Every parent would like to see their children be successful so "Go to college/university and get a good job" is drummed into the younger folks. Schools are in the business of preparing kids for college. I can't see many parents or schools telling little Johnny "You should become a stonemason".
Little Johnny might be very poor academically, not for lack of intelligence but simply lack of interest. HIS strength may very well be auto mechanics or woodworking but IF that particular skill is not recognized and nurtured he may easily become a drop out and thus a failure in the eyes of society simply because he didn't go to college.
We should guide young people toward careers that match their aptitude and interests. Some schools do that and others don't. We should have technical colleges or community colleges with technical programs that students are encouraged to go to and that they can afford to attend. In many areas, trade schools are private and are very expensive.
I realize many advise all students the same and that's unfortunate. I can point to specific high schools in Mississippi that discourage all students from any four year college. Whether they feel the students are too dumb or they recognize how horrible their school is, I can't say.
I'll toss out one other thing that would help and that is cooperative programs between these community colleges and industry. Industry with needs should be able to approach them and get training programs. Then graduates of those programs will have employment waiting. I recall years ago a community college in Asheboro, NC, not far from High Point, NC the center of the furniture industry, put in a commercial photography program, working with the furniture industry. Everyone who completed the program had a job waiting in High Point. The furniture companies there only wanted these photographers as they were trained in exactly what they needed.
One problem is most kids don't really have a very good opportunity to explore their aptitude and interests. They don't discover what they'd like to do in English class nor do they do so working after school in fast food. That's why over 1/3 of college graduates changed their major along the way on top of those who never finished. That's on top of the 40% who don't get degrees where they start. Sadly, those in the STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) are changing out of those fields the most with over 50% of those who start as Math majors changing.
I don't have numbers, but suspect trade schools see the same or greater changes. Are we counseling poorly or are we expecting kids to choose too soon? How do we get young people greater exposure to careers they might excel in? I know some parents do an excellent job of helping their kids find the right fit while others select fit based on what the parent wants, not considering the kid. My parents had a path picked out for me and while my father died while I was in college, my mother was furious when I told her I wasn't going to grad school or into the prescribed career. She made it clear I was getting no more help from her and I told her I was expecting none, had an apartment leased and job interviews set up and had money saved she was unaware of.
I know at the orphanage we have a college and career counselor there regularly and we try to get kids summer jobs that match their future interests. We encourage continuing their education. Fortunately, the local community college 20,000 students while the local state college has 29,000 and they can attend either while living at the orphanage at no cost since they're considered foster children. The community college has great programs with business and has programs across a huge range of professions and trades. The vast majority of their grads who don't intend to transfer for a four year degree have jobs before they graduate. Schools like they are do a lot toward making non college routes acceptable and encouraging them. We have many kids who have found very good careers through their programs from diesel mechanic to heavy equipment mechanic to fire and medic persons to one policewoman to Nursing to Pharmacy Tech to web developer to hospitality to dental hygiene to web developing to construction to welding. Some of the trades mentioned in this discussion don't exist in that area. We did have one who is now employed at one of Duke Power's Nuclear Plants.
How well does the orphanage do toward helping kids figure it out? About 80% continue as they plan. 20% change course. I think you should always have some to change plans and courses as they learn more and know even years down the road many will change.
Enlist in the Navy have good math skills pass a rigorous exam for nuculear power training, operate a nuck power plant, 6 years later leave the Navy for a six figure salary.
