Posted on 07/30/2017 12:22:22 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Many students believe that the next natural step after graduating from high school is to go off to college. Secondary education has become such a common transition that many parents begin saving for college tuition as soon as their children are born. Although college can be the next chapter in a student's education, many teenagers still choose to attend trade school.
Television personality Mike Rowe says the country is in the midst of a skilled labor shortage because workers lack the necessary training to fill the hundreds of thousands of available jobs. Lack of information may drive the notion that trade jobs are nothing more than a backup plan if college doesn't pan out. However, by realizing that trade jobs, along with short-term vocational training, is a smart investment - and eventually a lucrative career choice - attitudes about trade schools and labor-intensive jobs may shift.
A great number of college graduates enter the workforce with degrees that may not help them land jobs. And these students typically carry thousands of dollars in tuition debt. Many college grads are underemployed and working in jobs that aren't even in their fields of study. Career and technical schools help students develop specialized skills that make graduates immediately marketable in their chosen fields, and trade salaries can be very competitive.
The following are some of the fastest-growing and highest-paying trade careers to consider, based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Forbes magazine.
· Construction manager: Construction professionals with great organizational and communication skills can enjoy high earning potential as construction managers. Expected growth of this career over the next 10 years is 5 percent. The average income of a construction manager is $87,000. However, with a top-end hourly pay of around $75 per hour, it's easy for managers to earn into six figures.
· Elevator installer and repairer: This career is listed as a top-earner. These employees can earn anywhere from $74,000 to $105,000 per year. Elevators are in demand as urban centers increase, so this career has staying potential.
Rotary drill operator: The oil and gas industry relies on rotary drill operators to extract oil or natural gas from underground sources. Salaries for these jobs can range from $30 to $40 per hour.
· Dental hygienist: Cleaning teeth and inspecting mouths for disease is an important role. Job growth is still hovering around 20 percent, and hygienists can expect to earn up to $98,000.
· Electricians and plumbers: Electricians and plumbers are continually in demand. With a short amount of trade school and apprenticeship, it's possible to earn up to $90,000 per year.
These are just a few of the many skilled professions that vocational schools prepare their students for. Scholarships and funding programs are available to help make vocational training an affordable possibility.
Agreed.
http://www.aei.org/publication/are-apprenticeships-finally-ready-to-take-off
According to the Labor Department, notes the Wall Street Journal, “nine in 10 Americans who complete apprentice training land a job” with an average starting salary is $60,000 a year.
Have a second cousin from back range in CO, welder school in OH. now works in AK, writes his own ticket. 24, debt free, buying a house for cash. I wasn’t there at his age. Trades are were it’s at.
How could this be?? There’s no minority or women’s studies??
I went to technical school back in ‘83. HVAC&R. THE best money I ever spent.
I have used that knowledge every day of my life since then.
A friend of mine’s nephew is in the Navy. He’s getting training working on Diesel engines. Diesel engine repair may not be the most glamorous job out there but when he gets out, if he plays his cards right could make damn good $$$ especially if he one day owns a repair business.
A savvy tradesman can make very good money and build a successful business with many employees if he does it right. While at trade school, it’s a good idea to take some basic accounting and bookkeeping courses in addition to courses in the trade.
My niece is a dental hygienist and makes $45 an hour. She has three little ones and works part time, so it’s perfect for her and her husband. Scraping the tarter off teeth isn’t my dream job and it’s not hers either. It suits her needs for now.
Or have a spouse with those talents.
Heavy Equipment operator. Precision machinist. Diesel mechanic.
As with all education, pick the school and the training carefully!
A BS in Psychology from Harvard is just as useless as one from University of Phoenix.
Tech schools are the same...Pick the Best, study hard and things will go well.
Show up stoned everyday, get plastered on weekends and it will NOT go well.
“While at trade school, it’s a good idea to take some basic accounting and bookkeeping courses” .
Or even within a couple of years getting out. Learn the trade, tgen add accounting, marketing and basic business law. The market is begging for people who can organize and operate. Best tradesmen I know have their wives as their bookkeepers.
From another guy I worked with - said his son was a welder and became proficient in welding stainless steel. Was always in demand and made out like a bandit.
I personally saw kids who would act out badly in academic classes because that was not where their talents lay and they were frustrated. But put a drill or a wrench in their hand, they were a different kid. Productive and focused. Instead of getting surly remarks from them, you could share admiration for their latest completed wood shop, metal shop, electrical or automotive shop creation and have a genuinely nice conversation of mutual respect.
We now see where the "every student is college material" philosophy has gotten NYC. Turning out "graduates" who can't read, write, or think, and whose first 3 years of "college" consist of remedial non-credit courses to learn what they should have learned in high school. And then they're still not worth anything as an employee.
Having seen the dismal results over the last 20 years, all I can say is, "I was right."
Having a Skilled Trade that you can turn in to a successful business is a very good way to go through life, I have and have done quite well for myself. BUT a fair warning, taking this route is not for the snowflake generation out there. If you decide to take this route, which I highly recommend, consider 8 hour days to be Part-Time!! it WILL require more 12-14 hour days than you can count.
I love my dental hygienist. She went to school out in CA. It was quite extensive from what she was telling me. She’s always fun to talk with. And she has the perfect touch.
Here’s a career clue for your friend’s Navy nephew: natural gas compression - large diesel engines are used at compressor stations to move the gas to market. They are also used to drive gas through the super-cooling process that turns it into CNG for fuel and transportation. Tell him to check out this link: http://go.osuit.edu/academics/energy_technologies/overview
Two comments on the basic article:
1) Construction manager: mostly a degreed position these days, only some old hands that came up from the trades are there without a degree today. Poor article research, IMO.
2) Further poor article research to say that electrician and plumber are short trade school and apprenticeship. Fully qualified journeymen in those trades are easily 4 years from starting to qualification. This is especially true for plumber where most states have a required amount of verifiable experience before even being allowed to sit for the state licensing exam.
Beau was able to retire at 56 due to him being both a Plumber and an Electrician.
But it’s hard to convince a Generation of kids that no one is going to PAY THEM to have their face in their phone 24/7.
*SHRUG*
Some of these vocational schools charge $30K+
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.