I'm in my freshman year of college and am ready to drop out. Given the jobs situation in this country, I do not feel that college is worth the expense, and I don't feel comfortable taking out the loans. I'm thinking a trade might be a better option. Does anyone have any advice as to what trades are the most viable? I could see myself fixing cars, fixing computers, or jumping on a commercial fishing boat somewhere. Thoughts?
air conditioning repair
y dont u enter community college? its really cheap and sometimes even freeeeee.
I would think twice before dropping out,
you have to think long term.
Some jacka** moderator on LRC?
This is a strange comment. It would seem this would be the opposite.Fixing computers? You will end up working at best buy. Fixing cars may be viable. Commercial fishing in the US is suffering and is extremely unreliable in terms of income. Construction is way down so building/home repair/maintenance is tough. Anything in the public sector, police man, firefighter is facing cut backs. Factory work is all being outsourced."Given the jobs situation in this country, I do not feel that college is worth the expense"
Soon to be dropout wrote:
I'm in my freshman year of college and am ready to drop out. Given the jobs situation in this country, I do not feel that college is worth the expense
Carpet cleaning. Work for someone else doing it for a while to learn the trade then buy a used van and add a cleaning system. Set your own hours or work by appointment so you can get your runs in. Wealthy people, landlords and realtors will always need carpets cleaned.
plumber
electrician
HVAC expert
Learn the trade, and eventually become self-employed. Wish I could go back and do that.
geezer24 wrote:
plumber
electrician
HVAC expert
Learn the trade, and eventually become self-employed. Wish I could go back and do that.
Yep. You can make good money in these fields.
Also, I know a tile layer who makes more money than most college grads.
One of my running buddies is a welder. His community college coach recognized that the guy was not particularly academically oriented, but was a good worker and directed him into the industrial training classes. My buddy is absolutely happy in his work, which he has been doing for about 7 years now, and is making a solid living. College is not the answer for everyone, and your interests may lie elsewhere.
Diesel mechanics, construction, welding...All good trades where you will be paid well and always have a job!
Commercial fishing isn't really a "trade."
My buddy is an aviation mechanic and does really well.
Don't think that because a lot of guys that work in the trades didn't do well academically that it's easy - it takes a lot of hard work, time and dedication to master a trade.
That being said, if you like this sort of thing, more power to you. It has advantages over college in that a lot of the learning will probably be on the job (i.e. you will be getting paid, like a doctor doing his residency).
I would suggest you try the slave trade. There are no good options for dropouts.
my advice: my dad always told me "people don't pay you for what you do, they pay you for what you know" any way you look at it, staying in school is your best option, even if it is community college, or a technical institute, or whatever. keep working towards a degree if you are seeking to learn a trade right now.
You have little choice, just like the rest of us. If you drop out of college, then most likely you'll end up in a dead-end job making $25K your whole life, live in a shitty area and not be able to afford health insurance for the kids you can't afford either.
If you go to college, you'll get utterly ripped off for tuition and spend years paying it back, but the chances are your long-term outcome will be better.
Welcome to the real world. Now, stop whining and get back to class.
Festizio wrote:
my advice: my dad always told me "people don't pay you for what you do, they pay you for what you know" any way you look at it, staying in school is your best option, even if it is community college, or a technical institute, or whatever. keep working towards a degree if you are seeking to learn a trade right now.
What does he mean by 'people don't pay you for what you do, they pay you for what you know'?
I don't pay my mechanic for knowing Art History, I pay him for fixing my car. Same with the guy that built my deck and the guy that installed my new furnace. I paid them for the service they performed and could care less if they had a college degree or not.
I would chose plumbing. Hasn't changed much since the Roman times and will likely still be useful 40+ years from now when you are ready to retire.
With everything being computerized, mechanics are less skilled than they used to be. Basically, they plug the car into a computer, wait for the computer to tell them what is wrong, and then change out a part. The amount of skill needed is decreasing. That said, I hear that diesel mechanics still make decent money.
As for fixing computers-- computers (esp. handhelds) are becoming disposable. People used to fix watering cans and snow shovels but they don't any more. I see computers going the same way.
welding is the classic way to make solid money without a college degree. Read up on it - it is part science, part art, part whatever. Companies are always looking for a good welder.
and if you want to make a LOT of money without a college degree, go into sales. A good salesman for a big company makes more than executives.