar from what makes German-speaking countries so successful at manufacturing and exporting high-tech goods. Young adults are going through these programs already and while they are not (yet) leaving with a Bachelor's degree, they are getting trained and put into skilled jobs; some I think do leave with an Associate's degree as well. They are making more money with a much lower debt load. They are buying cars and houses and are living the American dream, all in their early-to-mid 20s!

But a problem my husband encounters everywhere is the parents. Even those that work with these successful community colleges, federal and state agencies, etc. They all agree that kids in the US need a second option, a second path to success, one that rebuilds American manufacturing but at the end of the day, they want it for their neighbor's child and not their own.

So I guess my question for you all is, what would put your mind at ease? What would convince you that these other paths are "good enough" and viable as an alternative to the traditional four-year college for YOUR child? Why is the 4-year Bachelor's the only option for your child? [/quote]

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