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cpujockey t1_j241pjz wrote

Reply to comment by tadamhicks in UVM too expensive by Constant_Education_4

> And at that point you’re not a trades person anymore, you’re an entrepreneur.

there's nothing wrong with that.

I myself owned a business before the pandemic hit doing IT services, and I had to eventually start bringing on part time help to get shit done. Made a good amount of paper here and there. Wouldn't trade that experience for anything.

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tadamhicks t1_j242gcm wrote

Agree, nothing at all wrong with it. I’m just trying to point out that there’s a spectrum out there. One of my most successful trades oriented friends went this route and ended up going back to college to study accounting and finance anyway, because they needed to know that stuff to scale their landscaping business well.

The thread is about how college is a waste and while I get that perspective, I think it’s misrepresented. I might be sensitive as I have a kid about to go on this journey…

What I think IS wasteful is college with no purpose. It’s an incredible opportunity, and many kids benefit from not pursuing it right out of high school because the endeavor is lost on them…or going slower through it. It’s unfortunate that it has become so expensive, though.

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cpujockey t1_j244lp3 wrote

I agree with your points. Frankly you are quite respectable and decent, which is a change from a lot of the folks that comment in these threads.

My belief is that we should be encouraging youth to explore many different trades and occupations before the conversation of college comes up. Some folks have talent in things they've never tried or had interest in - so giving these things a try might unlock some sort of latent potential in people.

I don't want to toot my own horn - but I come from an awful educational background, special ed til 5th grade, struggled with literacy, poor math abilities and I some how found computers made sense and it changed my life. I hope that for folks struggling out there that maybe there is something out there for them like computers are for me - an accidental hobby turned career with a most unlikely individual.

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tadamhicks t1_j245qbe wrote

I’m all for finding the fit. I love the freedom we have in our culture but it also means that we’re free to run the wrong direction quite easily. As parents we can make it worse by telling our kids to pursue their dreams, even when they’re shit at it.

It’s super hard to find out what we’re good at and then hard work to invest in honing that talent. Many people never figure that out about themselves.

As for exploration, agree wholeheartedly. As someone who did go to college, one of the aspects I valued more than any other was the emphasis on exactly that: exploration. The first two years are all about broadening the individual’s understanding of different areas and giving them a broad base, at least in major universities. They want you to know how to write and communicate clearly, but also to understand how science is performed, and to be able to understand symbolic logic (maths). Then you get to learn about political theory and world cultures, all before pursuing your major. It’s pretty cool. And yes, expensive.

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