I’m Not Sure What I Want To Do For A Living: Tips On Career Decisions
How did they do it? How did Barack Obama figure out he wanted to be the president of the United States one day? What helped Elon Musk decided to become an entrepreneur? Is there a course to take, or a book to read, about how to decide on a career? Don’t be concerned if you’re […]
Are You “Cut Out” For A Trade?
I composed that headline with a sense of bitter irony. Most high-school counselors and a good portion of the general public tend to think that the only people entering the trades are those “not cut out for college.” Put more bluntly, they think college is for smart kids while the worst students gravitate toward the […]
The Science Behind Online Quizzes Get Reward With Valuable Information
Engaging their curiosity makes students hungry to learn. It’s this natural curiosity that draws us to online quizzes. In a best-case scenario, we answer questions and gain insight about ourselves or a subject that interests us. And then sometimes, we come across those “what color is your aura” kind of quizzes. There goes 5 to […]
Student Loan Defaults Keep Rising
Regular readers of this blog know that a subject I hammer on repeatedly is the high cost of college and the dubious return on investment that brings for many college graduates – even worse for college dropouts. If you’re in the mood for a review, check out this blog from last August. Bringing me back […]
The Skilled Trades Go High Tech
One of the biggest myths of working in the trades is that it involves a lot of physical grunt work. The image most of the public holds of trade workers is of a muscular individual who gets paid more for brawn than brains. If that was ever true, it’s certainly not the case anymore. The […]
Companies Galore Look For Skilled Trade Workers
I’m a news junkie. As a journalist by calling, that’s to be expected. My daily reading list (mostly online nowadays) includes the Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Economist magazine, Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune (my hometown daily newspapers) and a local suburban newspaper to keep up with neighborhood goings on. Plus, I visit […]
Message To White House: We Need More Plumbers
Message To White House: We Need More Plumbers Several months ago I wrote about a movement afoot to boost apprenticeship training. This was highlighted by President Trump signing an Executive Order directing the Departments of Labor and Education to look at new ways to jump start apprenticeship in high schools. Momentum towards that goal continued […]
Mother Nature & The Trades
First, the bad news: In August Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath created misery throughout the city of Houston and Texas’ Gulf Coast, delivering unprecedented flooding and property damage. Scores of people lost their lives and tens of thousands of homes were destroyed or severely damaged in Houston alone, more than were expected to be built […]
Reason #6 Why College Is A Lousy Deal
My past five blogs have explained why I think college is not a good idea for many of you reading this. A short summary of those reasons are: 1. The market for college graduates is saturated. 2. Grade inflation has diminished the quality of a college degree. 3. College education has morphed into indoctrination. 4. […]
Reason #5 Why College Is A Lousy Deal
This reason escapes a lot of peoples’ notice. Most folks make a distinction between college and vocational education. They think of them as separate entities, i.e., higher education versus learning a trade. Even worse is the widespread conviction among the general public and high school advisory counselors that college is for smart kids while the […]