IMO, the skilled trade jobs are screaming for qualified workers right now like never before. If a student wants to attend a local Vocational School their junior and senior year, they can work a real job their entire 2nd semester of their senior year. No entrance fees to enroll at X college/university, no tuition, no room and board and no meal ticket to purchase. Many of these jobs pay excellent wages, with most starting in the $19-$24 dollar range, more depending on where you live while still in high school.
In the past, students have been told that they have to go to college and get a degree. That is find and dandy if a student really wants a college degree or is going into a specialized field. College is not for everyone! Heck, traditional high school is not for everyone. We do kids a huge disservice by requiring them to go to high school and take classes that they are never, ever are going to use in everyday life. The most practical class I had in high school was typing, use it every day. Somehow, someway, the American education system needs a complete overhaul. Politicians as a whole have ruined the current system with No Child Left Behind and now, Common Core.
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