When I was in school, I was always told “If you get a college degree you’ll on average make 500k more over the life time of your career regardless of what you get your degree in!”

Then as I finishing school, it was all about “If you get into tech you’ll make big bucks and always have jobs!”

Both of those have turned out not great for a lot of people.

Then whenever women say they’re struggling with money online, they get pointed to OF… which pays nothing to 99% of creators. Also very presumptive to suggest that, but we don’t even need to get into that.

So is there a field/career strategy that you feel like is currently being over pushed?

(My examples are USA, Nevada/Utah is where I grew up, if maybe it’s different in other parts of USA even.)

  • Boozilla@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    “Go to trade school” is my guess. I’ve even suggested it. I’m not sure it’s really being over pushed, but maybe it is. Easy answers to complex questions are a trope.

    • Subtracty@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      I haven’t met any parents telling their kids to go into the trades aside from one dad who is already in the trades and knows the life.

      Most of the parents of high/middle schoolers I speak to are pushing STEM and entrepreneurship. I coach this age group, and the parents still want their kid to go on to higher education. They just are more aggressive about it being a meaningful degree.

      There is also more discussion of the cost of schools. A degree from a local school with in state tuition or a community college transfer is looked upon more favorably now. Frankly, a lot of the elite schools are bullshit and the general public is waking up to that now. The work a student is willing to put into learning is much more important than if the school has a high rank.

      • Boozilla@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        I have definitely heard parents encouraging kids to go into the trades. Could be a regional thing. Anecdotal either way.

        I agree elite schools are bullshit for the vast majority. There are some PhD and medical programs that aren’t. But that’s a tiny percentage of students who would benefit.

        • Subtracty@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          Yeah, it is definitely dependent on region and lots of other factors. Plus, I fully admit it is a small sample size. But I just wanted to say my part because suggesting the trades certainly isn’t as universal as advising kids to go to college was a generation ago.

          Also, I agree with the elite schools for grad programs. But so few kids get to that point and would have to get through undergrad (and likely crippling students loans) to even apply to for the good grad schools.

    • otp@sh.itjust.works
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      5 months ago

      It’s the new thing that parents want their kids to do. I feel like it’s going to backfire, lol

      • Boozilla@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        Agree. We need trades people but we also need jobs, re-shoring, affordable housing, affordable health care, affordable education, etc. to go along with. It could become another bubble like pharmacists and knowledge workers.

        The longer I’m in the workforce the more I think David Graeber was right.

    • jordanlund@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      If Trump gets elected, and he mass deports millions of people, there will be a surge in construction demand.

    • pbbananaman@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      I’m dreaming of an oversupply of trade workers. It’s too expensive right now to get any work done. Lots of scammers too.

    • Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works
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      5 months ago

      Just be careful when you do, because there’s a risk of screwing up your retirement savings. Losing employer contributions that could have kicked in if you held out another 6 months or whatever. (I’m not an expert on this subject by the way, and ymmv)

  • mesa@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    Networking (AKA meeting people) is a good way to get jobs.

    While skill and experience matter, networking is often the catalyst that connects you with the right opportunities. In a way, it’s like investing in your social capital—often as valuable as any degree or certification.

    College actually helps with both skill and networking at the same time.

    • TommySoda@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      If it weren’t for networking I would have never gone from being a line cook that barely graduated highschool to a CAD tech for a land surveying company. Had literally zero experience and was definitely not what I thought I’d be doing in five years when I was working the closing shift at restaurants every night until 2:00 AM.

      • mesa@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        I literally got my current job by meeting an old co-worker at a book store and letting him know I was looking after our previous company got shut down. I did happen to have the right skills, but my local area was flooded with software developers in an area that really didnt need that many. But I got the job.

    • Sentient Loom@sh.itjust.works
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      5 months ago

      This is essential. Speaking from experience as a guy with bad mental problems who can’t do relationships. Work on that, kids!

  • dohpaz42@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    I tell my kids that a) they must graduate high school, and then either go to college or learn a trade. Regardless, they need to be educated.

  • L0rdMathias@sh.itjust.works
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    5 months ago

    “Give up hope now before the pain of existence rips it away. Oh, also eat healthy, and do some light exercise daily that stuff is important too.”

  • I Cast Fist@programming.dev
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    5 months ago

    I think we’re about to circle back to circa 1000s yurop: “Now, my child, you behave while I try to sell you as a slave FREE ENTREPRENEURIAL COLLABORATOR to mr. Rich Douchebag, as that is the only way to go up the social and financial ladder.”

  • CameronDev@programming.dev
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    5 months ago

    No one seriously thinks OF is a viable career path do they? Sex work has never been a career thing, at best you get a couple years of good earning and then you get forgotten. At worst, you get a pittance and mental health issues.

    Tech has worked out for lots of people, just because some are laid off every so often, doesn’t mean the rest aren’t doing really well.