I have a degree in mechanical engineering. I have never wanted for a job. I started out in the US Coast Guard after high school and I didn't want to go back to school. After the military, I took an apprenticeship in pipefitting in the shipyards. I was a pipefitter for 10 years. I went back to school after watching a young friend fall 60 feet from a girder and die. I figured I klutzy enough I would eventually get hurt. It took 7 years to get myself through all the classes I had to take while working and I wasn't the smartest student, but I passed. I went back into construction and today I work with pipefitters, electricians, welders, millwrights, and every trade you can think of. My daughter wants to be a human rights lawyer someday, she has great grades and is going to university on a full acedemic scholarship. I have great respect for those tradesmen and my daughter. Education comes in many forms. you should always keep an open mind and learn in whatever role you take in life.

I would never give up my education, it’s the one thing that can never be taken away. However, I don’t think that college is for everyone and I also don’t think that 18 yr olds should be pushed to start college as soon as they finish high school. Give them time to learn who they are and what they want.

I am an engineer working in the oil industry. I make good money with four years of college and I have no debt.
I work with operators who make good money with a high school diploma. Some make more than me.

The most palatable difference between us isn‘t necessarily white collar vs blue collar. You definitely Need to respect their knowledge and what they contribute. It is job security. I feel confident that I can basically get a job again easy in 6 months if I got laid off unexpectedly without much loss in seniority and pay. I don‘t sense the same confidence from them. There is just so much more competition that they have to contend with for high paying blue collar jobs than for high paying white collar jobs. Seems like you often have to know someone to get an edge (there are more father-son, father-daughter pairs among the operators).

It worked for me. The two most important things:

• Choose the major very carefully. You want a major that will pay for itself, not make you an expert on ancient Mesopotamia.

• Borrow as little as possible, none at all if it's doable. Avoid debt as much as possible. Work, work, work while in college. It is better to take longer completing a degree than to cram so much coursework into each semester that work is impractical or impossible. This also has the benefit of allowing significant work experience on one's resume after graduation. Having a degree AND work experience is more impressive than having a degree and NO work experience. Additionally, AFTER college, make paying off student debt your #1 top priority. There will be plenty of time later for acquiring material things.

All of this said, one does not need a college degree to make good money. As I said, it worked for me, but I know plenty of folks with a degree and a job doing something completely unrelated for a career, making peanuts. I also know people who make more than I do who never finished high school.

In the end, it's more about work ethic, persistence, ambition, and determination than it is about one's background. The go-getters will be the ones who get ahead.

I have two degrees and I made more money before I got them. It's a waste of time as all the markets are over saturated.

I wish I could go back and attend a trade school so I could start a career right after high school. I always hated school and refused to go to college after graduation, not wanting to further subject myself to studies I was not interested in but was obligated to pass. I wholeheartedly disagree that a high school diploma is not deserved by those who don't find algebra worth their brain power. I went to work after high school, and now wish I had some sort of formal training and a clear career path. Those I know who attended a trade school are leaps and bounds ahead of me financially and professionally (no college debt, more time to hone their craft). The way things are currently, having not gone to a traditional four year college, I am no worse off than my peers who did. In fact, I currently make more than most people I know who have a degree, and have less financial stress due to a smaller student loan from an online course (which still wasn't worth the money, btw). If I were to have kids, the choice would be theirs - however, given my experience, I would recommend trade school.

Based on my experience and observation, with a 4-year degree you learn HOW to learn. A Master’s makes you capable in some specialty. In assessing the value of my education, aside from a significant economic advantage, I recognized the abyss of my ignorance as I learned more and more (that’s a good thing); while humbling, it fuels the need to continue learning. Had I not had the opportunity to go to college, I’m quite sure I would have succeeded in a trade because of my attitude. So, while education is valuable, attitude is far more important.

I put a lot of stock in it. If I had kids, it depends. I they were academically curious and smart, I'd want them to go to college. If they had no interest in academics, were not interested in a career that required a degree, then some trade or tech school would be fine. I'd want to make sure the trade is not one that will be soon replaced by automation.

My daughter was fortunate enough to get a scholarship and grants so she shouldn't be spending years paying off her education. I agree that college isn't for everyone but I do have a problem with parents actively discouraging education.

I wonder if we make education so difficult to attain so that we won't have an educated/involved voting population? I think a lot of people vote with their 'feels' instead of their 'heads', not so much because they aren't intelligent, but because they don't know how to do research. Hmmm. I started to type that 'we need free education....' and wound up here. As for apprenticeships or trades, that should also be an option.

I don't have a problem with my kids going to a trade/tech school after high school.

I wanted to go to college and was even accepted at a prestigious private school. It was a laugh since there was no way I could afford this school (and this was a long time ago when college was more affordable). Through luck, and the GI bill I got to go to a university and majored in something I thought I could never use (European History). Luckily I minored in business which I was able to use. However, history has been a source of amazing knowledge and I continuously study it (WWI is my specialty) and it has been invaluable on this site. But that's just me.

My late partner had 2 sons. One got a full scholarship and went on to medical school and became a specialist and is now a well paid doctor. The other son couldn't be bothered with college and got his associates degree just to please his mother. BUT, he has a remarkable talent for computers and has been sent around the world as a consultant. He brags about his low college degree and the fact he makes almost as much money as his older brother (they both compete as to who can get the best Audi).

Another complex answer to a simple idea. One thing is for sure this country lags other countries in the emphasis on tech. schools.

I'm pro education if one has a solid idea what they want to do and a plan to get there. Going into debt for a degree seems like a bad idea.

Not all children have the aptitude to handle college. It would be best to take your child to a counselor and see if that's what they really want to do. Grades have a lot to do with it. Attitude plays another part of it. My son spent 6 months talking about it and getting pats on the back and being the center of attention and the last minute changed his mind. Pissed me off. He's making a good go of being a mechanic. My oldest daughter has 2 degrees and teaches school. I personally had the determination to learn as many trades I could. Get nationally certified and carry my cards. I (had) belonged to 2 unions. Welders then machinist.

I see too many people saddle with college loans not being able to get good paying work due to the courses or degrees they have. If pursuing a college degree you need to check the hiring rates and pay scales of your intended profession. After a year and a half at a junior college I opted out for trade school as I have one of those 'mechanical minds, glad I did. Now retired with a good pension plus SSI at a high rate and an IRA. A lot of trades are very high paying.

Depends on the person and the outcome. Glad you mentioned non-traditional routes to professional education. A four year degree isn't a "One size fits all" solution but that's the way it is sold to the population. We would do better looking at it from an outcome perspective (What do you want to DO?) mated to centuries of already available metrics and information publicly available from the DoL and state labor departments. Zero offense intended but we don't need a generation of massage therapists, forensic techs, and nurse's aides, but here we are, churning them out anyway. We cling to the falsehood of "What do you want to BE?" An individual isn't their occupation; this mistake hinders scores of people when they are retired or become disabled, and many end their lives needlessly depressed when they realize they bought into a con and can't get their time,energy or effort back. It's heartbreaking. Sorry, was a career counselor for the state UC office in a very economically depressed area that was allergic to common sense. Hits close to home.

It depends what you get in to.

Go into Finance or Engineering.

But trades are always needed.

There are master plumbers out there that can clear 100k a year. I know an elevator tech that make 125k a year after 20 years in the trade.