Is vocational school a good idea?

scansmom
Fri, 30 Apr 2010 17:04:41 +0000

I think that really depends on what your career interests are. My S is currently studying engineering but due to his Asperger’s we really debated whether he should go into engineering or perhaps study engineering technology instead. He’s clearly bright enough for engineering but is more hands on and not into academics so I wasn’t sure he could even make it through an engineering program, and although he could easily handle more routine/repetitive type engineering tasks (testing, lab work etc) even he was not sure about how he would do in a more demanding position that might require more design or creativity. Since he was really interested in chemical engineering and there are not many technology programs for this, he decided to give engineering a shot. He still has one more yr left so the jury is still out on where he will end up, and he could easily end up in a more engineering technology-type job, but at least with the degree he will have more flexibility to move up or do other things if he proves himself capable.

BTW, there are several 4-yr Engineering Technology degree programs around at traditional colleges as well as 2 and 3 yr programs, so that could be an option if you still want the full 4-yr “college experience”. Also here’s a link to a nice site that provides a lot of info on different careers in science, engineering, technology, math, etc

[Sloan Career Cornerstone Center: Careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math & Healthcare](http://www.careercornerstone.org/)