In many districts you don’t even need trade school. My son is graduating from high school this year. He started an auto body repair program at the vo-tech school in 9th grade and has been working in an auto body shop half days (with his academic classes during the other half) through a co-op education program. The shop offered him a full time job after he graduated, so he already has his first job lined up. He has said the shop has sent employees to schools for training, so even if he does need to do some additional schooling, the shop will pay. Needless to say, I’m quite happy that he has his prospects worked out and is avoiding starting his life out with student debt.
“In many districts you don’t even need trade school. My son is graduating from high school this year. He started an auto body repair program at the vo-tech school in 9th grade and has been working in an auto body shop half days (with his academic classes during the other half) through a co-op education program. The shop offered him a full time job after he graduated, so he already has his first job lined up. He has said the shop has sent employees to schools for training, so even if he does need to do some additional schooling, the shop will pay. Needless to say, I’m quite happy that he has his prospects worked out and is avoiding starting his life out with student debt.”
My sons are in their 40s. They didn’t go to college either. Once is a computer techie and makes about $150K a year. The other is an insurance salesman and apparently makes a decent enough living to support the half a dozen kids he and his wife home school. The gkids are way above their public school peers and have actually received an education, are well-read, and knowledgeable about a variety of subjects. I can’t complain.
Locally, we have a tech school with a great reputation. All the gkids will probably pick a field and enroll there.
I think GenZ is going to do well. They are already more conservative than the generation before them. That bodes will for our country.
That’s awesome that they start it there in the 9th grade. I always thought that if I ran things, I would stop with most of the crap schooling in their freshman year and start training each student for a trade. Even if they go to college they would have something to fall back on/use during college. Here they start optional vocational schooling in the 11th grade, but there are limited slots. If they start in the ninth grade they could have two vocations under their belt by the time they graduate.