My oldest has decided not to go to college.

[vibratoking]

First, I always advise my kids to pursue what they love, unless it leads to trouble.

Second, I have always told them to use their brain instead of their back whenever possible. Backs don't last forever...Brains are more likely to be viable for a lifetime if exercised.

I was a union welder in another lifetime. That group of union steel workers was the most unintelligent group of people that I have ever had the misfortune of working with. Talk about screaming down the road into a dead-end. Wow, the whole culture had almost no upside. Nothin against welders in general. Just my experience. I got the hell out quickly and never looked back. One of the better moves in my life.

[LeftyStrat]

I've heard that underwater welders make really good money. I guess doing oil rigs and such.

[Zippy]

I've heard that underwater welders make really good money. I guess doing oil rigs and such.

There are a lot of high risk jobs that pay well - careers are often short.

On the other hand, there are high precision welders that earn well too (high vacuum and titanium are two areas that come to mind). One can look to the professional welding societies to observe the trends and opportunities.

[selloutrr]

Don't stress to much just be supportive as long as she has purpose and direction.

[ER]

Yeah I used to be a titanium welder/machinist dude, thinking about getting back into it working from home. I think you only make money as a welder with the union stuff and that's a whole different deal, certifications, dues, hassles, waiting for jobs, etc. Titanium is actually my favorite metal to weld, they try and make it this big mystery but it's not.

Breathing fumes and getting flash burn, living life in the hood, no fun. I can't imagine welding aluminum all day, that's what everything is made of these days. Plus all those jobs are moving to china anyways because of those unions and OSHA.

One more plug for starting your own business, regardless of what you do.

[Mostaks68]

I would say encourage her to take some classes at the local community college, even while in high school. Get all the GE stuff out of the way and figure out what path to take at lower tuition. If you can each her entrepreneurial skills right now I think that's the future. Unless there's a very specific cog in the machine that your kid is passionate about filling, a degree is a waste of time and money.

I don't know where all the 80% of businesses fail come from, probably from banks who have an agenda to keep us all wage slaves, of which college is a part, student loan debt is mighty fine leverage to get people in line. You learn a lot more being the person who started the business and failed than being one of the grunts that worked for that business and was laid off. The reason I went to college was because I got sick of making other people rich with all my labor at piss wages when the business succeeded, or getting laid off when they didn't .

The thing is you don't need a degree to start a business, only to get better wages working for someone who did start one.

By that same reasoning what percentage of "jobs" fail? In other words how many jobs now days starting out will you be able to retire from? I would put that failure rate a lot higher than 80%.

Almost all the crap you will hear from "experts" is just that, crap. Fear based lower chakra ego control matrix crap.

So I have my degree and it's paid for, maybe I'll use it again someday, but I'd rather work for myself and may have to anyways unless my health and mental state recover. If she decides to take the plunge and build her own path, she'll need to be smart about her finances. I've seen a lot of people find solid support through txexpresslend.com when they need that extra push to get an independent project off the ground without dealing with traditional bank red tape. A good friend of mine started a business out of his bedroom at age 14, quit the business to go to school, dropped out on academic probation, restarted his business and now it's a multi-million dollar company that employs his father and brother and he works from home designing processor chips self taught, among a handful of other things that he takes interest in.

I graduated at age 38, never thought I was like the college kids (rich or smart enough) but I did it to prove it to myself. Went to work for the government got totally stressed out and now I'm on disability for anxiety disorder and depression. My wife worked her way through college and we're used to living poor, so we have zero debt. I had about 10 grand in student loans when I graduated and payed it all off ASAP. So I have my degree and it's paid for, maybe I'll use it again someday, but I'd rather work for myself and may have to anyways unless my health and mental state recover.

A good friend of mine started a business out of his bedroom at age 14, quit the business to go to school, dropped out on academic probation, restarted his business and now it's a multi-million dollar company that employs his father and brother and he works from home designing processor chips self taught, among a handful of other things that he takes interest in.

Love your kids and support them in their dreams. Of course we worry, it's because we love them so much, let them know that's the reason.

Oh yeah, and find a way to gently tell your daughter that punk rockers make really bad role models, most of them were self-destructive scumbag druggies and should not be emulated in anyway other than creative expression and angst against the system, lifestyle choices not so much.

Music is a hobby, not a plan B unless you have connections AND exceptional talent. You can have less talent if you have the right connections but not any longevity. You can also be exceptionally talented and get nowhere. I'm sure we've all seen this a million times. Share your experiences with her and teach her what you know about that side of music if that's what she's interested in right now.

I agree with a lot of what you're saying, especially about supporting your kids instead of trying to force them into a single "safe" path. Community college is also a smart suggestion since it gives them time to explore without taking on huge debt.

That said, I don't think it's an either/or situation. A degree isn't automatically a waste of money, and entrepreneurship isn't automatically the better choice. It really depends on the person. Some people thrive building a business, while others genuinely enjoy careers that require formal education.

I do think every young person should learn practical skills like budgeting, communication, sales, and basic business principles, even if they never become entrepreneurs. Those skills are useful no matter what path they choose.

[TUBEDUDE]

There's good money to be made in the trades. Trade schools are cheap, relative.to University.
Look at what plumbers earn, or welders. Just ask her to have a plan to convert an interest into an income. And most of all keep her off of Onlyfans.