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You seem to totally misunderstand the point I'm making. I'm talking about young people fresh out of high school. You should send your eighteen your old son down to the airport to get a job as air traffic controller and see how far he gets. Its a highly skilled occupation requiring much training.
I wonder who compiled this list. Its silly. For example, Funeral directors need at least a two year degree from college in Mortuary Science to get a license. Four year programs leading to a BS Degree have now been created and may become the norm. The salary given is an average that widely fluctuates. You mention law enforcement work. Many police departments require a college degree in Police Science as a prerequisite to employment.
Young people may not need to go to college to get *some* of the jobs that appear on your list. However, to suggest they can walk right out of high school and get them without any specialized training is just dishonest.
The easiest "job" for a HS graduate to get is Soldier, Sailor or Airman. The employeer provides the training as well as transport, room, board, weapons and ammunition. For some it is a pretty good deal. Everyone else can slave at Wal-mart.
Young people seldom know how to live within their means. So much is given to kids these days and recent past, and so little is expected of them, they have no idea how to manage their money and forgo the fun until the bills are paid. They are used to the toys but they are not used to the responsibility it takes to manage on their own. They EXPECT someone to bail them out instead of suffering through the tough times and tightening their proverbial belt.
Even older singles need to live more frugally if they don't have the income to live the way they want. They tend toward a house or apartment that is too big and expensive, and cars that are too big and expensive. It's the human condition, but it IS their fault.
I do blame young people partially for their inability to support themselves because I believe items such as IPODs, cell phones, play station, and even computers are way too common. These items should be luxuries and not "standard". These items were not available in any form when I was in college and I think, in some ways, it was better. Instead of dealing with diversions, I spent more time in the college library cracking books.
Its a tough problem. My kids will receive plenty of help before they leave home for good.
I am starting to get annoyed when people make statements such as yours, especially about computers. How the heck are you supposed to apply for jobs if you don't have a computer????? It's next to impossible nowadays because all the apps are online. Computers are necessities in the same way cars are necessities. Since most places don't have good mass transit, you are forced into buying a car. Since most jobs require a computer to apply, you are forced into buying a computer. These items are not luxuries for most people. They are necessities. In many respects it's the same thing with cell phones. Instant communication is the way business is done now, like it or not. That means having a cell phone.
Now I agree, ipods and playstations are not necessities. And a lot of people are blowing more on cell phone service than they need to. But otherwise, this kind of thinking is seriously outdated.
And as far as cracking books in the library goes??? Gues what? The library of tomorrow is already here.....on the computer. More and more books are being published in digital format. I can see the day when books will become obsolete. And by the way, I work in a library. I see this happening before my very eyes.
Mysticaltyger has it right. Yesterday's luxuries are today's necessities. Then add usurious college loan interest to exorbitant loans and a recent graduate is pretty much screwed into living very frugally for about a decade. This is a great reward for the time, effort and money for a college degree.
IMHO
The government should hire graduates that cannot find other employment. There are lots of things that need doing that cannot be done at a profit.
Student loans should be repaid with a surcharge on the student's income tax for the rest of their working life. The excess should be used to fund the next generation's education. Private sector banks are not needed.
After ~3 years of working out of college, I have a six figures savings. It's not tough to save that much, just need to learn how to fix old stuff, work on cars, cook, get a decent job, etc. I suppose you'd have to be some what intelligent and have a drive to learn new skills regardless of their field, but I guess that's too much for Americans.
What the hell happened to the primal drive of humans to learn the world around them?! Is it too much to ask that they should learn about mechanics, electronics, computers, programming, chemistry, medicine, etc? Living life with the mind of a prehistoric stone-age man is not something to be revered and is the root of this problem.
I'll bet stone age men knew one hell of a lot about their environment. The stupid were even less likely to survive then than now.
I doubt cavemen had a lot of responsibilites back them. Go out and hunt food thats about it.
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