∞ Apprenticeships or College Degrees?

Written by

Chris Martucci:

We tell college freshman, “You have plenty of time to figure out what you want to do,” and they major in psychology, religion, or philosophy. Now, it’d be ironic for me to downplay these fields, but the sad truth is that there aren’t many jobs out there for the average B-student with a liberal arts education.

Chris is right in that we don’t respect technical schooling enough. Ultimately, you have to do what you love — that’s what I told my kids.


  • http://www.popwuping.com/ Clark

    It’s tough for academic (there used to be a difference between academic education and technical training) institutions to cater to the changing requirements of the workforce. We used to learn our trades on the job but employers have stopped training and many public schools seemed to have stopped vigorously teaching the classics that one now goes to university to learn. 

    The country where I live the problem is acute. There are no more technical colleges, only universities, and as a result there are few people truly qualified to perform jobs like fixing the electrical wiring in your house, operating machinery or maintaining advanced machines like jets or helicopters. 

  • Anonymous

    the Brits have the system down. You have required school to roughly the 10th grade then you take an exit exam. If you want to go to University you stay for 1-2 years of college prep and take the college entrance exam. Then go to University. If not, you can get a min wage job, go to trade school etc. 

    Trouble in the US is that society has a whole has less respect for this kind of notion. in the US you are basically told you have to go to college or all you will ever do is sling food at a McDonalds. But not everyone has the drive to go to college. Why force them when they will slack off and rack up major loans that might even up in default in 10 years. If they are happy at McDonalds, or picking up trash or whatever let them. 

  • Anonymous

    Temple Grandin (famous autistic, best-selling author, designer of humane systems for handling livestock) has (IMHO) a good take on this:  (paraphrasing) do what you love, but make sure that you have some way to feed, clothe, house, etc., yourself and your dependents too.