| Media is really selling the "trade school" thing HARD lately. I recently was talking to a relative of mine who is in his freshman year of college. He wanted to drop out because "If I am an electrician, I can be making 80k in 5 years" So, I decided to fact check his thoughts here. If you look online, you can see in the average pay in his area is really more around 40k. So he is already being lied to. 25% of what a software engineer can make, for back-breaking, dangerous labor. Sounds like a great deal to me. I feel like this comment, among others in this thread, really hits the nail on the head. I want to focus on how hard a lot of trades are on your body. You do not realize how IMPORTANT maintaining your body is until you are a bit older and in pain. You only get one body. A lot of trades, specifically electricians, lead to overexertion and stress injuries. I'm 29 right now, and I have recently decided to get my health in order. I know several people who were injured during high-school sports, who are now basically unable to exercise without pain. A few others were in the army, and it shot their knees. My father was a funeral director for 30 [0] years, and he suffers from similar stress injuries. You do not understand how profound an effect stress injuries can have on your life until they happen. Consider the opportunities you are losing out on. Working out and getting fit? Painful. In danger of further injury, further disabling you. That hiking trip you wanted to go on? Walking a few miles? Visiting a foreign country? Playing in an intermural sport? Keeping up with your children? Standing somewhere for a long period of time? 0: 30 years, not 50. If it was 50 he would have been directing funerals as a toddler xD |