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mr_chip_douglas t1_j245lp6 wrote

Reply to comment by whaletacochamp in UVM too expensive by Constant_Education_4

Am 34, tradesman since 16. You are not mentioning the long hours and sometimes travel times, hard labor on your body and an often awful work environment. I also advocate for the trades, but it’s not simply “the same or more pay but no degree needed”. There are pros and cons.

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whaletacochamp t1_j248jbh wrote

Totally, but the rhetoric that now a bachelor's is worthless is total bullshit propagated by academia and the finances driving education in our country unfortunately.

But you're right, my dad has been a mechanic all of his life. Unfortunately this is probably the worst paid trade especially for regular consumer vehicles. He makes pretty good money now but he was always useless on the weekends because he would be so sore and tired and he is at the point now where he HAS to change careers because his body can't do it anymore. He has also never had benefits or retirement. That being said, guys he worked with when he was 30 now make 6 figures doing the same thing other places. So again it's way more complex than "you NEED a graduate degree these days"

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mr_chip_douglas t1_j24cgy1 wrote

Also the rhetoric of “I know insert trade that make six figures” is kind of bogus too. Again, been in the trades my whole life. It’s extremely rare to make that before late career, not living somewhere like NYC, or without insane overtime. Still, a realistic 40k-60k about 3-6 years into a trade with no formal education or training required is NOTHING to sneeze at these days.

Again, career tradesman and have zero regrets. I found a cushy job at a university that pays well and couldn’t be happier. That being said, I have a daughter. She is going to college.

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whaletacochamp t1_j24qeav wrote

>I have a daughter. She is going to college

Hopefully at the school where you work lol. My dad tried for years to become a fleet mechanic at UVM so that my sister and I could get free tuition. Applied for and got the job shortly before my sister started applying for college but had second thoughts about leaving his old job since he was working for a friend. Sister said there was NO WAY she would every stay in state so my dad declined the job offer.

Guess who ended up going to school in state? Would have saved my parents, sister, and I about $150-$200k overall if he had taken the job!

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