How College Broke the Labor Market

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Anyone in college the last 20 years knows who the real villain is… the university book store

My high school used to have a construction class, they cut it due to lack of interest even though my older brother couldn't get in due to lack of space.

I have a friend that adamantly insisted on being a mechanic for years, but after years of getting treated like crap by snotty abusive corporate managers that don't view mechanics as human, he walked away. It's not just the pay, there's something very sick with how our society handles these jobs today.

In 1999 as we were graduating. Politicians came to our school to talk about all the incentives they had developed for us kids to go to University. I asked, what about those kids not going to University?" The plumbers, etc. They just glared at me and said. "If you want a good life, it's found at University. " I'll never forget that as long as I live.

Every parent will admit we need more plumbers, electricians, elevator installers etc. But no parent will want that for THEIR OWN kid. It's like the U.S. budget. Everybody wants to spend less. Ask them which program they're willing to cut, specifically, and everyone gets real quiet.

I know someone who got a job at a department store and started talking to the escalator repairman one day, just because he was talkative. The repairman liked him and was getting ready to retire so he offered him the chance to be his apprentice, have a guaranteed job and walk him through the entire process. Lucky him.

Ironically, a new building being finished at the university I work at is now delayed because of a lack of electricians.

Wait a second. I am a millennial European and I am sure Americans were told the same thing. Study, go into a good university, study there too, go into the labor market, work hard and have a good, happy, fulfilling life. Well, like many Americans, we Europeans did this exact thing. We are well educated, working hard, always striving to improve. After doing everything "by the book" I have 2 questions: 1. Where is my house? 2. Where is my Mercedes?

College becoming associated with work as opposed to education was a grave error.

I am a tradesman who went to college. I made more money as an electrician than I made as an electrical engineer when I first graduated. With that said, I chose to go to college because being an electrician takes a toll on your body once you start getting old. Furthermore, I have the expectation to make much more money as a Senior Engineer or an engineer manager than I do as a master electrician. So here is my recommendation to anyone who reads this: Unless you are very rich or intellectually gifted, join a trade after high school. Use the good money you will be making to go to college, if you wish. Nothing wrong with studying part-time. Also, it will be awesome to graduate with little to no debt and plenty of experience in the field. I, myself, did not even need an internship to start working as an engineer.

A lot of employers still require a college degree even though the job can be learned either from an internship or from a boot camp.

I'm so angry that my parents and teachers never even mentioned the trades as an option for high school grads. Everybody knew about college and the military, but I never even heard the phrase "skilled trades" until I was well into my 20s. Our parents' generation truly failed us.

I think one thing that should have been touched more upon was the physical effects of many trades on the body. The reason my family pushed me to get out of construction and food service wasn't just because they thought I'd make more money, but also because they all have had back issues and workplace injuries that an office worker wouldn't have. Both sides of the coin have their downsides, as office work isn't healthy either, but I think a factor the video didn't mention is that many youth see their parents physically damaged from trade work, and don't want the same for themselves. Not all trade work is back breaking, but a significant enough portion of it is to be off putting.

I graduated with a dual degree in electrical and computer engineering in 2019 with no debt. Today, I am employed as an engineer and highly compensated. I was extremely lucky. My nephew is about to graduate high school and everyone in my family except me has been pressuring him to get a 4 year degree. They're using me as an example, even though I am not by any means a realistic meter stick. He isn't like me, and he certainly would not succeed in a bachelor's program. I'm the only one urging him to attend a trade school. He likes to work with his hands and see people smile. I don't do that. I spend most of my time running simulations, arguing in meetings, and designing computer systems. He doesn't want to be me, but our family still won't let up. I find it deeply upsetting.

I used to date this girl in Denmark, who had gone to college for the last 6 years, and she has spent months constantly applying to new jobs with no luck

The worst part: federal student loans financed the explosion in college enrollment, but many dropped out, or took non-college jobs. And still had to pay student loans.

I'm in my 40s. When I was a kid, it was "go to college or you'll end up flipping burgers." As an adult, it flipped it "what's the matter mister college man? Too proud to flip burgers?" I'm in the group that regrets having gone to college. I think I would have benefited from taking time after high school to choose a direction instead of just picking one. So it goes.

“And when everyone’s super, no one will be…”

This video left out one important factor for people in their 60s and 70s. When I graduate from high school in 1968, the choice was either go to college and get a deferment or be drafted for Vietnam. Millions chose college. It would have been much better for me to have taken a year or two off and worked so I knew what I wanted to do and what I was interested in. I think for myself I lacked the maturity to choose a proper major and to fully take advantage of the educational opportunities in college. I think the whole idea of high school students immediately going to college in part arose from this era when failing to go meant being drafted. I would encourage everyone to take a year or two off after high school to learn about themselves and what they want to do with their lives.