Dear Jim:
Why go to college at all? Speaking as a college graduate, unless you are getting a technical degree, you would probably learn more apprenticing in a real business that interests you, and studying on your own and taking courses part time. When you need to apply knowledge right away, motivation is high, and the lesson really sticks. Bonus – you avoid 4 years of immersion in (and contributing to) a politically correct cesspool – often intellectually dishonest to boot.
For some professions you do need a degree for technical knowledge. But most of the time a degree is just a screening device or “ticket punch” to show that you can study hard and persevere. Gary North has a whole section on his web site on how to beat the college racket, and get your ticket punched with a degree for under $25,000, and no debt.
The way things are going a highly skilled trade where you can work for yourself might be the best bet (electrician, plumber, auto mechanic, computer repair, etc., etc.). Someone who can just work like a professional in the “blue collar” trades will have such an advantage over most of the competition they will do well.
Regards, – OSOM
Mr. Rawles,
I wholeheartedly agree with both of the readers whose letters referenced learning a trade before attending college. My own experience, I grew up in a military family, when I graduated High School I wasn’t sure the military for me just yet and had the foresight to understand I probably wasn’t mature enough to handle college at that point in my life. I was also fortunate that in addition to a tradition of military service my family also had years of experience in the trades, one Grandfather became a boilermaker after the Navy, the other a carpenter after his stint in the Army, my Father retired after 22 years in the Air force and learned the trade of sheet metal work and HVAC repair, all of them proudly non-union. With their guidance I did some research and discovered the excellent merit shop (Non-union) apprenticeship programs offered by the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). The tuition is reasonable, (roughly $200 per semester when I started in 1997) and most member companies are so thrilled to have a young worker take his career seriously that they will sponsor the cost, provided good grades are maintained.
I chose the carpentry apprenticeship program, and shortly after graduation on my 18th birthday embarked on a eye-opening and enlightening experience. One of the first things that shocked me was that at a modest sized company for our large upper midwest town, (150 field employees) there was only one other apprentice my age. We had a handful of laborers who were college dropouts, but none of them were interested in tradecraft training, preferring to remain unskilled laborers and wondering why they always got the grunt work. The fact that there wasn’t a larger group of young Americans clamoring to learn a useful trade to provide for themselves and their families was astounding to me!
After two exciting years (and two bitterly cold winters) of building everything from power plants, to hospitals, to runways I decided to return to college. At first I was planning on studying Civil Engineering, which is a fine profession but entails an inordinate amount of desk work after graduation. Again, with some guidance I stumbled upon Construction Engineering (At other universities known by the names of Construction Management, or Construction Technology).
At the University I was shocked by two things
1) College is a business! They will try to keep you in as long as they can to keep raking in the student fees, etc. My first academic “advisor” even told me that finishing a bachelors degree in four years was a pipe dream, and most students took five years these day! I promptly switched advisors. Students, don’t let anyone convince you it can’t be done in four years or less. I was far from a stellar student in high school, just barely cracked into the top 50% of my graduating class and I completed my Bachelor’s degree in four years, while working 30+ hours a week at part-time jobs. This may take a little extra “hard work” but again, nothing worth having comes easy and if you’re already a preparedness minded individual than this shouldn’t be too much of a stretch for you!
2) A surprising majority of engineering students never worked a trade, and never held a trade related internship in college! This flabbergasted me to say the least, how could someone who’s never put hands on a piece of lumber or steel expect to lead workers in a project? Needless to say, come graduation time those students who continued to work at best buy weren’t in the highest demand by employers. Conveniently enough, my trade training had an added benefit: Rather than having to work a “typical” part-time job in retail, I always found construction companies that were willing to work around my college schedule, and pay significantly above the minimum wage my friends were earning. Which offered the added benefit of leaving the nights, and most weekends free for studying or socializing.
After finishing school, I attended the Navy’s Officer Candidate School and became a Surface Officer for 5 years. Again, my trade experience gave me a valuable leg up over my peers. I finished school with no debts, having continued to work the entire four years but was again surprised to learn that some of my friends who had been [contracted cadets] in ROTC had massive debts. The ROTC is quite willing to take C students, but don’t expect to get a full ride! I knew of many officers that finished college twenty, thirty, even forty-thousand dollars in debt!
Now working as a Project Manager for a large General Contractor I am still surprised by the lack of interest shown by today’s students for the trades. To me, the work is exciting, doesn’t involve a desk, and pays extremely well. Believe me, we would love to take as many motivated young Americans as we can get our hands on! Unfortunately, many of them have been sold on the dream that college is for everyone, it’s not, and that isn’t a bad thing. I can’t say enough good things about learning a useful trade or skill, It’s a job that can never be outsourced, but unfortunately it is being “in-sourced” by immigrants who are willing to work hard, harder than most Americans these days.
Mr. Rawles, thank you for your wonderful blog. Very Respectfully, – A Former C Student
Jim-
Having recently discovered the site, I am now a daily follower. I find the advice practical and in keeping with my pragmatic approach to life. The technical detail is impressive, and the topics wide ranging. There is always something surprising each day I scroll down the page. I am an architect in New York City, and find the architectural topics of great interest. The site’s take on architecture is refreshing and seldom discussed or debated elsewhere. I will plow through the archives and find out what sort of treasures lurk within.
There have been a number of recent letters discussing the issue of college education. There is a common tone to these letters that suggests that learning a trade is important, perhaps of greater importance than getting one of those pricey college degrees. I agree that having useful skills, particularly hand skills, is important. As for myself, I am a woodworker and carpenter, making and designing furniture, restoring my house in addition to my architectural “office job.”
Here’s my take- college degrees are critical in addition to “pragmatic” skills. I’m not going to suggest which degree to get, since certain degrees are “more valuable” in certain parts of the USA and world than others. Architects are useful in New York City but useless in Nebraska, for example. Two points I want to stress:
1- My degree “got me noticed” by all my employers. It “got me a foot in the door” as ridiculous as it sounds. That degree, that piece of paper, really got me ahead of the mobs on the streets. It’s a sad arrangement, expensive but necessary. Think of that piece of paper as some prized battle rifle as you soldier through life- it’s a tool like anything else.
2- My degree “expanded my mind” beyond the day-to-day, hand-to-mouth nature of existence. Religion “expanded my mind” as well, but the concepts and thinking that college introduces rounded me out even more. When we are all holed up behind steel doors clutching those riot guns, the mind needs to find release, in addition to prayer and meditation. Art, philosophy, psychology, medicine, etc. can help.
Keep up the good work! – Freakoscope
JWR Replies: The emphasis on learning a trade in many of the recent letters overlooks one key issue: At present, someone with a baccalaureate degree on average will earn $1,000,000 more in their lifetime that someone with just a high school diploma. So if you plan to work in the corporate world, then I recommend getting at least a Bachelor’s degree. Just make sure that the degree is in something useful, where there is a reasonable expectation that there will be jobs waiting. (Not “bird calling and basket weaving”–as my father dubbed the useless degrees.) Perhaps the best way to do this is to work in a skilled trade or with an IT certification, to work your way through college on a five to eight year plan. Graduating debt free at age 26 or 27 with lots of practical experience will actually make you a much more desirable job applicant than someone that graduates at age 22 or 23 with nothing other than the degree on their resume. Take as many lower division credits as possible from a community college or on-line. All that employers will consider is the degree itself, and the name of the institution that eventually grants the degree. So take your first two years “on the cheap”, and then transfer to a more prestigious school.