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At one time in the not to distance past ,it was possible to graduate from high school and get a decent job with little to no skills .Those jobs still exist,but you would need more training to get those same jobs .
If the high schooler choose college it guaranteed an even bigger salary and a job .Today that same degree guarantees nothing .A common theme I hear is the " change in technology"is it really ,or is it just an excuse ? I am confused as to why an high school diploma would suffice in days gone by and today it does not .
Economic influences. More folks with degrees without jobs, the less likely a high school diploma is good enough. Employers will high a person with a degree quicker than a high school diploma, most of the time..
At one time in the not to distance past ,it was possible to graduate from high school and get a decent job with little to no skills .Those jobs still exist,but you would need more training to get those same jobs .
If the high schooler choose college it guaranteed an even bigger salary and a job .Today that same degree guarantees nothing .A common theme I hear is the " change in technology"is it really ,or is it just an excuse ? I am confused as to why an high school diploma would suffice in days gone by and today it does not .
You don't need a high school diploma for some jobs today.
You can be a trash collector, a garbageman, a janitor, a retail salesperson, a construction laborer, a delivery driver, a short order cook, a cosmetologist (working in a hair salon), a funeral assistant, a garment worker, etc. These are jobs that certainly did not require a degree years ago.
Some jobs require a high school diploma, but not much more - library technician, fire fighter, police officer, plumber/electrician (may require training beyond the hs diploma though), appliance repair (again may require training beyond HS). There are jobs that don't require college, certainly.
At one time in the not to distance past ,it was possible to graduate from high school and get a decent job with little to no skills .Those jobs still exist,but you would need more training to get those same jobs .
If the high schooler choose college it guaranteed an even bigger salary and a job .Today that same degree guarantees nothing .A common theme I hear is the " change in technology"is it really ,or is it just an excuse ? I am confused as to why an high school diploma would suffice in days gone by and today it does not .
According to my parents, in the past a HS diploma meant that you had acquired certain academic skills. For example, if you hired HS graduates as store clerks/cashiers you could reasonably assume that they knew how to figure out what 10% off would come to, could read labels, and, perhaps most important of all, could hope they would show up for work regularly and on time as they had demonstrated the ability to do this in order to graduate. Employers were willing to train young employees because they could expect that they had a good grounding in the basics and they could build on that.
It's more hit or miss these days. I managed a book store for a time. The middle-aged employees could do all of the above. The early twenties, no so much. I was astounded at how many of the younger store clerks simply could not comprehend what they read (why they applied to work at a book store is beyond me), could not figure out 10% off, thought that it was okay to miss work, no big deal.
I do agree that there's a lot lost through "credentialism" in education.
A lot of the extra years of studying in college can often be wasted in cases where employers and the job market in general says "it doesn't matter what you study, as long as you have a Bachelor's to show for it". This can be quite wasteful, if people with no idea what they want to do pick a major on a whim or because it's trendy, spend time and money on it and just come out to say "Oh, look! I went to college".
This obviously isn't all true (and I don't know for how many it is) as there are still lots people who are using college as a stepping stone, or who really want to get into to learning what they study, and put it to use.
But we also have built a culture around it.
Lots of people just go through four years for the sake of the credential and the "rite of passage".
You don't need a high school diploma for some jobs today.
You can be a trash collector, a garbageman, a janitor, a retail salesperson, a construction laborer, a delivery driver, a short order cook, a cosmetologist (working in a hair salon), a funeral assistant, a garment worker, etc. These are jobs that certainly did not require a degree years ago.
Some jobs require a high school diploma, but not much more - library technician, fire fighter, police officer, plumber/electrician (may require training beyond the hs diploma though), appliance repair (again may require training beyond HS). There are jobs that don't require college, certainly.
Unless one is working in a salon just washing hair, one usually needs a license. My hairdresser went to the Vo-tech program in our school district; the other option is to go to beauty school after high school.
Most of the underlined in the second paragraph require at least two years of education. Plumbing takes 4-5 years, and a license. Ditto electrician.
Where I grew up, the two main career tracks that were traditionally available to those holding a high school diploma and no further schooling were farming and related agricultural services, and manufacturing (also typically relating to agriculture...equipment manufacturing, etc.). The manufacturing is largely outsourced, now, and what is left is highly mechanized and requires far fewer employees to complete. Farming has gone one of two routes...the family farm route, which has all but dried up entirely, as family farms have been overtaken by factory farm conglomerates, which are also increasingly mechanized and require fewer workers to do the same work; and agricultural sciences and agribusiness, both of which mainly require college degrees in the sciences and/or business.
You don't need a high school diploma for some jobs today.
You can be a trash collector, a garbageman, a janitor, a retail salesperson, a construction laborer, a delivery driver, a short order cook, a cosmetologist (working in a hair salon), a funeral assistant, a garment worker, etc. These are jobs that certainly did not require a degree years ago.
Some jobs require a high school diploma, but not much more - library technician, fire fighter, police officer, plumber/electrician (may require training beyond the hs diploma though), appliance repair (again may require training beyond HS). There are jobs that don't require college, certainly.
Perhaps you could get a job working in a garment factory without a HS diploma (if there were any garment factories around) or as a short order cook (if you had the skills, it can be complicated), but you'd likely need at least a HS diploma to be hired at most of the jobs listed above. Many jobs such as garbage man/trash collector, janitor... jobs that are primarily physical...often require HS diplomas due to liability concerns around reading safety instruction and so forth.
Fire fighters and police officers--competitive applicants would be wise to have degrees in Fire Science and Criminology these days.
There are certainly many careers that don't require Bachelor degrees, but usually they require certifications and the education leading up to that.
One of the jobs that requires limited training beyond high school is Certified Nursing Assistant. HS diploma, couple month's of CNA training, and pass the written and hands on test and you could probably get a part-time job and work your way up to full-time w/benefits.
Many have begun successful careers with A.A.s in auto technology, dental hygiene, radiology technology, respiratory therapy...
Entrepreneurs can make a decent living without advanced degrees or even a high school diploma.
Unless one is working in a salon just washing hair, one usually needs a license. My hairdresser went to the Vo-tech program in our school district; the other option is to go to beauty school after high school.
Most of the underlined in the second paragraph require at least two years of education. Plumbing takes 4-5 years, and a license. Ditto electrician.
To be a hair dresser you have to pass a state board exam in order to obtain your cosmetology license. You have to have a certain number of hours to graduate. In order to open a salon you have to have a mangers license. I know a thing or two since my sister graduated from hair school.
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