Forget College, Learn a Trade
I got to thinking about what I would do differently if I could go back in time. Would I go to college or learn a trade? I went to 1 1/2 years of college before dropping out, and I think that was the right decision.
There seems to be a growing number of college graduates with no jobs and plenty of student loan debt. Maybe more young people should consider learning a skilled trade like electric, plumbing, masonry, drywall, HVAC, etc.
Just to be clear, I’m not saying college isn’t a good choice. I’m saying it shouldn’t be a default choice after high school.
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“We are lending money we don’t have, to kids who can’t pay it back, to train them for jobs that no longer exist. That’s nuts.” – Mike Rowe
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Jobcops is a good tradeschool if you want to work and can deal with some shit like cleaning every day and living with sometimes annoying people 24 7 and it’s completely free
reality of blue collar trades will mean a back bad for life, long hours and low pay. trades are for young ppl when u get to 40 u will wish u had a degree!
Don’t let the college bankers scam you! Besides your college degree will "expire" in a couple years anyway with the way things are today.
hi, mike, I am a student at Waterloo University, I want to learn business trading in the future, do you know any college or university with coop program like this? Plz I really want to know this.
You have a lifetime to go to college. You can even learn a trade in the military
Im going to be an electrician
Robots will take all skilled jobs lol!
In San Francisco trades are super competitive to get an apprenticeship.I tried 3 times to get a plumbers apprenticeship
Local 79 in training now will be in the field in 2 weeks…..learn a trade 80k is easy long as you willing to work
Take out the lawyers and doctors and the money advantage of going to college vs a trade goes away.
Looks like my dumbass forgetting to take calculus my senior year of high school was actually a blessing lmao, saved me from wasting my time at a 4 year university.
Currently in a workforce program at a community college to become a Pharmacy Tech. I may consider picking up some more trades while I work as one tbh.
I would like to know which trade people think is the best/most interesting in their opinion.
I like that idea better but I worry about my back. Heavy lifting and a bunch of bending hurts for days. I’ve skipped a disc and have terrible arthritis
The thing that is great about trades is that you can make good money and the entry barriers are really low. The bad thing though, is that it’s often VERY dangerous compared to an office job that requires a bachelors. Most electricians I know have completely busted shoulders, knees and backs. So there are other reasons why people don’t go into the trades.
Hey I’m young and willing to work hard and have some background in contraction.
Great also for us that are going into a second career.
There is more to going to school then making money, there is getting an education, how can you learn physics or philosophy on your own. If you are the kind of stupid person that thinks learning is not worthwhile, then you may as well be a plumber.
best decision I made was going to a state run trade school to become a licensed practical nurse. I wanted to be a nurse but couldn’t afford college and didn’t want to wait 2-4+ years for a degree. It was a really intense program but it only took 10mos, cost me about $1500, started my career at 19 and got set up with a state job with all the bennys that comes with. I am 33 now and will be able to retire at 39 with a full pension. I most likely won’t but just knowing I don’t have to work well into my golden years is really exciting. More kids need to hear about trades or trade school as an option.
I’m only 20
I went to trade school, and graduated, but now in college. Sorta regret my decision, not too late to turn back now.
Laughable. You are not going to retire early by going to the skilled trades. Bullshit. You will work your ass off for very little pay especially while doing your apprenticeship. I was an licensed HVAC technician and a licensed electrician. The pay at best in Texas for an electrician is $33/hr. But you spend years working your way up to $33/hr. You start out making poverty wages of 12, 18 dollars and hour. You eventually after 5 years start making $33/hr. Your raises are pretty much just cost of living raises. That means in 5 years you won’t be earning more. You will earn the same as you did when you started as an electrician. You work outside in the fucking cold and the fucking heat. You’ll make about $68K. I wish my parents would have guided me to college when I left high school. I have an electrical engineering degree now, but for 14 years I worked in trades as an electrician and it fucking sucks. I am so glad I quit that line of work. I make $133K. I’m a registered professional engineer and rarely stay late. I don’t have to work in the freezing cold or fucking blistering heat. I come to work anytime between 6am and 9pm. I can take no lunch, or a 2 hour lunch. You are considered a professional. People trust you to do your work. Nobody is checking on you to make sure you show up on time or only take a 10 minute break. I was tired of all that bullshit babysitting crap you have to put up with in the skilled trades. They treat you like a child. Go to college! Well I should say got to college if you want a technical degree. If you want to study history go to the library. Don’t waste your time with a degree if you just want a criminal justice, psychology, sociology, or women’s studies degree. Those degrees are a waste of time. If you want to be treated like an adult go to college and get good grades. If you get C’s in college you won’t end up with a good job. Nobody wants to hire a C student. Go to a university and do well. Don’t go to ITT or Devry. Stay the fuck away from vocational or for profit schools. Those are not colleges. Find one of the two publicly funded state schools in your state and enroll. Wish my parents were smart enough to give me advice like this when I was young. I had to learn this the hard way. YOU’RE WELCOME!
I am gonna become an electrician
This is a great video. Unfortunately, I don’t know what I want to do anymore. I was enrolled in a college program and thought it was everything I wanted and more but I was wrong. Smh. I don’t even know if I would be good at a trade.
I’m an I&E Technician for Spitzer, and I’m making $65/hr. I never thought I could make that much money working a trade job. I do have a Bachelors in Psychology and man was that a great 4 years of my life wasted.
I always thought I would go to college but that’s drastically changed this year. I’m a senior in high school and my school has this program where you can take a class somewhere else that’s a trade (mechanic, electrician, etc). I’m really regretting not taking advantage of it over these 4 could’ve had a good paying job directly out of HS. But I’m planning on going into some type of trade, just gotta figure out which would be a good option for me.
Im 17 and school is pressing me to a point where i wanna dropout and idk what to do 😓
Hi, i’m 20 years old and I have no prior experience in carpentry or working with tools or anything like that. I’d love to get into some sort of trade, just not sure how to go about it and what jobs would pay the most. If anyone could give me advice for someone just starting to look into this field I would GREATLY appreciate it! (I own a truck if that helps at all)
the trades are going away too though. I think your best bet is developing the skill of learning independently using internet resources
If you do not like working with your hands or find no interest in it, DO NOT GO THE TRADE ROUTE. People are pushing the trades right now so kids can stop going to college, thereby making people’s degrees more valuable. They want you to be a sucker with a manual labor job in about 15-20 years when they pushed enough kids into the trades.
Joining abc apprenticeship was the best decision of my life. Working full time and they make you take take private classes for 4 years. Starting out at 20$ and in 4 years I will be making 40$ an hour!!! And the schooling is free!
u r 100% true
PAY MUCH MORE AND NO ONE WILL RETIRE !!!!!!!!
I could easily go into the elevator trade school and work as I learn and end up making good money off the gate for being that young in the trade I know because my dad did it and now ended up being a supervisor so he could give me some really good tips for the trade
If I could go back I’d def look MORE into a trade school.. Instead I went for a college degree in business. Smartest thing was to go to community college 2 yrs and a half. Finishing college this August with only 15k debt. Wanted to quit so bad many times but I am so close to finishing and I’ll at least have a degree that could help me find goods jobs and/or move up in a company. But my plan after college is to get an apprenticeship as a heavy equipment operator!!!! I’m 21.
I got a college Ad for this video hahaha
So is trade school free?
Is it to late for me to continue my step after school to college I’m 20 and in the 12th grade I will be 21 when I graduate should I just do trade school yet I want to be a doctor something to deal with medical school can someone respond ASAP I’m so lost not sure what to do?
Im an electrician and make $1,000/day
The trade I’m in college for right now, at least in my area it’s really hard to even get noticed without a college diploma, or someplace even want you to have this diploma before they will take you on I suppose..
Master Plumber since 1999 currently training over a dozen apprentices of various ages. What I really need more than anything is 4-5 more that can do everything I do.
I was thinking about joining the military but I’m scared. Not because of the work or staying away from home but because of the contract they bind you with. What if I change my mind or realize it’s not for me and I can’t leave because of the contract? I hate the sense of being held hostage.
Is an apprenticeship for blacksmithing and welding any good"? Was on my way to becoming a lawyer however all that changed. I find that I’m a more hands on type of guy. Would rather be physically strained then mentally…
Forget a college videos title but i get an ad advertising college,oh i love the irony
I haven’t been to college yet.
And the fact that many people are just teaching themselves these skills than pay for someone. I think the "Learn a trade" more likely to become a success if you know where to look.
I’ve been in college in 3 months and holy fuck, I hate it *I hate it* I can’t work because I’m in school from 8 – 4 on Monday 8 – 1 on a Tuesday, 9 – 3 on Wednesday followed by 5 – 10 evening class, 8 – 1 on Thursday and 9 – 3 on Friday, then I have a "surprise" time table from 1 – 4 on a Tuesday that i won’t find out until 1 on that Tuesday depending on if my teachers feel I’m falling behind. I can’t sit in a classroom listening to some old bitch dribbling on about common sense, "report all accidents, don’t say things that could be taken out of context by the children, don’t yell at kids." and I’m just over it, I’m considering just dropping out, working full time for a year in a nursing home, save up some money and doing mechanics next year.
Thing is, I don’t even know how and where to start
wish me luck trying to enter the Plumbing field by getting into a apprenticeship program in Local 1 nyc
Well I’m about to drop out. What I’ve learned from school is high unhealthy expectations, more stress and anxiety for something you can die for as a living. Three years in and not worth it.
Regrets, I should’ve been honest with myself from the beggining and not go to varsity to waste my folks money.
My advice, listen to your gut. I’ve learnt from life than school.
Tradesmen "charging ridiculous rates", – I think you’re mixing them up with dentists and lawyers.