Profoundly Disconnected - Mike Rowe

[cmailliard]

Two videos for you boys and girls with kids in school. Mike Rowe is hitting the nail on the head with this.

As a Career Technical Education (CTE) teacher in high school I am amazed at how stupid some people are. "I don't want to send my student to a "vocational" school" that's for the "dumb" kids." Paraphrasing there but that is still what CTE teachers hear. Funny my "vocational" school issued over 1 million dollars in college credit to students last year. This is not scholarship money students are concurrently enrolled at Red Rocks and get the transcripted college credit for attending high school classes (like AP classes). I had a student last year who graduated in May from high school and two weeks later had his Associates in Applied Science degree. He paid about $500 for that degree. He is two years ahead of others, has a degree, has internship experience, has recommendations from industry representatives. How many students graduate high school and get a college degree in the same month? Guess the "dumb" kids aren't so dumb after all, they take advantage of free time and free money.

Some courses at my school - Fire Science, Criminal Justice, Emergency Medical Responder, Digital Audio Production, Cyber Security, Game and App Development, Sports Medicine, Health Science, Emergency Management, Outdoor Leadership, and yes we still have auto classes like Auto Customization. We also still have the wood shop classes but they are pretty awesome and part of our STEM group. We partner with NASA and have an experiment going up to the International Space Station in the next year. Students go to Houston two to four times a year to fly on the reduced gravity aircraft with their experiments.

Don't discount Career Tech Education and look into the programs that your district offers. There are some really great opportunities out there.

http://profoundlydisconnected.com

[Great-Kazoo]

Without Votech school's we'd have a bunch of researchers staring at a flat tire scratching their heads. Concurring it's impossible for the tire to be flat on one side as there is no air in the tire. Trust me i've witnessed it first hand. Design and patent a cancer drug Yes. Figure out how to change a tire, not even close.

I attended a few, many a year ago thanks to VA schooling.

[Bailey Guns]

This is probably the most relevant and refreshing thread I've seen on here in a long time. Thanks.

[<MADDOG>]

+1 - I couldn't agree with this more.

The construction industry is slowly crawling back; unfortunately with a 20-30% unemployment rate (trade dependent) a couple of years ago, it's hard to get those back who left and found another career path.

[cstone]

Many tradesmen make more than those with Masters degrees.

Being content in your work is worth more than all of the money and degrees that anyone could ever be given.

[dan512]

If you guys get a chance youtube more stuff by Mike Rowe. The guy is spot on. I feel like every middle school kid needs to hear him. I would be so much further in life right now if I had become a plumber or electrician...

[StagLefty]

Vocational school made a huge difference in my life.

[BPTactical]

As did I, two years worth of machining classes in night school.
Didn't always use the skills but when needed they are invaluable.
Envision a large ship.
It takes a handful of engineers and naval architechts to design it.
But it takes an army of welders, machinists, plumbers, electricians etc to make that design come to life.

[newracer]

Long but worth the watch

[Sparky]

I tell myself I am going to teach my son electrical in case college falls through. I want him to have a trade to fall back on.