Personal Experience?

[Jewddha]

So I am slated to graduate high school come June '06, and a big part of the year is applying to post-secondary (College/University) schools and the like. One of the most likely options on my list at present is to go to the local college (tradeschool) and try to get my ELT (out of the options available, electrician, carpenter or mechanic are the most appealing).

Now, I had noticed various peoples comments in this thread http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=14889 and it seems there are more than a few tradesmen on these boards. One thing we are encouraged to do is talk to people in the careers we're looking at (big surprise, eh?), so I was wondering what various peoples experiences, thoguhts, opinions and the like are on the trades versus a post-secondary education with a degree at the end (although I could pursue a degree as well, after, but that's neither here nor there).

So I'd be thankful for anyones input (whether you've had experience with the trades or not), I'm really at a mental standstill, and decisions are going to be needed in the coming months.

Thanks
-Mike

[cormacmacguardhe]

I graduated from high school and went right into college, not a good fit for me at that time. Many reasons, not the least of which was my total unpreparedness, and lack of motivation. I would have done better either going to the local technical school or getting into a union apprentice program. I wasted many years of my life in many different occupations. Right now I am going to school online to learn a new skill. I say that not everyone is cut out for college, if you really feel that your life path lies in a different direction, go for it.

[Jewddha]

Thanks, and I hate to sound... nitpicky, but by college do you mean somewhere that offers degrees or more trainign based (I have this discussion and confusion with ym American friends at least twice a day).

[chasem]

I went to college straight out of high school as well. I was intending to major in Computer Science, with the intent to go on to programming or pc repair/etc.

The only thing was I had no passion/desire to really do that. It was just what I thought I was going to do, and therefore I had no desire to really do well in college. So I did horrible in my first three semesters. Failed roughly half my classes due to non-attendance/non-caringness, and got c's/d's in the rest. I think I pulled 1-2 A's, and 1-2 b's (out of roughly 18 classes).

So, I (and my parents) decided that I had done enough at that school. I decided to take a break, and ended up working for the next 1.5 years.

During this time I focused on trying to figure out what I needed to do for the rest of my life, and eventually after a lot of thinking and prayer, I realized that I was going to be a teacher (though I don't know yet which grade level).

I've been back in school for one semester now, and I'm doing great; I got all A's this semester, and I'm really looking forward to continuing my education.




Anyway, if you wanted to skip all that and get to the summation paragraph, this is it. College isn't for everyone right out of high school. I wish I'd have taken my break immediately following high school, but that was a lesson learned the hard way.

However, I really encourage anyone who can to go to college and earn a degree asap, (right out of high school if possible). But I know that some people can't do it asap.

[Jewddha]

chasem, the pressure (especially at my school) is HUGE on going to university (college) right away, as is the pressure from family. Right now for me college (tradeschool) seems a passable medium, it is a 2-3 year program (depending), one comes out of it with applicable skills, and it will not entirely deplete my small enough education fund. If I go on to become the teacher I've always wanted to, it might be better to have a little life experience prior. Sorry,t hat wasn't all directed at you, this is just what's running through my head.

[Angus MacSpey]

I didn't go to college until I'd been working for a few years out of high school, and I paid my own way. I came out with a degree in computer science right about the time everyone was getting outsourced, and the best job I could find hacking code was paying HALF of what I was getting as a blue-collar grunt. In the end, I'm glad for the skills I learned since I do program some stuff as a hobby, and I also write programs to organize my own business.

Other than that, it was a complete waste of my time and money. I've missed out on deals where I could have made a ton of cash if I'd had the money I spent on college. Don't take that to mean I sound bitter about it - you know what they say about hindsight, and you always learn from your mistakes if you pay attention.

Now this I will try to impress upon you: don't go to university if you don't know what you want to do. You'll be wasting your time, your money, and your parents' money if they're helping you. This type accounts for over half of my college-educated friends and acquaintances.

Go to work for a while. Learn a craft or three. You don't need schooling to learn trades - just hire on and learn on the job. Save up a fat chunk of money and THEN decide what you want to do with it. Chances are, your entire outlook on life will change within a couple of years, and you may have found a better way to get the life you want. You'll also have a way to feed your future family when your engineering job goes to China.

You also have to analyze what type of person you are. What can you see yourself doing day-in, day-out for a living? Do you like to see the results of your work at the end of a day? When I was in high school, one thing I knew was that I was not cut out for an office environment. I've tried it since, anyway, and I was right. It sucks. But you may enjoy it. Who knows?

</long-winded-lecture> 8)

[thomsec]

I'd suggest taking some time off before you start college, at least until you know that you need to go to college because it is exactly what you want to do. I wish I had taken a year or two off before I went to college. I did rather poorly in an academic sense during my undergrad days, usually just a notch or two above academic probation. I took a break of four years before I decided that I wanted to go to grad school, which was a snap because I was older, more mature, and self-motivated. I remember from my undergrad days that the students that really excelled were guys that had done a stint in the military before college (not that I'm suggesting that by any means).
I've been teaching community college full time for seven years now, and the same holds true. The students that really shine are those who have taken a few years to do whatever before starting their college career.
Having said all that, I think a trades program would be a great way to spend your time figuring out what you want to do. I'm sure Graham would agree that it is good to have an honest skill.

[Sherry]

If you want to be a certified teacher, you will have to have a university degree. But perhaps, for you, a year working might be a good idea. Some people do this to help pay for university, & also to give themselves time to figure out what they really want to do.

In the U.S., the first two years of classes are pretty much the core curriculum (classes required of everyone regardless of one's major). If Canadian unis follow this pattern too, then you don't have to know exactly what you will get your degree in when you start out. That's something to consider. If you think you eventually want a degree & you can mentally settle into studying, then go ahead & go to university. Otherwise, you may need some time off from school to consider just what your goals are.

In the U.S., studying a trade almost never leads to a degree, so I don't think we Americans can answer the question as you asked it. Here, even if you worked/learned a trade & received credit for "life experiences," you'd still need the classes in history, composition, political science, economics, literature, etc. So, we're back to if you want the degree, go to university.

Best to you in making your decision.

[Iolaus]

Between "gaming the parents" and habits that precluded doing my best in school, I wasted about five years off and on in community college before giving up and entering the workforce proper. 20 years later, I had lots of life experience, and the knowledge that I didn't want to work with my back for the rest of my life. I wouldn't exactly call that 20 years wasted, but I'm back in school now trying to do what I didn't do then.

I still don't know what I'm going to do, that's why I'm in community college, working on transferable undergrad stuff, but I do know that I wasted a lot of potential by waiting 'til now to do this.

You're right, a little real life experience is a good thing to have, but devoting 2 or 3 years to a trade school, and then working at that trade "for a little while" is more likely to lead to working that trade for life, and wondering what could've been (teacher?). I got lucky, and got a chance to go back; most never do.

You don't have to start college knowing where you're going to end; part of a college education is to explore new things. There are a lot of careers that you don't even know exist yet, and others that may not exist until you create them! If you've got the chance to go for the degree, go for it! Explore your options while you can. The world is full of people who could've and didn't, don't be one of them.

[The Wizard of BC]

And remember Mike, there is always a place here for you learning kiltmaking if you want it.