College or Vocational Program?

 In the United States, the thought is that high school graduates will attend college and that is the road to success. 

That being said, we read reports of job sites halting projects because there are not enough electricians or plumbers for the job. 

There seems to be the belief that the only road to success is college. However, college graduates are leaving college or graduating with huge debt. Many times they have difficulty finding jobs and many are unhappy in their jobs. 

I don't think we have to persuade kids with low school motivation into trades but we need to allow children and teens to become aware of their strengths or "gifts" and help them find their place in the world. 

Some people are more agile than others when it comes to using tools and building, such a person would not be at peak joy in front of a computer analyzing data no matter how much money they make. 

We need to stop placing jobs and professions on scaffolding with certain jobs on top and others on the bottom. 

The person with callouses that builds furniture with a smile and passion is just as important as the person that buys that furniture for their medical office. The key is to find and help teens where they feel not just "passion" but a sense of pride and accomplishment by utilizing the strengths and " gifts" they were born with. 

One can also attend college and then become a house painter. College is about learning and growing. It seems as if we see college as a vocational institution but it truly is not. When we start college we all take the same classes and later focus on the core classes of our major. This is for intellectual growth that doesn't equate to a job. 

We live in a rather unhappy country and if you look up the statistics there is a lot of substance use and abuse, and a large number of people on antidepressants and antianxiety medication. Domestic violence, divorce and let's not forget mass shootings. We can and need to do better as a society. 

Let's look at our strengths, and our kids' strengths and quit being judgemental. Let's embrace all studies, all professionals including trades. 

Thank you for reading and think good thoughts!