HELP! Straight A honor student now wants technical college

pensive123
Sun, 04 Jan 2009 21:23:24 +0000

I advised my own son to graduate from college and then go to a technical school to get job-training, because he always wanted to ‘work with his hands’.

I suggested the college route first so he would always have that back-up. What if he discovered a job requiring a college degree that he would like to do when he’s in his 30’s, with a family to support? I reasoned that if he had already gotten the college degree in his young adulthood, that would be ‘locked in’, and all he would have to do is take about 12 college courses and he would then have that new college major. A LOT easier to add to an already existing college degree than to have to start.

Has your stepson considered that manual jobs are hard on the body, and most men past a certain age, like early to mid-40’s, have developed arthritis or something else which makes it hard to do the work? It’s awfully nice to have a back-up plan at that time.

I knew a car mechanic who was making big bucks during the day, but was using his college degree by teaching astronomy courses at night at the local university (actually I think he had a master’s). He said he couldn’t afford to just teach full-time as he was paid too much as a mechanic, but when he retired from car mechanics, he could smoothly move right into a full-time or whatever position as a college teacher.

It’s nice to create options for yourself when you are in your early 20’s and not bound by obligations yet.

I hope your stepson listens!