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One good recipe for success is to look at what everyone else is doing, and do something different. You will need some credentials of some kind, so either get into a recognized apprenticeship program or get at least an associate's degree. Besides machinist skills, a millwright today also needs to know industrial control systems. I know car mechanics that make twice what an office middle manager makes, but they came up through the dealership training ranks and spend a lot of money staying current on repair of new systems.
If you are going to be successful in a trade, you need to plan your own training. Apprenticeship programs are a good place to start, but they will only get you so far. There are no graduate school programs for millwrights. However, if you pursue that career, you will be in a lot better shape than someone who goes into IT. If you get a degree in IT, 10 years later your knowledge will be obsolete and you will be just one of 100,000 in the same boat. If you become a millwright, your knowledge will also become obsolete as new control systems are installed, but you will be in a boat of 100.
Learning a trade is a really good option if you pick wisely. Colleges probably offer a higher threshold but with a trade school you study only what applies to your trade not extraneous BS classes like many colleges offer. Even when I went back in the 70's they had stupid courses- Sports and the American Dream, Interpretive Dance, Medieval European Literature. At least with a trade school you'll gain practical experience that you can apply to an actual job. Either way choose wisely. Find something that appeals to you and one that has decent job prospects.
College isn't for everyone. . . but neither is trade school. No one can make that call for you. That said, I personally, in retrospect, should have looked into HVAC, or Electrician. I love and excel at hands-on, yet technical work.
It is true, that tradespeople will out earn people with (MARKETABLE!) college degrees in the early years, but over time, there is a good possibility that the people with (MARKETABLE!) college degrees earn more. BUT, use that to your advantage.
If you go into the trades get in the habit of SAVING A LOT OF THE EARLY MONEY. That gives you the benefit of time to compound your investments. Before you even get your first paycheck, START A ROTH IRA. Take advantage of an employer match in an IRA if you can. That weekly/monthly $50 to $100 gone from your paycheck WON'T BE FELT.
Either way: best of luck. And, for the record, I have an engineering degree and a business degree and work in I/T. Been stuck in cubeland for the last 30 years and it's a good income, but I've missed so much of "the world".
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. At least with a trade school you'll gain practical experience that you can apply to an actual job. Either way choose wisely. Find something that appeals to you and one that has decent job prospects.
