Depending on what you are into and what you would enjoy doing to put food on the table day after day, going to college may not be for you. According to a recent article in the Kansas City Star, the hot jobs now for the young and career-minded may very well be in technical, trade and skilled service occupations -- such as welders, auto technicians, heavy equipment operators and nurses.(Read more...)
Some of these positions will still require trade school or an associates degree, but just as many you could probably start working right out of high school with the necessary skills being taught on the job. I think that it is important that they mention the issue of perception, and how you will be perceived if you work in a factory or production plant of some type. A friend of mine worked at an auto manufacturing plant for a summer job (not internship) on the line and made $18.00+/hr. Show me a traditional business internship that pays that much by dividing out the salary into hourly portions, and I would be surprised if the business positions payed that much.
There is also the argument that you need to gain the experience from four years on a campus away from home. There is so much that you do gain socially and personally outside of the education, but is it worth $100,000 over those four years? That's definitely a debatable point.
If you enjoy working with your hands or have a technical skill, it's nice to know you have the option of not necessarily having to shell out dough for college. At the same time, many jobs do require an advanced degree of some type. Do what you want, and what you think will make you the happiest now while setting yourself up for future opportunities.
