If FCPS , have him try Academy classes. Lots of choices to test out.

Apprenticeships through building trade unions are generally well paid and set you up for a six-figure job with full benefits after a few years.

I read an article re: AI that stated the safest jobs are the ones that require: 1. Complex motor skills, including those that toggle between fine and gross motor skills (e.g., nursing), 2. Social relationships, and 3. Creativity.

A lot of vocational school trades may be more resilient to change than the jobs that require a college degree. I would look at what your son is passionate about, and then look for how he can build stability from there, e.g., through a company that offers excellent benefits and growth opportunities, more in-demand trades, or opportunities to leverage his specific resources.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Welding? Aircraft maintenance (there is quite a bit of schooling/physics for this though)?

Perhaps robotic repair/maintenance? Water treatment?

What kind of work does he do now?

It’s just a local fast food restaurant. We are happy he’s keeping track of his shifts and actually wants to work. He doesn’t want to do anything with culinary or hospitality.

We’ve looked a little into the auto tech programs and at the website for the airline maintenance program in the area. We haven’t visited either yet. We would love to hear from anyone with experience at either.

We visited Lincoln Tech which was a pretty intense one year program. I didn’t like it because if a student falls behind or has difficulty it’s virtually impossible to catch up and so essentially you
Lose your tuition which is really pricey. My son was not as good of a student as yours so spending close to mid five figures and not getting a degree was a real possibility.

Montgomery College also has an auto tech program. You can get an associates degree or a certificate. The difference is that for the degree you need to take tests and for the certificate you don’t. Classes are identical. My son took all of his classes on the same day so could continue to work full time.

I don’t know about other programs. If he takes this route I’d suggest that he look for government jobs where there is a salary. Many governmental agencies have fleets. Also it’s pretty easy to move from auto to bus service positions - requires a CDL but that would be easy for someone with your son’s grades.

If he’s really thinking about auto mechanic he might want to talk to someone in that kind of job. It’s not salaries - They get paid for the jobs they do. Some people have a difficult time making it in that field when they work for dealerships and others.

If he’s interested in other trades, Montgomery College also has lots of options. I’m sure other CCs do as well, but I don’t know about them.

Electrician, welding, plumbing. Plumbing is where the real money is. Electricians do well, too, though. That GPA indicates that he is smart and it sounds like he has a good work ethic. He will be snapped up in the trades. He just needs to figure out which one is the best fit. The amount of money we are paying for repairs, etc. is astounding. One of our plumbers, who runs a small crew, lives in a very large house nearby.

OP that sounds a lot like my cousins (brothers). None of them went to traditional 4 year college but all did get 2 year degrees and some continuing education in their field. Two went into landscaping and have 2 year degrees in horticulture/landscape design and my other cousin is a firefighter, although it took a long time to get to that point for reasons that aren’t entirely clear to me.

Anonymous wrote:Join the military. It’ll give him experience and time to figure out what he wants to do while he’s still getting a paycheck and has healthcare.

This is a good idea. The military tests will give a good idea of the range of careers he might prep for.

Have you looked into the vocational/technical school directly associated with your high school? We are in the Midwest, in a big metro, and our vocational high school is actually pretty sophisticated. They have robotics and mechatronics, etc.

I am keenly aware that repairmen are now charging job/hourly rates (with overhead) that are in the multiple hundreds of dollars an hour. I conclude 6 figure salaries are indeed possible. Plumbing, appliance repair, etc.

My own kid, who is a sophomore perfectly capable of getting into a 4 year college, is very bored with traditional school. We are considering and highlighting alternatives.

A lot of community colleges have vocational programs -- construction management, landscape design/maintenance, EMT, various similar options where classes aren't structured for transfer to a four-year school.

I get where you're coming from -- got one who isn't academically inclined in the least. It's a little puzzling to us since we didn't go that path and our other kid is very focused on school/college. He found a job "pulling wire" for an electrician that was a good fit. Anyone can do it entry-level and then there's a door to eventually getting a license. I'm sure similar options are out there for plumbing and whatever other trades. Plumbers in particular can make a ton of money where we live.

All these CS grads are going to need someone to build their houses, tile their bathrooms, clear out their plumbing, etc.

If he wants a path to 6 figures, HVAC repair school.

Join the military. It’ll give him experience and time to figure out what he wants to do while he’s still getting a paycheck and has healthcare.

Anonymous wrote:Hotel management school? It covers a wide range of hospitality issues.

Just read that he's not interested in that. Apologies.

Hotel management school? It covers a wide range of hospitality issues.

Anonymous wrote:Welding? Aircraft maintenance (there is quite a bit of schooling/physics for this though)?

Perhaps robotic repair/maintenance? Water treatment?

What kind of work does he do now?

It’s just a local fast food restaurant. We are happy he’s keeping track of his shifts and actually wants to work. He doesn’t want to do anything with culinary or hospitality.

We’ve looked a little into the auto tech programs and at the website for the airline maintenance program in the area. We haven’t visited either yet. We would love to hear from anyone with experience at either.

Welding? Aircraft maintenance (there is quite a bit of schooling/physics for this though)?

Perhaps robotic repair/maintenance? Water treatment?

What kind of work does he do now?

I’m not sure where to post, the college forum didn’t seem appropriate but let me know if it should moved. I read the post of the parent asking about career options and my kid also needs help in a different way. The career and counselors at high schools have not been helpful.

He’s a junior and thinking he does not want to go to college. He’s hated everything about traditional classes for as long as we can remember and school has always been a struggle. Yes, he has an IEP for ADHD but it doesn’t help him hate school less. Sometimes he thinks about maybe he could go to community college, but doesn’t know for what and says it a waste of money. Around a 3.3
GPA. No honors or AP classes.

He loves his part time job. He likes to work and will work as many hours as possible. He has no problem taking as many shifts as possible and is happy to go to work.

We all think some type of vocational school would be best. DH and I went to college and support him in this. We have no idea where to start or what fields to lead him to look into. Yes, we know it depends on his interests but he is not ready to jump into anything that involves a lot of class time. He needs hands on training.

Any advice? Anyone been here?