Son in vo-tech for welding. College?

[Brat]

Arizona State, a fully accredited public University, offers online degree programs.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

One of our kids went to college full-time after high school and then went on to full-time work after college. The other has had a more meandering path of working full-time, college full-time or some combination of the two. But both seem happy and are doing well in careers they enjoy. The more meandering career path one is working full-time these days and going to school evenings, and actually makes more than some of the friends from high school who finished college and even some who have masters degrees. Work experience in a marketable field can sometimes mean more than a degree in a major with limited post-college career prospects. And many trade jobs pay more and have better career prospects than some 4 year degrees.

 

[Amethyst]

Not to mention some, like plumbing, have been around for thousands of years and are unlikely to go away any time soon.

But it's those who have the business/people smarts to start their own trade business, who really rake in the bucks. We used to have a neighbor who sold his self-made construction business at 50, retired, and built a huge compound for his 5 sons and their growing families to visit.

And many trade jobs pay more and have better career prospects than some 4 year degrees.

 

[427Vette]

Not to mention some, like plumbing, have been around for thousands of years and are unlikely to go away any time soon.

But it's those who have the business/people smarts to start their own trade business, who really rake in the bucks. We used to have a neighbor who sold his self-made construction business at 50, retired, and built a huge compound for his 5 sons and their growing families to visit.

Originally Posted by daylatedollarshort View Post
And many trade jobs pay more and have better career prospects than some 4 year degrees.


I think that it's fantastic way for a young person who possess the right skill set to advance much earlier in life then the college degree earners as well. I hired a neighbor kid when he was 12 years old to work after school and on weekends to wash trucks, clean the shop etc. He worked hard and showed a lot of interest. During the summer months he came on jobs with us and started to help us do electric work. When he turned 17 he bought a 10 acre piece of land and made around $45k that year. At 19 he built a house on that land. Since then he has bought more land and built a few more houses, some he kept as rentals others he lived in for a time then sold them. His last year with us when he was 26 years old he earned $100K on his W-2 from us plus whatever else he made on his rentals and home sales. When he quit I truly hated to see him go but it also felt good to watch him spread his wings and fly off on his own. Every time I read a post on here, and there are many, about how someones mid twenty something year old kid is still on the family payroll and living in the basement, maybe working a very part time job and going to college (still wondering what they are going for) hoping to make it big someday. It makes me cringe a little wondering if there may have been another more direct path that could have been more lucrative earlier in life.

 

[dvalley]

I'm not a naysayer, in fact, I've been a hobby weldor (stick, mig, tig) for close to 15yrs but I do question the amount of work available to welders in the future. Most manufacturing is done using CNC and robots so how many things would need to be field welded? you can make pretty good money as a pipe fitter in Alaska or if you do underwater welding etc. I suppose you just have to find a niche.

I love doing things with my hands and have over the years learned to do a lot of stuff (electrical, small remodels, auto repair including the new computerized stuff, machining, woodworking, welding etc) but it's purely as a hobbyist. Whenever I've thought about monetizing those skills I find stiff competition. People (on craigslist for e.g.) are willing to work for $20 an hour, that's not worth it to me. May be once I'm retired I will take $20 an hr?