And Home Economics. Teach the kids how to run a clothes washer, fix a button, balance a checkbook, make breakfast.
As a degreed Mechanical Engineer, I'd love to get my teaching certificate and (with a little help from a certain Ape friendly stock) I could bring back the local high school Automotive Shop and give the youth some real-world skills before they turn 18.
Home Ec was useless when I was in middle school (we called it Junior High back then) or maybe it was more like our teacher was useless. We didn't do anything but sit around and talk, think we cooked 1 time. At that age I had already been cooking dinner every night and cleaning up afterwards for my family, along with all my chores on weekends. Heck I was washing dishes since I had to stand on a chair to reach the sink, every night after dinner. Any sewing I know I learned from my mom, she could put an outfit together in one evening, wake up next morning it would be hanging on my door all pressed and ready to wear. However, I've never liked to sew, but know the basics. But back then times were different.
I second your views. I took a semester of Home Economics back in the day, because I thought it was going to be an easy class. How hard could cooking be? (Helped at home every night from scratch). I learned a lot from the teach (Mrs. Brown). She taught cuts of meats, where said cuts came from and from what animal. How to use products for multi uses instead of one use (vinegar for example). She went over how to budget for a household and they how to apply that said budget to our daily lives. It was such a great class.
It would be a great thing for our (meaning country) to quit putting down vocational/trade schools. I have heard so many people talk down about trade schools. My hubby is one of the best in the state for wallcovering installation. He is a dying breed. The "union" keeps asking him to teach, but, there are some things you learn on the job, you have to do the work while being taught.
When I was in Jr high and high school I spent my study hall hours in the shop or the gym. Though my old man was a great carpenter I learned process from shop class. Add a few years of college bartending and running construction projects between classes and the result was a well educated young man. Unfortunately I didn't learn much from the actual classes and the degree I 'earned' reminded me more of the money I spent to get it, and that was the mid 90s.
I have a feeling you'd be a better shop teacher than 99% of those with degrees. It's a shame you have to have the 'privelige' of being a debt slave to do jobs that pay less than being a non-indoctrinated journeyman.
It’s amazing to think the programs I had in high school growing up.
Drivers Ed, graphic arts, wood shop, metal shop…. So many things have been taken away.
Giving huge tax incentives to corporations is part of the blame.
It's been a long time since I was in public school. Are the Shop classes gone, now? I used to love them. In fact, I still have my old wood- and metal-working projects.
A tin car that I made in Junior High metal shop over 40 years ago sits atop my dresser to this day. We even cast our own wheels for that project from molten aluminum. My favorite class ever.
I agree we need tradespeople. I disagree with thinking and policies that suggest that all college degrees are worthless, or that people should be forced to study something instead of having the freedom to choose for themselves.
I absolutely agree and you should be free to follow your passion, but you should also know that following your passion may not lead you to having the same qualifications as someone else in the field you end up in.
This also doesn't necessarily mean you can't reach those same qualifications, but if you go into debt earning like, gender studies or something, then you're not going to have as much capacity or time to learn as someone who doesn't have that debt over their head.
The problem is less that other subjects exist, but more that those subjects are overvalued in media and leads people to believe that it's the best route and will pay a ton of cash, and that in turn causes a lot of people to beg for handouts or a minimum wage increase.
Which is why I think learning a trade in high school alongside traditional classes is the way to go.
If you can earn an associates degree through community college partnerships, you should be allowed to earn a welding certification the same way. Unfortunately, at least in my experience, public schools have removed the ability to learn useful skills before graduation.
This is also why I took stagecraft skills with the theater department in college. Maybe the tenured professors are woke, but the behind the scenes crew classes still teach you how to sew, weld, use a saw, etc.
I also think that a drive to acquire and refine new skills is a really good thing to do throughout your life.
Not only does it improve your brain health staving off risks of dementia and Alzheimer's, it makes you more flexible and workable in the event you need a new job.
People act like if you reach 30+ without having a job that you should just kill yourself because you'll never acquire a new skill, but this isn't the case either.
It's never too late to get started and apply yourself to learning new skills and use your brain, and it's never too late to find a good job that will appreciate that drive to learn even if that's all you bring them to start.
I think you should always combine scholarly work (reading, writing, geography, history, math, physics, chemistry, etc.) with a form of immediately workable skill no matter what point of life you're at, and I think teaching kids to do this will be very good for them too.
It's better to nurture a drive to improve than nurture a mentality of giving up when met with resistance or difficulty.
Exactly. There is no reason that all high schools can’t be teaching the following: welding, furniture making and refinishing, landscaping, auto repair, heating and cooling repair, roofing, construction, masonry/brick laying, hospitality service, STNA training, well drilling, septic tank installs and repairs, rain barrel installations, plumbing, tile/floor installations, etc. Those children can then go out and start their own businesses. To many study halls occur. Get back to basics: Reading, writing/composition, math and science. There are plenty of businesses that can offer apprenticeships. The fundamentals such as politeness, interesting with the public, timeliness and dress and comportment need to be taught at home and in school. Go back to a uniform dress code in schools: no short skirts, no makeup, no tight clothes, no shorts. Nothing or formal is needed just blouses or shirts with collars, knee length dresses or skirts, no jeans-slacks or pants. Also all children need to be taught how to budget and balance a check book. State with a few dollars in a bank account.
At least if they taught masonry in high school the kids would quickly learn to stay away from it. It’s back breaking work and now all the crews are full of illegals.
You can’t start a business and compete when another company hires illegals and puts 10 in a house.
The takeover started during WWII, the universities before were led by the professors of applied science. During the war they left to design and develop arms exc. for the war effort. This allowed the leftists to move into the seats of leadership and the applied science professors stayed in the private sector or returned to universities with a vastly different political power structure. It is no coincidence the Kazarian Frankfort school professor’s arrived when they did.
Have posted before that the husband of our daughter's friend studied welding in high school and when he graduated school, he also had his welder's certification. In 2 yrs, this 20 yr old was making over $200,000/yr. He and his wife have bought homes as rental properties. They're building a house that will cost over $500,000 ad they're paying cash. They're 28 yrs. old.
This is a topic I know something about. Yes, I make comments about tech/linux but I have been welding for money for....let's just say a long time. I had a fabrication business that I ran on the side while doing backend engineering work, design/CAD/CNC plasma cutting/repairs/one off designs and mobile work. Most people have ZERO clue about how trades work, especially welding. People are used to plumbers and electricians charging a lot, but most customers think welding is just hot gluing metal together, and if you won't do it, my cousin jethro can.....
For example, someone brings in something that has "just a crack" and should be 5 minute repair. Upon inspection, there is obvious metal fatigue b/c some genius tried to fix it by bending, and applied epoxy as well. For the average person, they think it's an easy fix, but many times there is a shit ton of prep work involved, base material to removed, and cleaning up oxidation, or previous attempts at "repairs" such as removing adhesives or the booger welds from someone's cheapie 120v harbor freight Mig welder, and depending on the joint prep that can take time too.
People complain about the shop rate, and material markup but you are paying for my experience, expertise, and efficiency, not to mention that if I need to go and pick up material or components, there goes at least 4 hrs, yes you can have things delivered but every steel supplier has a minimum for purchase in that regard, and tack on an extra 150 or more if they need to use the mobile forklift. Did I also mention the cost of tools, I have a LOT invested, but I always buy the best, and on sale whenever possible, never compromise on tools, and I take very good care of everything. I have a number of tools that are over 20 yrs old and still run and look good. As an example of tool cost, a good spool gun to run aluminum is about $2600, the in shop power source is another $4-6k, depending on which one I need, the mobile power source is about $10k, this doesn't include shielding gas, clamps, grinders, drills(magnetic and hand drills, bandsaw, power cables, fuel, filler wire in this case, measuring tools, the vast amount of air tools, air compressors, levels, and the huge amount of misc things which really add up. Some times even for the simplest of jobs can use more tools than you can imagine. Something simple to add, most people hear grinding and think the hard stone wheels about 40 grit, but there is so much more to surface prep. There are many types of flap disks in various grits from 40-180 and up, some for aluminum, stainless, mild steel, there are non-abrasive wheels(think scotch-brite), sanding disks, wire wheels/cups. With the amount of surface prep available, it is easy to Tig a joint together, and blend the weld so well, you'd think it was a single piece.
You also need to have a good understanding of design engineering, mechanics, physics, chemistry, safety, time management, know when to not take the job, accounting, and how to talk to people. Many times, I have had to design the job from scratch, taking into account things the customer didn't foresee, or suggest a different or cheaper route to save them some money. I am the outlier, I am self taught, but I knew welders/fabricators who pointed out where I could improve my technique, I got mostly through my M.E., so I have a little math experience ^_^, I grew up with a G.C. dad, so I was helping and doing what I could since I was 7 or 8, I have literally done almost everything in residential construction, and some commercial. I did go to a local weld school, but I left after about 3-4 weeks as I was more experienced than the 2 "instructors", but one thing I did notice was that all the students were horrible at math, couldn't spell for jack, and a vast majority didn't have the visualization skill, to see the blueprint or drawing, or even the description in their head.
Bottom line, yes we need tradesmen, but it can't stop at simply banging a hammer, running a mig welder, or stripping wire. In my opinion, trades need to be pushed to the point of craftsmanship, there is more to a trade than the base skills or owning the tools.
It's awful. We are in desperate need of skilled works, but they are just not out there. What they are teaching these kids in welding school is useless too. They can weld a 2" straight line in a perfect setting, sometimes, but have them try to think for themselves in real world situation...
Accurate. My BIL is a master plumber and welder. He manages big job sites and the quality of the young "plumbers" starting out is putrid. He said he spends more time telling them to put their phones down (social media) or re-explaining the job at hand it's just easier for him to do it himself.
Never used to be like that when he was a journeyman.
You are correct. My son took a year off after high school and worked with a mechanical company, they eventually taught him how to weld. They told him they would provide a certificate for him but that didn’t pan out.
He went back to school now and the stuff he is learning is not how it is in real life. I’m just glad it’s free thanks to our governor.
My personal opinion is by the time you are in the ninth grade everyone knows if you are college material or not. Those that are not should be taught a trade so they can contribute to society. College degrees in liberal arts isn’t worth the paper it is written on.
The way you phrase it actually sounds like valuing college higher than trade work, when they can be equivalent but different paths -- and humans don't just cease being able to learn new things in their mid to late teens.
The way I phrased it is the way i meant it. I know I was not college material. I had average grades. There were students in my class that were just brainiacs. Everything came easy to them. One classmate went to MIT. Most of us should have been in trade school. The smartest should be moved on to higher education is what I meant. College used to be a place to learn and not a place to be indoctrinated.
I am constantly amazed at how many people nowadays have absolutely no idea how to do simple things like hang a shelf, assemble pre-made furniture, change a tire, or hem pants. Even if you don't make a career out of it, just having the knowledge how to do something yourself instead of having to hire someone else to do it for you is immensely beneficial and gratifying, and saves a ton of money.
I have to give credit to our local High School, there is a completely new building just for the kids who want to learn trades, but they fall short in the electrician, plumbing trades, are great with forest management and carpentry., auto mechanics. The local garages take on students and supervise the kids so they learn in real time. We are rural and it's northern Vermont, so logging is still a thing up here. Farming is still a thing, all small scale, nothing like out west.
This is something our schools desperately need, especially now when it is difficult for a parent to pay big bucks to put their child in a college that will only indoctrinate them to the liberal bullshit they are pumping out these days. Our children need skills they can actually use and vocational classes provide that.
Amen to that. My boys (16&17) already know small engine repair, diesel, regular auto repair, watercraft/marine repair and will be starting concrete in a week or so. We have good friends that I hope they can learn construction, HVAC and electrical engineering from as well.
EXACTLY what I have been preaching to my friends kids!! So proud of my nephew--working toward journeyman electrician before going to college (if he goes!)
I watched a documentary on Ben Franklin. His dad was instrumental in his 6 -13 age at teaching and nurturing different skills and trades ultimately working for his oldest brother. He was the youngest of 20 siblings. In a world that is on fire raise fire fighters
If parents actually did more than play on facebook and watch tv, and if kids helped them, then many people would have basic skills by the time they graduate.... look at people who grew up on farms.
Wood, Metal, Auto shop and Home Economics should be taught.
Keep Art and make it more classical, and less "froo-froo" for kids who draw.
(all the ghey-ity made me run away from "art").
Mechanical drawing (Solidworks or Inventor or CAD) would be beneficial to any budding designer - as well.
Most college classes in Engineering were useful, but i didn't get the paper because i simply had no time for the electives. . I just needed the dynamics, trig and calc. and materials classes. After that and manufacturing stats at work, I was off and running. I met quite a few who took a similar path.
I would invent a Sourcing and Purchsing spare parts class as well.
Bring back wood and metal shops to junior highs and other intros like mechanics
YES!
And Home Economics. Teach the kids how to run a clothes washer, fix a button, balance a checkbook, make breakfast.
As a degreed Mechanical Engineer, I'd love to get my teaching certificate and (with a little help from a certain Ape friendly stock) I could bring back the local high school Automotive Shop and give the youth some real-world skills before they turn 18.
Home Ec was useless when I was in middle school (we called it Junior High back then) or maybe it was more like our teacher was useless. We didn't do anything but sit around and talk, think we cooked 1 time. At that age I had already been cooking dinner every night and cleaning up afterwards for my family, along with all my chores on weekends. Heck I was washing dishes since I had to stand on a chair to reach the sink, every night after dinner. Any sewing I know I learned from my mom, she could put an outfit together in one evening, wake up next morning it would be hanging on my door all pressed and ready to wear. However, I've never liked to sew, but know the basics. But back then times were different.
Wow. That's a shame. Sadly more and more public education classes nowadays are getting just as bad.
Home economics got too much of a bad rap
I second your views. I took a semester of Home Economics back in the day, because I thought it was going to be an easy class. How hard could cooking be? (Helped at home every night from scratch). I learned a lot from the teach (Mrs. Brown). She taught cuts of meats, where said cuts came from and from what animal. How to use products for multi uses instead of one use (vinegar for example). She went over how to budget for a household and they how to apply that said budget to our daily lives. It was such a great class.
It would be a great thing for our (meaning country) to quit putting down vocational/trade schools. I have heard so many people talk down about trade schools. My hubby is one of the best in the state for wallcovering installation. He is a dying breed. The "union" keeps asking him to teach, but, there are some things you learn on the job, you have to do the work while being taught.
When I was in Jr high and high school I spent my study hall hours in the shop or the gym. Though my old man was a great carpenter I learned process from shop class. Add a few years of college bartending and running construction projects between classes and the result was a well educated young man. Unfortunately I didn't learn much from the actual classes and the degree I 'earned' reminded me more of the money I spent to get it, and that was the mid 90s.
A degree was never required for shop teachers in the old days.....
I have a feeling you'd be a better shop teacher than 99% of those with degrees. It's a shame you have to have the 'privelige' of being a debt slave to do jobs that pay less than being a non-indoctrinated journeyman.
A degree is to teach at school, if u teach at your own private workshop no need degree right? But then need to recruit students
Or try to video teaching like utube and earn advertisement views
It’s amazing to think the programs I had in high school growing up. Drivers Ed, graphic arts, wood shop, metal shop…. So many things have been taken away. Giving huge tax incentives to corporations is part of the blame.
"Bring back wood and metal shops..."
It's been a long time since I was in public school. Are the Shop classes gone, now? I used to love them. In fact, I still have my old wood- and metal-working projects.
A tin car that I made in Junior High metal shop over 40 years ago sits atop my dresser to this day. We even cast our own wheels for that project from molten aluminum. My favorite class ever.
Mike Rowe entered the chat..
💯
Mike Rowe was also an opera singer.
And a salesman for an at-home shopping network.
I agree we need tradespeople. I disagree with thinking and policies that suggest that all college degrees are worthless, or that people should be forced to study something instead of having the freedom to choose for themselves.
I absolutely agree and you should be free to follow your passion, but you should also know that following your passion may not lead you to having the same qualifications as someone else in the field you end up in.
This also doesn't necessarily mean you can't reach those same qualifications, but if you go into debt earning like, gender studies or something, then you're not going to have as much capacity or time to learn as someone who doesn't have that debt over their head.
The problem is less that other subjects exist, but more that those subjects are overvalued in media and leads people to believe that it's the best route and will pay a ton of cash, and that in turn causes a lot of people to beg for handouts or a minimum wage increase.
Which is why I think learning a trade in high school alongside traditional classes is the way to go.
If you can earn an associates degree through community college partnerships, you should be allowed to earn a welding certification the same way. Unfortunately, at least in my experience, public schools have removed the ability to learn useful skills before graduation.
This is also why I took stagecraft skills with the theater department in college. Maybe the tenured professors are woke, but the behind the scenes crew classes still teach you how to sew, weld, use a saw, etc.
Agree overall.
I also think that a drive to acquire and refine new skills is a really good thing to do throughout your life.
Not only does it improve your brain health staving off risks of dementia and Alzheimer's, it makes you more flexible and workable in the event you need a new job.
People act like if you reach 30+ without having a job that you should just kill yourself because you'll never acquire a new skill, but this isn't the case either.
It's never too late to get started and apply yourself to learning new skills and use your brain, and it's never too late to find a good job that will appreciate that drive to learn even if that's all you bring them to start.
I think you should always combine scholarly work (reading, writing, geography, history, math, physics, chemistry, etc.) with a form of immediately workable skill no matter what point of life you're at, and I think teaching kids to do this will be very good for them too.
It's better to nurture a drive to improve than nurture a mentality of giving up when met with resistance or difficulty.
My opinion anyway.
I said "useless college courses". Gender studies comes to mind. Of course not all college degrees.
Exactly. There is no reason that all high schools can’t be teaching the following: welding, furniture making and refinishing, landscaping, auto repair, heating and cooling repair, roofing, construction, masonry/brick laying, hospitality service, STNA training, well drilling, septic tank installs and repairs, rain barrel installations, plumbing, tile/floor installations, etc. Those children can then go out and start their own businesses. To many study halls occur. Get back to basics: Reading, writing/composition, math and science. There are plenty of businesses that can offer apprenticeships. The fundamentals such as politeness, interesting with the public, timeliness and dress and comportment need to be taught at home and in school. Go back to a uniform dress code in schools: no short skirts, no makeup, no tight clothes, no shorts. Nothing or formal is needed just blouses or shirts with collars, knee length dresses or skirts, no jeans-slacks or pants. Also all children need to be taught how to budget and balance a check book. State with a few dollars in a bank account.
At least if they taught masonry in high school the kids would quickly learn to stay away from it. It’s back breaking work and now all the crews are full of illegals. You can’t start a business and compete when another company hires illegals and puts 10 in a house.
Ver true! My own nephew recently got his first job as a professional welder, and I congratulated him on his achievement.
This is one reason I LOVE Mike Rowe. He preaches this on a daily basis and runs a scholarship fund for trade schools.
The takeover started during WWII, the universities before were led by the professors of applied science. During the war they left to design and develop arms exc. for the war effort. This allowed the leftists to move into the seats of leadership and the applied science professors stayed in the private sector or returned to universities with a vastly different political power structure. It is no coincidence the Kazarian Frankfort school professor’s arrived when they did.
Have posted before that the husband of our daughter's friend studied welding in high school and when he graduated school, he also had his welder's certification. In 2 yrs, this 20 yr old was making over $200,000/yr. He and his wife have bought homes as rental properties. They're building a house that will cost over $500,000 ad they're paying cash. They're 28 yrs. old.
This is a topic I know something about. Yes, I make comments about tech/linux but I have been welding for money for....let's just say a long time. I had a fabrication business that I ran on the side while doing backend engineering work, design/CAD/CNC plasma cutting/repairs/one off designs and mobile work. Most people have ZERO clue about how trades work, especially welding. People are used to plumbers and electricians charging a lot, but most customers think welding is just hot gluing metal together, and if you won't do it, my cousin jethro can.....
For example, someone brings in something that has "just a crack" and should be 5 minute repair. Upon inspection, there is obvious metal fatigue b/c some genius tried to fix it by bending, and applied epoxy as well. For the average person, they think it's an easy fix, but many times there is a shit ton of prep work involved, base material to removed, and cleaning up oxidation, or previous attempts at "repairs" such as removing adhesives or the booger welds from someone's cheapie 120v harbor freight Mig welder, and depending on the joint prep that can take time too.
People complain about the shop rate, and material markup but you are paying for my experience, expertise, and efficiency, not to mention that if I need to go and pick up material or components, there goes at least 4 hrs, yes you can have things delivered but every steel supplier has a minimum for purchase in that regard, and tack on an extra 150 or more if they need to use the mobile forklift. Did I also mention the cost of tools, I have a LOT invested, but I always buy the best, and on sale whenever possible, never compromise on tools, and I take very good care of everything. I have a number of tools that are over 20 yrs old and still run and look good. As an example of tool cost, a good spool gun to run aluminum is about $2600, the in shop power source is another $4-6k, depending on which one I need, the mobile power source is about $10k, this doesn't include shielding gas, clamps, grinders, drills(magnetic and hand drills, bandsaw, power cables, fuel, filler wire in this case, measuring tools, the vast amount of air tools, air compressors, levels, and the huge amount of misc things which really add up. Some times even for the simplest of jobs can use more tools than you can imagine. Something simple to add, most people hear grinding and think the hard stone wheels about 40 grit, but there is so much more to surface prep. There are many types of flap disks in various grits from 40-180 and up, some for aluminum, stainless, mild steel, there are non-abrasive wheels(think scotch-brite), sanding disks, wire wheels/cups. With the amount of surface prep available, it is easy to Tig a joint together, and blend the weld so well, you'd think it was a single piece.
You also need to have a good understanding of design engineering, mechanics, physics, chemistry, safety, time management, know when to not take the job, accounting, and how to talk to people. Many times, I have had to design the job from scratch, taking into account things the customer didn't foresee, or suggest a different or cheaper route to save them some money. I am the outlier, I am self taught, but I knew welders/fabricators who pointed out where I could improve my technique, I got mostly through my M.E., so I have a little math experience ^_^, I grew up with a G.C. dad, so I was helping and doing what I could since I was 7 or 8, I have literally done almost everything in residential construction, and some commercial. I did go to a local weld school, but I left after about 3-4 weeks as I was more experienced than the 2 "instructors", but one thing I did notice was that all the students were horrible at math, couldn't spell for jack, and a vast majority didn't have the visualization skill, to see the blueprint or drawing, or even the description in their head.
Bottom line, yes we need tradesmen, but it can't stop at simply banging a hammer, running a mig welder, or stripping wire. In my opinion, trades need to be pushed to the point of craftsmanship, there is more to a trade than the base skills or owning the tools.
It's awful. We are in desperate need of skilled works, but they are just not out there. What they are teaching these kids in welding school is useless too. They can weld a 2" straight line in a perfect setting, sometimes, but have them try to think for themselves in real world situation...
Accurate. My BIL is a master plumber and welder. He manages big job sites and the quality of the young "plumbers" starting out is putrid. He said he spends more time telling them to put their phones down (social media) or re-explaining the job at hand it's just easier for him to do it himself.
Never used to be like that when he was a journeyman.
And they don't have their own tools.
You are correct. My son took a year off after high school and worked with a mechanical company, they eventually taught him how to weld. They told him they would provide a certificate for him but that didn’t pan out. He went back to school now and the stuff he is learning is not how it is in real life. I’m just glad it’s free thanks to our governor.
My personal opinion is by the time you are in the ninth grade everyone knows if you are college material or not. Those that are not should be taught a trade so they can contribute to society. College degrees in liberal arts isn’t worth the paper it is written on.
The way you phrase it actually sounds like valuing college higher than trade work, when they can be equivalent but different paths -- and humans don't just cease being able to learn new things in their mid to late teens.
The way I phrased it is the way i meant it. I know I was not college material. I had average grades. There were students in my class that were just brainiacs. Everything came easy to them. One classmate went to MIT. Most of us should have been in trade school. The smartest should be moved on to higher education is what I meant. College used to be a place to learn and not a place to be indoctrinated.
I am constantly amazed at how many people nowadays have absolutely no idea how to do simple things like hang a shelf, assemble pre-made furniture, change a tire, or hem pants. Even if you don't make a career out of it, just having the knowledge how to do something yourself instead of having to hire someone else to do it for you is immensely beneficial and gratifying, and saves a ton of money.
Amen. One of the proudest days of my life was when my son when to college to become an electrician.
I have to give credit to our local High School, there is a completely new building just for the kids who want to learn trades, but they fall short in the electrician, plumbing trades, are great with forest management and carpentry., auto mechanics. The local garages take on students and supervise the kids so they learn in real time. We are rural and it's northern Vermont, so logging is still a thing up here. Farming is still a thing, all small scale, nothing like out west.
This is something our schools desperately need, especially now when it is difficult for a parent to pay big bucks to put their child in a college that will only indoctrinate them to the liberal bullshit they are pumping out these days. Our children need skills they can actually use and vocational classes provide that.
Amen to that. My boys (16&17) already know small engine repair, diesel, regular auto repair, watercraft/marine repair and will be starting concrete in a week or so. We have good friends that I hope they can learn construction, HVAC and electrical engineering from as well.
Mike Rowe has been saying this for a LOOOONG time. He's right.
Learn a trade to feed yourself first, then if you have time and energy left over, get a degree in whatever your heart desires.
EXACTLY what I have been preaching to my friends kids!! So proud of my nephew--working toward journeyman electrician before going to college (if he goes!)
I watched a documentary on Ben Franklin. His dad was instrumental in his 6 -13 age at teaching and nurturing different skills and trades ultimately working for his oldest brother. He was the youngest of 20 siblings. In a world that is on fire raise fire fighters
Awesome!
If parents actually did more than play on facebook and watch tv, and if kids helped them, then many people would have basic skills by the time they graduate.... look at people who grew up on farms.
I can check "Your Shorts" ! ( electrician proficient ! )
Wood, Metal, Auto shop and Home Economics should be taught. Keep Art and make it more classical, and less "froo-froo" for kids who draw. (all the ghey-ity made me run away from "art"). Mechanical drawing (Solidworks or Inventor or CAD) would be beneficial to any budding designer - as well.
Most college classes in Engineering were useful, but i didn't get the paper because i simply had no time for the electives. . I just needed the dynamics, trig and calc. and materials classes. After that and manufacturing stats at work, I was off and running. I met quite a few who took a similar path.
I would invent a Sourcing and Purchsing spare parts class as well.
When I was in junior high, we were all required to take a semester of wood shop and technical drawing. We did not have home economics for some reason.
In high school, however, those courses were considered appropriate for the vo-tech program and not the college bound ones. Too bad.
*Fewer
I regret never learning to weld when I had the chance.
Its easy. make it happen.