My son in law is smart but struggled in school (known him since childhood). He went to a vo-tech school for auto mechanics and now works in a small engine shop. The aging owner is starting to talk to him about possibly taking over the business!

Where I live (not local) underwater welding is in high demand. Also plumbing and hvac.

Park ranger, not a vocational program but a lot of good opportunities

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Not likely with an IEP for ADHD.

The ADHD isn't a problem, stimulants is the problem.

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

I would start with your local county school.

In Arlington the program is called Career Center. In MoCo many of the vocational training is at Thomas Edison. https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/career-readiness/plans/hvac/

It will give him exposure without you paying until he's clearer which specific trade is most interesting to him.

There are food handling certificates that might help him advance in the food industry.

Flight attendant
Phlebotomy or other health care careers
Letter carrier

If he likes food service, he might be able to work his way up at a company that has management training pathways. Panda Express managers earn 6 figures and get a company car, for example. McDonald's also has a lot of advancement opportunities, as does Harris teeter

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.

Not likely with an IEP for ADHD.

Anonymous wrote:OP back again and thank all of you so much for your suggestions and links. I’m looking at every single one. I’m definitely looking into the school in Charleston. It sounds very interesting. I really appreciate all of the hvac suggestions.

He’s working with food now and loves it. I still think he could like a career in that and his teen self doesnt think it will make enough money. Thats his main reason for not wanting culinary or hospitality. But he loves the fast past environment and cooking.

PP. My cousin went into cooking school after dropping out of music college (percussion education) and regular college (comp sci).

He became a good chef and because he is smart enough (good grades in high school), he started getting management responsibilities. He is introverted but able to manage people and is probably good with restaurant economics. He's honest and has good work ethics. So he's a good fit for the higher paying jobs in chef work at non-elite, non-gourmet restaurants (large franchises, hotels, banquet places).

I will be frank in stating that the restaurant industry has been financially unstable for him. He's been laid off once by surprise and had to switch jobs on short notice when various economic issues cropped up. He does seem happy but will never be as conventionally financially successful as the rest of his generation who followed a college track. He's married someone who works at the same restaurant and they don't plan to have kids so his situation works for him. This is in Maryland.

I sent this article to a friend a few months ago with a kid in a similar position. There is high demand for data center techs, particularly in this area. Salaries over $100k

https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/careers/the-tech-job-paying-six-figures-no-college-degree-required-ec85e5f1

OP back again and thank all of you so much for your suggestions and links. I’m looking at every single one. I’m definitely looking into the school in Charleston. It sounds very interesting. I really appreciate all of the hvac suggestions.

He’s working with food now and loves it. I still think he could like a career in that and his teen self doesnt think it will make enough money. Thats his main reason for not wanting culinary or hospitality. But he loves the fast past environment and cooking.

What is the job that he loves? What is it that he loves about it? That might inform this.

I have ADHD as well, barely graduated from hs. Hated school. Did go to college right away and failed miserably. Eventually I went back, and then eventually did really well and went to law school and did really well. I'm a good lawyer. But I have always wished that I'd just gone to cosmetology school or massage therapy school, the things I wanted to do that my parents didn't support.

Everyone knee jerk says military or trades but those aren’t great options for adhd, asd and ocd. The military is a really bad option for someone with those learning disabilities.

The trades have big drawbacks too. They are dangerous if you are easily distracted, physically hard on your body and have ups and downs. Yes, you paid your plumber a fortune for fixing your pipe but there are only so many appointments in a day he can do. It’s physically hard and the fumes they breather from soldering, dust are bad. It often involves crawling into strange spaces and leads to back injuries. There is a reason why people in the trades wanted their kids to go to college and get an office job.

What about plumbers assistant?

Recommend you have him consider a career in the HVAC field. He’ll learn and master electrical, plumbing and mechanical skills. These skills are the basis for most skilled trades. DH would tell me he preferred to hire building engineers with HVAC backgrounds as they were well versed and able to perform many job duties. The HVAC trade was a great career for my husband.

DH was a chief building engineer when I met him. He had a HS and trade school education. He was making 6 figures plus bonus, at age 44 paling in comparison to my 6 figure salary with two bachelors, and two masters degrees working in the banking industry.

DH retired at 52 as Chief Building Engineer running commercial office buildings in the MD/Va corridor. He’s since become a contractor / consultant making 6 figures as his own boss allowing us to enjoy various luxuries I never dreamed of.

I work for our healthcare, and my spending money. DH’s ‘fun-employed’ job covers our vacations, boats, cars, and home expenses.

Trying not to repeat suggestions.

Is he artistic at all? A creative? He should look into culinary arts. Johnson and Wales has an excellent program and would be a good fit for your DS academically.

Film is another high-demand field. In terms of marketing, film editing is always sought after and isn't really taught properly because it is so fast moving. Most of the individuals I work with are self-taught to a degree. It's easy to pick up and plenty of programs/certs to go around.

Another option if he likes to work with his hands is to be an elevator technician. It's not well known, but in high demand. It's very lucrative.

Is he a thrill seeker? Scuba instructor or equipment technician. It's a very niche community with emphasis on community. Full of nomads and folks with very diverse and interesting backgrounds, it would be a great temporary fit that could give him inspiration into other careers.

The same can be said for most outdoor sport instructors- white water rafting and kayaking have a great community if he likes the outdoors. Careers in recreation are expansive and can help fill the gap for the time being while allowing him to get life experience.

If any of these interest you, I can follow up with links to programs/certs.