Now that's damn funny!

 

I started out washing cars at a dealer and ended up an ASE master tech...but I got tired of fixing cars. X2 on looking into the natural gas pipeline if you're not into drugs and can be trusted to work on your own. Now I just analyze engines, figure out what's wrong or what is about to go wrong and have someone else fix them. Pays better and no more heavy wrenching, except at home for fun.

 

Lincoln Tech is a good one that offers both Auto and Diesel courses.

Auto Mechanic School | Grand Prairie, TX | Lincoln Tech

 

Blue collar, plumbing, electrician, HVAC are all seeing decreases in people entering the field in the past twenty years. Kids are getting pushed towards white collar. If I had a kid in Middle school right now I'd be trying to steer them in the trades direction. Can't be outsourced, they require certain levels of training to do them legally and these fields are going to be short of skilled people. It's already becoming an issue.

College IMHO is an overpriced, overvalued endeavor that higher education as an institution has sold as a necessity to make a decent living.

If you want to be a doctor, lawyer, APRN, RN or other medical tech fields then it is legit. Otherwise, I firmly believe most " professions could be learned in apprenticeships. A practice that has been lost thanks to the " higher education " hype.

I can say this about college because I went to become an Occupational Therapist. I realized that if they dispensed with all the B.S. courses I had to take, 2 years of book learning combined with maybe 3 years, internship / apprentice would be superior to 4 years to get the degree.

 

You have a valid point there Bud. I'm sure Teach has taught his Boys to be good with their hands too. I have told countless young people to not be so worried about making Big Money. Doing what you LIKE to do is more important. Including my own two kids. A person is at their job more of their waking hours than they are with their families.
A true and funny story. A couple years ago a neighbor walked across the street and asked me if I could help him with his car. Some little Toyota. He's seen me working on my Bump so he knew I could fix cars. I said "sure", so we started walking back across the street. He was in front of me. He said "I just can't get the battery cable off the battery". Since this is such a simple feat I said "oh, you must have went to college". He stopped dead, turned around with on his face, and said "how did you know that?"
Most people that go to college are Very good at what they went there for. But can do little else. This is part of the reason for the last line in my sig. We here help those learn how to work on their rigs. Those that are not used to working with their hands. Helps them become "handy".

 

The problem is those blue collar jobs pay the same thing they did in the 90s, some even the same as the 80s. You aren't going to attract someone when they can make twice as much elsewhere and get to sit behind a desk doing it.
I'm trying to go back to school for mechanical engineering, the starting pay in that field is about half again what I can expect to top out at in the automotive field, which I'm basically already at. There are some areas where the pay gets skewed like in the oilfields, I made a hell of a lot working on trucks there, but it's cyclical work.

 

Some of you know me pretty well. My guys certainly can work with their hands. Their problem is 2 things, they're scared to do it on their own because they both know if it is halfassed done I will make them take it apart and do it over again and should they need to come to a stopping point I will make them finish the task at hand before they stop. And that doesn't mean leaving the tool lye where they are. 2) both of them are timid to start something they haven't done being concerned of the "fix" not working.

I will let both of them choose their further education with a bit of guidance, I will do my due diligence to find the information to guid them. Hence the reason I asked y'all this question.

 

One of the hardest things to master in DIY is to give yourself permission to mess it up and the confidence to know you can make it right.

 

You need to change your name to master yoda jas88
You're correct though, that's how we get better.