I was hoping someone would mention this. I’m a contractor. I put myself through college working as a carpenter and stayed with it because I preferred the work. I didn’t like office work and construction paid well. Much like many jobs, if you apply yourself and take your work seriously, there is a solid, reliable path to a comfortable life laid out for you in the trades. As an extreme example, my electrician, who is extremely intelligent and had near 4.0 in high school, went directly in to the union at 18. He’s 40 now, never had college debt and his net worth is north of 2 million with no debt. He’s planning to retire at 50. My plumber managed to buy a house in the Bay Area and put three kids through college in the UC system debt free. They’re business owners. Down the ladder, a skilled and reliable worker can earn a solid middle class wage, with benefits and pension. It can be a tough job to age in, but it definitely doesn’t have to be as you can trade on your knowledge and experience rather than physicality as you age. Also, for those who say you miss so much enrichment and enlightenment in college, that’s true to an extent, but I’ve found that many college graduates don’t remember much of the philosophy, literature, etc. they learned and don’t much care. For many, college is a check mark on a resume, not a place to expand your mind. I know people in construction without degrees who are avid readers and deep thinkers. We read out of care and curiosity, not compulsion.

I was hoping someone would mention this. I’m a contractor. I put myself through college working as a carpenter and stayed with it because I preferred the work. I didn’t like office work and construction paid well. Much like many jobs, if you apply yourself and take your work seriously, there is a solid, reliable path to a comfortable life laid out for you in the trades. As an extreme example, my electrician, who is extremely intelligent and had near 4.0 in high school, went directly in to the union at 18. He’s 40 now, never had college debt and his net worth is north of 2 million with no debt. He’s planning to retire at 50. My plumber managed to buy a house in the Bay Area and put three kids through college in the UC system debt free. They’re business owners. Down the ladder, a skilled and reliable worker can earn a solid middle class wage, with benefits and pension. It can be a tough job to age in, but it definitely doesn’t have to be as you can trade on your knowledge and experience rather than physicality as you age. Also, for those who say you miss so much enrichment and enlightenment in college, that’s true to an extent, but I’ve found that many college graduates don’t remember much of the philosophy, literature, etc. they learned and don’t much care. For many, college is a check mark on a resume, not a place to expand your mind. I know people in construction without degrees who are avid readers and deep thinkers. We read out of care and curiosity, not compulsion.

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