“I don’t want to go to college.”
These words can be very difficult to hear in most households as this has been the traditional path for so long that hearing anything other than these words at the end of a kid’s high school journey can push all the buttons.
Some households have no conversations around anything like this, and others focus solely on this “next step” in a person’s life post-high school. It’s not often there’s a healthy middle-ground discussion as to those next steps, and we’re starting a new entrepreneurial series to have a DIFFERENT conversation.
It’s important to ask ourselves why we have accepted a traditional college path as the ONLY possibility. There are SO MANY OTHER OPTIONS!
Far too often we are focused on doing all the things that everyone SHOULD do because society says so or it just has been “the way” and we feel that it’s important to focus on what’s right for a particular person.
Not everyone thrives in a typical and traditional school environment. It’s just NOT FOR EVERYONE. Period.
“For me, the traditional college path just didn’t work because I get bored really easily and if a subject in school didn't interest me, I didn't put a lot of effort into it.”
- Daniel Stall, Modesto Executive Electric’s Project Manager
Here’s a very interesting chart that shows how college attendance has evolved since 1965 and what's projected until 2029.
Reference: Statista. College enrollment in the United States from 1965 to 2018 and projections up to 2029 for public and private colleges (in millions)
As we can see, the numbers have gone up a lot over time. Now, this is great because getting educated is very important. It's just interesting to note that things have definitely shifted in this area and has been shifting for some decades now.
The one thing we want to explore in this entrepreneurial series is the fact that there are a lot of DIFFERENT educational paths that we should explore.
Also, as Kevin Simpson, our GM/VP, pointed out in a talk he gave to local Modesto, California high school students, the reality is that one has to assess the readiness for college. Not everyone graduates high school and not everyone that attends college and goes that traditional path will graduate. Also, the COST of going to a traditional college path is skyrocketing with the debt to match it just in the past decade.
So let’s look at OTHER OPTIONS!
The vocational path has so many options that really can be tailored to a person’s unique strengths. That’s what this series is going to really focus on; the ability to look at education in a sense that’s more related to a person’s STRENGTHS and really honing in on those skillsets.
Some vocational paths include:
- Welding
- Cosmetology
- Plumbing
- Carpentry
- Locksmithing
- Electrical installation and maintenance
- Motorcycle and automotive repair
- Floral design
And, more!
We, of course, are going to hone in on the electrical realm (but you knew that didn’t you)?! 😀
Did you know that you can earn WHILE you learn as an Electrical Journeyman? This isn’t the only type of apprenticeship training program that allows you to earn while you learn, but we’re diving into this and going to help you explore the Electrical Journeyman potential.
As Kevin mentioned in his talk, “ Apprenticeship training programs allow you to earn while you learn at little to no cost to you. A great resource to look at is the Western Electrical Contractors Association (WECA).”
So there’s a huge opportunity here to not take on no debt AND get paid.
Does it get any better than that?
In the next part of this series, we’re going to help you explore your NEW path!
Part 2 will be: Here’s How You Can Find Your Own Path in the Construction Industry