Anonymous wrote:OP again, what's a good resource to use for salary expectations. When I google I come up with a wide range of numbers and while salary isn't the determining factor it's definitely something we will consider.

As someone who grew up blue collar, i would bear in mind not all jobs provide good benefits like paid leave, health insurance, disability insurance, and a real retirement. These are necessary to help preserve acquired wealth.

We are fortunate here that there are a lot of government jobs for skilled workers. If he doesn’t find those interesting or highly paid, just please instill the importance of saving, retirement investments, etc. I know far too many families wiped out in their 40s, mostly because of injuries that ended their skilled professional careers.

Pharmacy Tech

There are other jobs that don't require 4-year college but maybe a 1- or 2-year program. I'm thinking something like a paralegal or a court stenographer. Court stenographer can be very competitive but can be quite lucrative if it's a good fit.

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

+1
I know there are a lot of anti military sickos here, but US mil can be a great option. I think some branches allow you to enlist for only 3 years. There is a big misconception that everyone in the military is doing special ops missions and shooting it out with ISIS . College is paid for and I've even seen guys taking classes online when deployed. And anyone in fed HR can attest to the fact that vets get major preference when it comes to hiring in most fed agencies. It can be great for slackers who need some motivation, and it can also be good for people who are more driven. The selection process and training for Special Forces and pilots is absolutely demanding compared to your avg slacker college experience.

If your son has any interest in IT or tech-related fields, he may want to look into an apprenticeship or training program like this: https://www.multiverse.io/en-US/programs

Crane operator. The ones who are the mostly highly specialized can make $200k per year.

The apprenticeship programs will have classroom time as well as on the job training. Find out if your child just doesn’t want a traditional college experience, or really doesn’t want to do more classes.

I do lots of research on the manufacturing sector and there are really a huge variety of companies - if he likes being a part of making things, he will have many, many options for careers in this sector, as well as opportunities for advancement and further education.

My nephew is an electrical lineman and loves it. I think the certification only took six months. I think the trades options in our area or a little more limited. I wonder if it might be an adventure for your kid to go live in a smaller location for six months to do a certification, have the fun of being out on their own and getting ready to launch at the same time. My nephew owns his own home and makes a great salary and his only in his early 20s.

Anonymous wrote:Our plumber makes 300/hour and makes his own hours. I would t be talking him out of that.

I would be happy if any of my kids became plumbers. My uncle ended up having his own business of just him but was really happy with it and then kept doing small jobs well into his 70s and 80s. He was the one the entire family called for home repair advice until he died and he loved it. I do not have the same passion for my career at all.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Apply to be an air traffic controller! No experience or degree necessary, they train you and you make like 100k a year.

You are incorrect. You need either an associates or bachelor’s degree from a FAA approved program and experience before you can actually become a controller.

It’s federally run now I think and you need a degree already or specific experience like military before you can even apply to the FAA school. Not sure where the poster got “no experience necessary.”

Anonymous wrote:Apply to be an air traffic controller! No experience or degree necessary, they train you and you make like 100k a year.

You are incorrect. You need either an associates or bachelor’s degree from a FAA approved program and experience before you can actually become a controller.

Anonymous wrote:Piggybacking on this thread, anyone send their kid to flight school to become a pilot? My son will complete his degree but has absolutely zero interest in that field and is very interested in becoming a pilot (not through the military). With the pilot shortage I heard some airlines are actually paying for people to earn their license! Anyone have any current info on this?

Western Michigan University has a great aviation program. They have a partnership with American Eagle to get graduates directly employed. I'd look into their transfer program.