College vs skilled trades.

[ranchhand02]

I have a BS in Accounting from Pitt and a MBA from WVU. All I want to do is be a farmer. I do that on the side now but hope to make it my full time gig in 10 years when I retire at 50 and do whatever I want.

That is my goal also. I work in the oil and gas industry, but I plant to retire and run cattle.

 

[Doc Holliday]

If you want more time to hunt, I'd do a skilled trade....Though career choice will likely end up having less of an influence as who you choose for your spouse, and how many kids you bring into the world.

Also, the richest people I know either don't have college degrees, or the way they make their money has nothing to do with having a degree. I think the question should have been blue collar vs white collar. Unless you are in a specialized field, bachelors degrees are just pieces of paper in most instances.....they aren't the key to another room anymore, and haven't been for 20+ years.

 

[mntnguide]

I'll take my zero student loans and 120k+ yearly salary over that piece of paper people feel so inclined to get. Journeyman Lineman here as well as others on this thread... got paid to learn, could go anywhere in the country to work if i want. And could easily go travel and make double or triple my current pay if i was wanting to chase storms or live in California.

Its not fun work always, plenty of days suck. But it's bought me a house in western Wyoming where i get to chase bulls and bucks freely every year. Depends on what you are looking for in life, I want to make a good amount and live where i want, so i went to trade school and it's worked out for me. I also have taken it upon myself to study and learn the stock market and play around with my extra funds there which has only benefited my future as i continue to learn how to make money there.



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[Thunder]

The difference between skilled trades and college based careers is when retirement comes a lot of the bodies of the skilled tradesmen are beat to fock and worn down. Thats been my experience. Background is electrical contracting and currently take care of a couple retired lineman that "everything hurts".

I'll recommend my kids to go to college but will support whatever decision they decide. There will be enough money that by the time they graduate high school they likely will not have to work for a living anyhow. And I'm ok with that. Life's too short to work, go play hard. I type this on sunday and I'm in the office getting stuff ready for Monday....

 

[JPeters218]

Does anyone really like to work? If you won the lottery you would still go strap on your tool belt? I work hard so my family can live a nice life. If money was not a concern I could find plenty of things to do that would make me happy, and none of those are work.

If money was not a concern, then I would not be doing it full time. But I could definitely see myself helping out from time to time just for something to do

 

[MattB]

If you want more time to hunt, I'd do a skilled trade....Though career choice will likely end up having less of an influence as who you choose for your spouse, and how many kids you bring into the world.

Also, the richest people I know either don't have college degrees, or the way they make their money has nothing to do with having a degree. I think the question should have been blue collar vs white collar. Unless you are in a specialized field, bachelors degrees are just pieces of paper in most instances.....they aren't the key to another room anymore, and haven't been for 20+ years.

I guess it depends on where you live, who you know, and what you do for a living, but your comments on wealth generation and the importance of a college degree are contrary to my experience in corporate America. There were quite a few folks with non-business/finance degrees in finance, but a person with only a high school education would not even get an interview in my former industry. Once I graduated from ag lending, I can’t think of a single client across a wide variety of industries (real estate lending to contractors to biotech/pharma to tech) that lacked a college degree.

 

[cnelk]

 

[Doc Holliday]

I guess it depends on where you live, who you know, and what you do for a living, but your comments on wealth generation and the importance of a college degree are contrary to my experience in corporate America. There were quite a few folks with non-business/finance degrees in finance, but a person with only a high school education would not even get an interview in my former industry. Once I graduated from ag lending, I can’t think of a single client across a wide variety of industries (real estate lending to contractors to biotech/pharma to tech) that lacked a college degree.

I said the richest people I know. I didn't say most of the wealthy people I know. Big difference.

One of them is a Billionaire....with a B. First one to ever come out of my hometown.

Whats more important to really making money is the employee or business owner mentality. People who are hungry and have the drive to get paid are going to make it happen. People who want to suck on a teet are going to do that. Nothing wrong with either, the world needs both chiefs and Indians.

 

[FLATHEAD]

Zoologist from home?

Degree in Zoology, work in Agriculture.
Not what I had planned, for sure.
Crazy huh?

 

[hunting1]

I have a degree and did it to get interviews. I am married to a college professor and we discuss this topic a good amount. I know so many who have years of school and debt and are dumber than a box of rocks with huge debt. I learned more doing carpentry and in the military than I ever learned in school. We need tradesmen! My $.02

 

[cnelk]

No college for me.

I’d put up my degree from the School of Hard Knocks against a Masters Degree anytime

 

[11boo]

College dropout and Master electrician. Retired at 54. Thing about the trades is you can’t stop once you get comfortable making fair money. Find a niche, an area that will pay you more for your skill set.
Mine was learning the trade on the commercial electrical side, then moving into big motor control and automation.

 

[Anglo-American]

There seems to be a lot of hype around skilled trades lately. I think it's just that, hype. People will recommend learning a trade over getting a good college degree. I don't get it. Everyone and their mother claim these tradesmen are making 100k a year. A simple look at BLS average salaries says otherwise.

I'm not saying they're not needed. I'm just saying I think they have become overrated as career options lately.

What do you guys think?


EDIT: Now, obviously, if you get a worthless degree then a skilled trade would be way better.

I've a job offer in New Hampshire for $109k a year starting wage.
Very quickly that can rise to $120k per year.

As much overtime as I want to.

Job: carpentry and general remodeling.

Even though I'm married to an American with kids who are dual citizens we've now all but given up on it as legal immigration from the UK has as best as we can figure out been stopped for at least the last three years we've been trying.
Thousands of £££ down, and an American spouse and a so called "key skill" and job offers for both myself and the wife mean nothing.


Anyway, to your point of $100k a year, you can earn sh*t and earn well in the trades in the States currently.
That depends on you.

 

[idig4au]

I work in my degree field (mining) and graduated with very little student debt. I worked summers in the mines (for industry experience) had scholarships, a few grants and a little help from the parents. I now make mid six figures per year and get to travel all over the world for work, and pleasure (hunting). So I can’t say my engineering degree or time in college was a waste. Quite the opposite as my “piece of paper” has opened a lot of doors for me.

As with anything, your reward is the result of the effort and sacrifices you put in to it. It’s also about positioning yourself in the line of work that you are passionate about. It’s also important to have realistic expectations regarding earning potential of chosen career field. It’s not always about money, but unfortunately money is required to pay the bills and put food on the table.

I certainly don’t think one can go wrong with a career in the trades or in specialized STEM fields as long as one is prepared to work. There is a huge shortage of people in trades and there are great opportunities to get established as a sole proprietor that could be lucrative endeavors. There are huge shortages in the natural resources industry that is only going to get worse in time. Do some research and get specialized in a field where there is a need and then it’s up to you to make it happen

 

[roadrunner]

No college for me.

I’d put up my degree from the School of Hard Knocks against a Masters Degree anytime

Some of us have both...

 

[crich]

I think a PHD in gender studies is totally worth it, even if you take out 300K in student loans. We need to build back better and that means education over work.


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Hahah yep... and of course "truth over facts."

 

[Sherman]

Does anyone really like to work? If you won the lottery you would still go strap on your tool belt? I work hard so my family can live a nice life. If money was not a concern I could find plenty of things to do that would make me happy, and none of those are work.

I love to work. Whether it is at work, in the gym, in the boxing gym, in the yard, or hiking in the mountains. I love the feeling of being drained physically knowing I made myself better. The endorphins of hard, physical, “work” are a great feeling. If I won the lottery I would still work just as hard, just not making other people money.

 

[cnelk]

Some of us have both...

Some of us don’t need both…

 

[Afhunter1]

That is my goal also. I work in the oil and gas industry, but I plant to retire and run cattle.

Same. I don’t really want to farm just cattle and hay. Have 200 acres and 50 angus right now.

 

[WeiserBucks]

I only know a few people who went to college, they all graduated with a degree in drinking and smoking weed. The most ambitious of the bunch went on to become a manager at Taco Bell. Myself and the rest of the people I stayed in contact with after high school entered various trades and we've all had good to excellent success.