There are lots of jobs and opportunities that do not require a traditional college degree. Community College can be good for getting basic college requirements out of the way (just in case) and also for exploring interest. There are also many career relevant classes and apprenticeships that can be begun in HS or at community colleges that lead to industry certifications that can lead to job opportunities. And most of jobs are consistently needed and have good salaries after only a few years.

Examples:
Fire and Rescue
EMT
Electrician
Plumbing
Construction Mgmt
Animal Caretakers
etc

If gets into tech stuff:

https://www.techelevator.com/tech-jobs/tech-job-salaries/highest-paying-tech-jobs-without-a-degree/

+1 for Apprenticeship. Lots of opportunities for careers that are in demand, including the trades, healthcare and tech. https://www.apprenticeship.gov/apprenticeship-job-finder

Also, military service and/or Americorps.

Job Corp
Americorps
Center for Employment Training model programs
Work on a forestry or survey crew (National Park Service or Bureau of Land Management)
Camp counselor

If you think he may have talent / be interested in being a skilled craftsman… the American College of the Building Arts down in Charleston offers a Bachelor of Arts in the Building Arts. They study Millwork, iron work, plaster work, framing, stone carving, architectural drawings. All kinds of great things for a talented young person. Just a thought! You can try your hand at many different crafts while working towards a bachelors degree. Could be a great option for the right kid!

There are so many hands on jobs in college too, like underwater welding or forestry. There's a whole world out there that doesn't involve an office.

Because a plumber. They make bank.

I have been hearing thinks about people making 80K from a 2 year degree and doing x-ray technicians.

Anonymous wrote:Thanks, everyone. I appreciate the suggestions. He wouldn’t do well in the military. The PP is right, he won’t want to follow rules he won’t want to do and although the structure would be good, he’s not mature enough and wouldn’t do well for the same reasons he hates school.

Yes, he’s bright and school hasn’t been hard. He has not taken the most challenging courses by choice and would rather take a zero than write a paper. It’s been a lot of pushing to get him this far. He would do well with a hands on physical vocational job. We will look into some of the suggestions.

The vocational classes through FCPS have not worked out for a few reasons, schedule wise, but it sounds like we need to schedule an appointment at NOVA and just get him there ourselves. We are early on in this process.

+1 there are so many career focused 2- year programs at NOVA. He should review those options and see if anything appeals.

One option, if he's outdoorsy, is to look into becoming an arborist. Companies like Davey Tree and Bartlett hire entry level and train people without degrees.

Definitely check NOVA's tech programs.

My nephew completed their Emergency Medical Services program and had a job immediately.

My nephew was like your son. He’s in his 30s now. He started off with an auto repair program but dropped out because even that was too structured for him. He worked for a utility company and landscaper before settling on getting his CDL. The career has stuck and he is making good money. He purchased his own home a few years ago and seems really happy. We also know of a neighbor with a daughter who did a training program through a big bank where she sells investments (sorry I don’t know what this is called). My BIL makes a comfortable living working for a refuse company. It’s far from glamourous but he gets paid overtime and that has really boosted his income. He makes more than me with my masters. Finally, there’s law enforcement and professional firefighting if the might enjoy something with more adrenaline.

If you can afford to support him have him try a couple of classes at the closest community college. He can keep his current job and take a couple of day classes or night classes. There are so many options of different trades and crafts there should be one that might interest him.

I think you mentioned an IEP. if that is the case, I would find out what your options are for exploring a vocation through the school system. Where I used to live, they had a special high school just for career exploration and I think some teens just did it for a year. You could try out things like car repair, electrical work, giving hair cuts, cooking, daycare, and HVAC.

Thanks, everyone. I appreciate the suggestions. He wouldn’t do well in the military. The PP is right, he won’t want to follow rules he won’t want to do and although the structure would be good, he’s not mature enough and wouldn’t do well for the same reasons he hates school.

Yes, he’s bright and school hasn’t been hard. He has not taken the most challenging courses by choice and would rather take a zero than write a paper. It’s been a lot of pushing to get him this far. He would do well with a hands on physical vocational job. We will look into some of the suggestions.

The vocational classes through FCPS have not worked out for a few reasons, schedule wise, but it sounds like we need to schedule an appointment at NOVA and just get him there ourselves. We are early on in this process.

Military enlistment might make sense, but dealing with military recruiters is about as tricky as dealing with a car salesman.

Recruiters always initially say they can't negotiate, but really they often can. At the end of the month, if they are short for quota then they have some flexibility. Do NOT let DC see a recruiter alone - only with a parent. If they ask for a telephone or email, give a parent's information and never DC's information.

Salary is usually NOT negotiable, but they can guarantee your DC training in a particular field by writing it into the contract. Electronics training often is a better choice than electrician training. Electrician probably is preferable to plumber. Aviation mechanic would be great also, lots of commercial airline demand for them.

Given DC's personality, also consider if DC even would be able to abide the various bureaucratic and military silliness which are unavoidable for the 4 years of a usual enlistment. (I would not have tolerated that myself, so I never went military.)