Random thing that has been on my mind: while it may be true that, given the percentage of the population going to university, going to a trade school can land you work in a field which starts above the poverty line, it is somewhat deceptive to say that is preferable to getting a four year degree. There are some places where it really would be a good idea to learn a trade, at least at first. Right now, if you have any electrical experience, you can have a reasonably paying job in Colorado even without the proper qualifications; there are more electrical jobs than there are people to fill them. That is because more than 50% of the population of Colorado have college degrees. There arent enough jobs that require a higher education to go around. The median wage for Electricians is $50k, the lowest 10 percent earned less than $30k, and the top 10 percent earned more than $83k. Now lets look at Petroleum Engineers. To start youll need a 4-year degree, but youll likely need to keep taking classes as you go, to secure even better positions. Median pay is $130k, the lowest 10 percent $75k, and the top 10 percent $187k. Okay, so that is on the upper end, how about something more reasonable? Information Technology. A 2-year degree will get your foot in the door with one of the lowest paying IT jobs: Web Developer. $63k median, lowest 10 percent $34k, top 10 percent $105k. If you start there, and keep going to school until you have a doctoral degree or the equivalent in a professional certificate, you can a Computer and Information Research Scientists. $102k median, $57k low $152k high. Now, let me personalize this a bit. I decided to study Philosophy and History. Most people have really negative opinions about both of these degrees, or are at very least confused about why anyone would seek them. The Bureau of Labor Statistics doesnt have a neat little category of Philosopher (the closest you get is Postsecondary Teacher). It does for Historian which requires a Masters degree, ($52k, $27k, $98k). I wont be a professor, or a professional historian. Neither degree will directly land me a job in either field. That was never the point. If I cared about money so much, I would have gone for petroleum engineer. If I just wanted steady work and the appearance of a reasonably stable life, I would have become an electrician. People dont go to university to become rich, they do it to become (or, more often, stay) middle class. Those that find themselves drawn into degrees that have no obvious corresponding career track except teaching have found something to care about which they hold to be greater than their own comfort. Sure, you can tell the high school kids to stop chasing dreams, and go to trade school. Theyll be blue collar the rest of their lives. Their greatest achievements will be biological. Their contribution to society will be a few more lighted buildings with heating and air conditioning, a number of cars still traveling down the roads, or pallets of goods shipped from point a to point b. I mean no disrespect to people doing those kinds of jobs. We need people to do these jobs, well, that is until one of those Computer and Information Research Scientists types figures out how to replace another blue collar worker with a machine. With the self-driving car already a thing, how long will it be before the technology is perfected, and the truck driver becomes the new American factory worker? No one can stop progress. Sure, there will always be technicians, until the machines stop breaking or people stop paying to have them fixed because the price has dropped to the point of making the item disposable. Whatever happened to TV Repair? There are a few shops left, but when is the last time you called one out to fix your set? Why would you repair your old grossly outdated set when you can buy a brand new 50 HDTV for the price of a PS4?
Posted on: Mon, 06 Oct 2014 06:31:32 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015