Years ago, I had a friend who was a plumber. She had had trouble getting a job and her plumbers’ local thought it would be fun to take on a girl. She found she was good at it. Worked her way through licensing and up the chain of command. Her family laughed at her, too. She was the only non-college grad in her family. She just didn’t think college was for her and she said she was sick of school at that point. So she went with plumbing.
That Was Then, This Is Now
Today she’s making $75-$100/hour plus. She still feels inferior. Why? Her family is still berating her for no degree. They don’t mention that a few of her degreed sibs are working in fast food and retail because they can’t find a job in their field. They point out at every chance they get that she has NO DEGREE, even when they’re asking her to loan them money for this, that and the other thing.
Lots of Degrees Out Of Work
I’ve read study after study about the thousands of degreed individuals who can’t find a job in our current economy. Even lawyers. People have either become much less litigious or there is simply a glut of lawyers out there. And becoming an attorney requires extra years of school. It’s not easy.
And even if you don’t choose the legal route, many these days find they can’t do anything with a Liberal Arts or English degree. And then take something like (my old fave) Archaeology. It’s very selective and there aren’t a lot of jobs.
So Why Not A Trade?
Right now, trades are where the money is. If you can take being a plumber or an electrician or carpenter and have a knack for it. . . why not? It’s damn good money. If you’re young, the locals all have training programs. These are good, union jobs, too. I know kids who barely passed high school, but are cleaning up because they had a knack for a trade and weren’t afraid to go for it.
A Ph.D. Does Not A Smart Peson Make
I used to work for a university, the very one where I got my own schooling. We used to sign the professors on their letters. . . B.S., M.S., Ph.D. We used to say it stood for Bullshit, More Shit, Piled High and Deep. Now there were many brilliant people with those initials. And there were also a lot of people who, if you weren’t told, you wouldn’t have thought they made it out of 8th grade. NO DEGREE MAKES YOU SMART. Yes, it teaches you things should you choose to learn. This is true. But it doesn’t make you able to handle life. I used to babysit a professor’s kids. He was a reknowned geologist. He was brilliant with rocks. Couldn’t figure how to match his own socks. So. . .
BOTTOM LINE
You need an income. In this day and age you need a heftier income than your parents did. A degree won’t necessarily let you make that income. It might, but there’s no guarantee. So get what you can and stop letting ANYONE make you feel guilty for no college. Hey, you’ll be the one spending your money on the things that mean something to you, NOT paying back student loans.
AND NEVER LET ANYONE MAKE YOU FEEL LESS THAN FOR NOT BEING COLLEGE-EDUCATED!!!!
EPILOGUE: The Golden Rules of plumbing. . . .
(1) Shit rolls down hill.
(2) Water helps it along.
