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I have a relative who is graduating from high school soon and is planning to either go to college or a vocational technical school. What he wants to do in life is up in the air but the controversary in our extended family about what type of career one should chose in a troubling economy is quite vocal.
Many people in my family feel that the people that will do best in the future is someone who has a specific technical skill that they will learn in the local vocational technical school. For example fixing cars or baking, or cooking, or electrical, etc.
Others in my family insist you are going no where without an education in accounting, finance, business or mathmatics. The blue collar side say many of the jobs that people will go into as white collar worker after finishing college will be eliminted due to technical efficencies, technology or outsourcing.
Bright, enterprising and hard working people can make a good go of it either way. Dullards and mutts will fail either way. Most people will do OK either way.
I don't see a pat answer here; depends so much on a person's interests, ambition, intelligence etc.
I completely agree that it depends on the person's aptitude. But a labor economist friend of mine always says "Machines can do jobs with precision that people never can. Customer service and support positions can easily be outsourced. But you will always need a person who lives in your area to physically fix your toilet, empty your trashcan, and service your car." Its an interesting perspective.
It depends on what you think will happen with the economy. Some people believe that oil will be in shorter and shorter supply until the average person can't afford it. It that happens, it wouln't do you much good to be able to fix engines, though it would be handy to be a jack-of-all-trades. An investment banker probably wouldn't do so well in that economy either, but a guy who can plow with horses might be just what the world needs. The thing is, I can't imagine the average person being unable to decide between being an investment banker or being a mechanic. You're going to go where your interest lies, whatever your snooty or blue collar relatives may think of it--at least I'd hope so.
I think it really depends on just how bad it really gets out there. If we go into an all out depression like in the 20s, we may see the day when airline pilots are janitors and stock brokers are laying bricks and mortar for a living. It happened before and can happen again. If it does, the absolute true necessities to live become top priority, nothing else matters much. In this type of environment, the guy who is considered a "jack of all trades" might fair better then the snooty, well educated stock broker, realtor, psychiatrist, etc; etc;.
I don't think it will be this bad this time though. But it is going to be tough. I'm glad I am very diverse in skills and am not afraid to jump into many different trades and work if need be.
If your relative does not know what he wants then I would suggest starting out at a community college then either transferring to a four-year or to a vocational/technical program as soon as he figures out what he wants to do.
Since your relative is "up in the air", by him beginning at a community college he will not set anyone back that much money (in case he decides that he does not like college - which is common for young people).
As I alluded to in another thread, the way that the job market is going, it seems that the people who will have the most success are going to be the ones with the most flexibility.
One thing that I would suggest is maybe looking into working for a railroad. I am serious. The pay is good, it is speculated that rail travel is going to boom, freight trains are a multi-billion dollar a year industry and with the raising cost of diesel trains may become the number one way to get goods across the country, and they are one of the few fields of employment left in this country that offer a retirement package (and a good one at that).
Just live in a very poor country for awhile and see what they do.
You see handyman type jobs, lots of mechanical skills (low paying of course) sellers for about anything.
The only money makers are those in government and the cunning businessmen who illegally conduct business but pay off the gov to keep them off their back.
Also any bar/restraurant might do a eprson good if it exclusivly served people in the gov or rich people or some sort of elite foreigners like embassy personnel.
i say tell him to go for a trade rather than college. i myself went to college and never got my degree and now have no actual career or trade. i loved the college experience, but now with a mortgage and child, its hard for me to go back and finish.
i many times have wished i had gotten into something specific because those who are more focused on one thing are the ones who are most successful (in my eyes).
he is not limited to industrial work either. community colleges offer many courses in computer technology, graphic arts, the medical industry--which is BIG!!!
nursing--now that is a job that is economy proof, always in demand, and did you know they can make $30/hr?!! you can get a degree in 2-3 yrs.
or how about becoming a barber? my brother did, and he wants for nothing, has a great job in NYC, etc
anyway my point is trade or vocational school is the answer.
If you are going into any white collar profession, you will need a bachelors degree. Doesn't really matter in what. Just need that paper. Cause you will be up against others with that paper. Doesn't matter if you can do the job better, if you don't have that paper, you will automatically get booted.
Some people like "hands on" careers and would be stifled in an office cubicle environment. It just depends on the personality really. They need to go to a community college and figure out what they like and it won't take too much $$.
I know one friend who dropped his career midstream and is now a mechanic and loves it.
The occupational outlook handbook by the gov is online, it gives outlooks on future of certain industries, expected salaries, working conditions, etc.
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