Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Help him to get an apprenticeship. Traditional school is not his thing, stop forcing it. Make sure he had real life skills to support himself. Tradesmen can make lots of money and you don't need an MBA to own your own business. He needs to learn where to go for information rather than having or processing the information himself- just like Henry Ford. He doesn't need to be smart to surround himself with smart people.

Agreed. We have many lawyers and doctors in my family, but my plumber uncle is the richest of us all. Happiest too, and retired the earliest.

An apprenticeship in a trade is great. Electrician might be beyond him, but HVAC or something. It can’t be outsourced and it’s a long way from AI stealing it, so it’s fairly future proof too.

Anonymous wrote:My oldest has a lower IQ. College really isn’t a realistic plan for lots of kids, mine included. We recognized this by the beginning of HS so I helped him figure out what he might like to study in our public vo tech.

He was able to graduate from HS with lots of support. Then through a National trade association, he got a full scholarship to a community college trade program - no tests required, just all hands on training and it was over a two year period instead of some of the more well known one year programs. The slower pace was definitely a great decision because the faster pace would have been too hard and frustrating.

He’s worked full time since HS but the biggest issue I’ve found is that he got taken advantage of and treated unfairly to the point of wage and hour type violations and unauthorized payroll deductions. So I helped him get a county union job. Now he earns a living wage, has health insurance and has paid leave and a pension.

It’s been a tough road but he’s highly successful and he grew up to be a great person. I think the key for us was recognizing his deficits and helping him find a direction that would work for him.

Being in public school there is also a lot of transitional support and post HS assistance. My son didn’t use them - his vo tech provided similar services for their kids.

Anyway, good luck. The trades are a great alternative if your goal is independence and earning a living wage. But, unlike a PP’s plumber relative, my son won’t be rich. His disabilities will always limit his outcome.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My oldest has a lower IQ. College really isn’t a realistic plan for lots of kids, mine included. We recognized this by the beginning of HS so I helped him figure out what he might like to study in our public vo tech.

He was able to graduate from HS with lots of support. Then through a National trade association, he got a full scholarship to a community college trade program - no tests required, just all hands on training and it was over a two year period instead of some of the more well known one year programs. The slower pace was definitely a great decision because the faster pace would have been too hard and frustrating.

He’s worked full time since HS but the biggest issue I’ve found is that he got taken advantage of and treated unfairly to the point of wage and hour type violations and unauthorized payroll deductions. So I helped him get a county union job. Now he earns a living wage, has health insurance and has paid leave and a pension.

It’s been a tough road but he’s highly successful and he grew up to be a great person. I think the key for us was recognizing his deficits and helping him find a direction that would work for him.

Being in public school there is also a lot of transitional support and post HS assistance. My son didn’t use them - his vo tech provided similar services for their kids.

Anyway, good luck. The trades are a great alternative if your goal is independence and earning a living wage. But, unlike a PP’s plumber relative, my son won’t be rich. His disabilities will always limit his outcome.

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What do girls with low iqs do? Yes, I know they can do apprenticeship programs and go into the trades as well. But let’s be honest, these jobs do not appeal to many girls. Are there any jobs outside the blue collar trades, that provide a liveable wage, and can be performed by someone with a low iq?