Good Paying Jobs without College Education

You're painting with a broad brush there.

 

Well I was referring to a broad societal trend. For the most part the millenial generation, as a whole, has been much more coddled than previous generations before it, even my own, gen-x. The evidence I believe is undeniable.

 

The fact that that generation requires "safe spaces" and "trigger warnings" suggests otherwise.

 

As a millennial (although a very old one), I tend to agree.

 

Same here...geezer millennial ('81). I hate being grouped like that. It isn't about how old you are...it's about how you live your life. Just because you were born in the 70s instead of the 80s or 90s doesn't make you any harder working, financially fit, or self sufficient than me.

As a whole....maybe (depending in the day) I could agree with that. I tend to think there is enough good to outweigh the bad though .

It really irritates me when the generation that raised us complains about us.

 

I had to look those up. Seems kinda silly but being offended has become a badge of honor lately. That's a shame.

I firmly believe everyone has the God given right to be offended and should be thankful we live in a free country where you can say what you want and feel what you want to feel. That, however, doesn't give you license to demonize those who offend you which has too often become the case.

If someone wants to give a courtesy "trigger warning" more power to them. Just don't expect me to do it.

 

I couldn't agree more with the advice of looking at any slilled trade. If it interests a young person, being good at a trade gives an option of employment, or starting their own business.
I have a handful of college degrees-but I agree that they over rated. As an educator, I tell young people and their parents to view college as an investment. My profession required me to have a Bachelors, a Masters, and a second Masters level certificate. I got them all at a state college-except for my Bachelors, which I got at a local private college that had discounted tuition in their evening program. For me, all of my tuition cost has been rewarded by getting a job, and then getting promotions based on my additional education. It doesn't work that way for everyone.

 

That would be me, I raised 3 millenials, and I agree, I hate broad strokes. My kids have generally turned out well and work hard. And I remember when my generation was the one being painted with broad strokes, and I hated it then as well.

All my kids have degrees. One is likely going to go into graduate studies someday. English, Music, and Biology. None of them have a job (yet) that requires a degree, but I have no regrets whatsoever that they did the degree. Not financially worth it, but they "grew up" at school, and 2 met and married their spouses. Hard to put a price on that. But we were living in another country at the time, and it also helped their transition back to the US.

All that to say - don't rule it out, and likewise don't do it because "all the other kids are." Do what is right for your family.

There are trades that pay well, and IT work does as well. I think the direction to go will become more clear as the time approaches.

 

I didn't read all the posts to the thread so my response might be the same was another.
My 2 cents; Trades are one of the first thoughts that would fit your no college needed
job. Personally I did not go to college and right out of high school I started in the construction
trades and have done well for the last 28 years. I am also a correction officer for the state of
Massachusetts and that is also a position no college experience needed is ok. Lastly, would
be learning a technical skill either by going into the armed forces or learning them at a tech
school after graduating.
My son has a college degree from state university and works for the wreckers union making
union wages. My daughter has an associates degree and is a surgical tech at a Boston hospital.

There are plenty of things out there

 

I'm '82. I see all the things that people complain about millennials and understand the complaints, but I also know that someone born in the early 80's doesn't really count as a millennial. I remember using a PC pre-windows and knowing DOS commands. I've used rotary phones. I remember when large families used station wagons and mini-vans were just taking off, and nobody drove an SUV unless they needed to. I probably send 10 texts a week and get on facebook once a week when I'm bored. I drank craft beers before it was cool lol!

It doesn't really bother me when the older generations complain about us. I don't complain too much about the baby boomers, but I do complain a lot about the "greatest generation" that spoiled and raised the boomers (and hippies) and the "lost generation" that voted in FDR 4 freakin times!! I think all of society's problems point back to those 2 generations.

 

I was born in 77 and some of the timelines show me on the cusp of being a millenial but I think you're right and most people consider millenials to be those born in the late 80's to early 90's. I complain about millenials being soft, whiny and entitled which many of them are but to be objective it's not entirely their fault when we consider that's just how they were raised. It may be true that the the boomers were spoiled by their parents to some extent but it's nothing compared to how the millenials have been spoiled. I think it's a natural instinct for each generation to want to spoil their children. As a late gen xer I think it's fair to say I was spoiled by boomer parents who never had it quite as good as I did. But who's responsible for the millenials? Is it tail end boomers, the first gen xers or a little of both? Whoever it is should have their collective parenting cards revoked ASAP. They've the taken the notion of spoiling and coddling their kids to the extreme.


I don't know what generational name has been picked out for my four and five year olds, gen Z I think. However the stuff that is currently going on at our colleges, universities and media with all of the PC social justice stuff is truly Orwellian and frightening. I'm expecting a Catholic priest to be showing up any minute now to deliver last rites for the 1st amendment. The boomers don't seem to care because they're on the way out and just want to be left alone to enjoy their remaining days. That leaves a lot of genxers like myself who are currently raising kids to freak out when looking at the world we're giving to our kids. A PC world gone mad.

The one thing my wife and I want our kids to understand if nothing else is that life is not fair, never has been, never will be so quit your pizzing and moaning and get on with it. It makes me think of a line from a song by a band called Black Box Recorder. The line is "life is unfair, kill yourself or get over it." Most parents these days seem to have a inexplicably overinflated sense of the importance of their children to this world. We want our children to know every day of their lives that the world neither owes them anything nor revolves around them. I just hope this serves them well in dealing with the rising tide fascist totalitarianism.

 

Has education always been this political? Why don't we all take a step back from the political narratives and open our eyes to the real world around us. I went to college and I don't live in my parent's basement. In fact I have a great job, locally, in my area of study - software engineering.

Can trades jobs pay well? Absolutely, though you're usually working more than 40 hours per week if you are. Ultimately, it comes down to being happy in your career path. I think that's where some folks get into trouble with college. Most 18 year olds have no clue what they want to do with the rest of their lives. Owing to it's relatively high price these days, it should really be a carefully considered investment. I didn't go to college until I was 24. Now I'm 37; college loans paid in full, and I've been a software engineer for 13 years.

 

If you raise your kids like that I think they’re turn out more than ok. I firmly believe the only reason (some) millennials act like whiney entitled brats is because their parents and the schools raised them that way. Parents gave in to temper tantrums in store aisles when their kids wanted a new toy. Parents let them watch Barney where “I love you, you love me”. Schools started giving everybody blue participation ribbons. Schools made them play games at in which there was never a winner or loser.


Heck, like you mention I think it’ll get worse for the next generation. My daughter’s in 3rd grade and I have yet to see a letter grand like and “A, B, or C” or a percentage grade like “100%, 92%, 84%, 67%” on any of her work in her 4 years of school. How is she ever going to succeed in life if she isn’t properly judged now? It truly is a PC world gone mad.

 

Another young x-er here, 77. My young daughters will do as I did, community college and then transfer to an in state college to finish a stem degree. The college will be big name, uw, and they will love it. Employers love to hire fellow alumni. I am guilty of this too.

It's not very expensive. Online degrees are not equivalent. They can always "fall back" to a trade but I don't want my girls in a blue collar job. Maybe if they were boys.

There are zillions of great jobs out there opening up as the huge boomer generation vacates. Pensions are still common if you look.

 

What if your daughters don't like that plan?

 

Agree what's been said. I'm a young gen xer also, '78. I tried college, had perfect grades but wasn't made to work indoors and decided not to finish. Wish I would've gotten my associates, just to have a piece of paper. I've worked about every trade job in construction, soaking knowledge along the way. Ran large construction projects making close to six figures but realized being that tied up and traveling wasn't for me either. For years I changed jobs about every two years but landed in my current position, Director of Maintenance, for local school district where I've utilized my broad scope of trade knowledge. They treat me well and it's very family friendly since my daughters are in the school. Key is to get up and go to "work" everyday. Whether that's a paying job or school, sitting back and waiting for the perfect deal isn't the answer.



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I think we all know that there is no such thing as "the perfect deal" as you put it jtstromsburg. But going back to what my original argument was; young people are being sold a bill of goods when they're pretty much guaranteed that taking out large student loans is going to pay off in the long run. I'd say for more than half it doesn't and the result is that they're saddled with huge amounts of debt that limit the possibilities for their lives. If there is any silver lining in the cloud at all I think that it's the fact that more young people and their parents seem to be waking up to this harsh reality and entering the educational arena with much more caution.

Here's a pretty good article on the subject.

 

My kids are way too young to be thinking about careers yet. I asked my son what he wanted to be and he said "a baseball player or maybe a deer hunter". The only advice I'll give them is to stay out of corporate America, or at least have a viable exit plan.

The only career advice my dad gave me was to pick something that you can be better than almost everybody else at. I listened to him, but wish I hadn't. I'm plenty good at my job, but honestly can't see myself doing it for much longer. I'm going to try to tough it out 5 more years, which will coincide with my 40th birthday and possible mid-life crisis. I really don't know what I want to do after that, but I know it isn't what I'm doing now. Deer hunter sounds pretty good though.

I've come to realize that the work you do isn't quite as important as the environment in which you do it...for me anyway.