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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I think students should start thinking about trades if they're not top students. Welders, plumbers, electricians all can be interesting careers.[/quote]

Yes, and they have their place for the people who want them (or just don't want the college path). But some of y'all glorify those careers. They are not easy. They are physically taxing. You -CAN- be paid well but that is not a given (I've known both sides of that coin in my own family). There are safety issues (I would not want my DD going into strangers' homes alone to fix the furnace or whatever). And the work/life balance can be problematic (working like first responder schedules, working in inclement weather, etc.) My DH's father was one of the trades listed and he has absolutely debilitating physical injuries as a result of the lifting, bending, stooping, etc. He is basically disabled and can't leave the home easily (because he "can" he is not on disability; but he's in great pain when he does).

So. Yes. These jobs are important. And can be a great path. But let's not paint them as the "answer" to the college issues of costs, enrollment, etc. They're not necessarily.
-signed, child of a family of blue collar workers who has seen those careers up close and personal[/quote]

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