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Re: Successful Without College
[Re: 603Country]
#8257613
05/05/21 03:06 PM
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Joined: Jun 2015
Posts: 5,918
Jgraider
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Posts: 5,918 |
I think trade school is a great idea if someone doesn’t want to go to college. There seems to be a shortage of skilled people when I try to find one. Amen!
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Re: Successful Without College
[Re: HWY_MAN]
#8257618
05/05/21 03:13 PM
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Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 15,564
TexFlip
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I'm was in a room earlier with nine other people. Three are engineers and of the other six, two have a bachelor's degree in a completely unrelated field, one is former military and the others have a 36 hour certification in manufacturing. They all make $140k plus.
There are only a few career paths that benefit from a high dollar degree. IMHO
Just to make sure that it is done thoroughly, I go both ways.
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Re: Successful Without College
[Re: HWY_MAN]
#8257625
05/05/21 03:24 PM
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Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 9,907
unclebubba
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There are lots of ways to make good money. Many of my friends graduated college. I did not, however, I have been as successful or more successful as most of them. College is not a requirement in order to make good money. It is also not a guarantee of making good money. I am advising my children to find a field that they like and find a way to make money in that field. If the field that they choose does not require college, then I am not going to push them towards college.
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Re: Successful Without College
[Re: HWY_MAN]
#8257630
05/05/21 03:28 PM
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 1,640
LeonCarr
Pro Tracker
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A buddy of mine went the trade school route after high school, went to Universal Technical Institute for gasoline and diesel mechanic, now works in the Persian Gulf doing nothing but diesel generators at about 200,000 a year.
I know college graduates with graduate degrees who have been in their respective fields a long time and make maybe half that.
No, you don't have to have a college degree and the debt that sometimes comes along with it. My BS in Criminal Justice is paid for due to me working full time at TDCJ and going full time to college at Sam Houston. Yes it was a beating getting 4-5 hours of sleep a day for 5 1/2 years but nowhere near the beating of paying off student loans for 30 years.
Just my .02, LeonCarr
"Whitetail Deer are extinct because of rifles with telescopes mounted on them." - My 11th Grade English Teacher
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Re: Successful Without College
[Re: TexFlip]
#8257640
05/05/21 03:42 PM
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Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 39,536
redchevy
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I'm was in a room earlier with nine other people. Three are engineers and of the other six, two have a bachelor's degree in a completely unrelated field, one is former military and the others have a 36 hour certification in manufacturing. They all make $140k plus.
There are only a few career paths that benefit from a high dollar degree. IMHO College isnt the right path for everyone and every path. But it sure as hell isn't accurate to tell all the kids they can get a 36 hour certification and make that kind of money no questions asked either.
It's hell eatin em live
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Re: Successful Without College
[Re: HWY_MAN]
#8257642
05/05/21 03:43 PM
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Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 2,072
cabosandinh
Veteran Tracker
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Posts: 2,072 |
you don't need college to make money if you're good and in demand in a trade
college gives you a foundation to navigate the whole range of possibilities
a welder cannot be a software programmer
but a software programmer can be a welder (9-12 month trade school) , a doctor, telecom networking, cloud computing, a wall street banker etc ...
do what you're good at and like doing
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Re: Successful Without College
[Re: HWY_MAN]
#8257663
05/05/21 04:08 PM
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Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 6,183
Mike Honcho
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Posts: 6,183 |
Hwy Man there is a lot of truth in your words, but college sometimes a smart move and gives a good ROI. I work with rig welders every day. They can make very good money, but there is also a quality of life and longevity aspect. Welding is tough work in the plants and pipeline, especially TA work it’s fast and furious. Plus welding deteriorates your eyes no matter what hood you have. So at the onset that welder vs. the stem grad is outpacing by a fair amount. What I’ve seen is Around early to mid 30’s is when it flips. Working for a company like P66 you get a pension, 401k match, most likely making at least $120k + 10% yearly bonus and stock options. Carry that over another 35 years is very sustainable for an operator, engineer, etc. I don’t see very many welders or construction hands older than 55.
Consulting is a very competitive and challenging route. I’d say less than 1% of plant personnel get that opportunity.
When my son gets to that crossroads it’s either college for a stem degree or trade like fitter or operator. I will not pay for a degree in studies of mezoamerica with a concentration in European colonization in mezoamerica lol.
“Two things that define an individual what you do when you have everything, and what you do when you have nothing."
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Re: Successful Without College
[Re: HWY_MAN]
#8257690
05/05/21 04:27 PM
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Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 6,113
soooo
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Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 6,113 |
Basketball. You'll be rich and smart. Ask LeBron
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Re: Successful Without College
[Re: The Dude Abides]
#8257707
05/05/21 04:40 PM
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Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 19,248
Biscuit
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Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 19,248 |
The military paid for about 95% of my college education. Professionally I got more from the military than college. Exact same for me
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Re: Successful Without College
[Re: HWY_MAN]
#8257788
05/05/21 06:00 PM
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Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 237
20bore
Woodsman
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Woodsman
Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 237 |
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Re: Successful Without College
[Re: TLew]
#8257792
05/05/21 06:09 PM
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Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 5,831
Lazyjack
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Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 5,831 |
Three ways to make money in this world
Know what no one else knows, do what no one else can do, or do what no one else wants to do.
We all decide how we want to proceed.
Yessir, this is an accurate statement And .. It's not WHAT you, it's how you use what you know.
If the 2nd amendment was written just to include guns for hunting, why is there not an amendment to protect fishing poles?
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Re: Successful Without College
[Re: 20bore]
#8257798
05/05/21 06:15 PM
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Joined: May 2006
Posts: 31,055
HWY_MAN
OP
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OP
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Posts: 31,055 |
Trimming my toenails without passing out, other than that I don't believe I even used the word.
Yes! A Weatherby does kill them deader.
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Re: Successful Without College
[Re: HWY_MAN]
#8257800
05/05/21 06:18 PM
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Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 12,256
deerfeeder
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Posts: 12,256 |
I graduated in the upper 10% of my class at The School of Hard Knocks. I can guarantee you that in many subjects I can run rings around these so called college grads.
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Re: Successful Without College
[Re: HWY_MAN]
#8257807
05/05/21 06:24 PM
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 4,459
majekman
Extreme Tracker
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Extreme Tracker
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 4,459 |
Only worked a very short time in the field I went to college for but I made some great contacts and friendships that benefited me down the road.
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Re: Successful Without College
[Re: 20bore]
#8257808
05/05/21 06:24 PM
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 91,416
bill oxner
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Posts: 91,416 |
Seeing the sunrise every morning, accomplishment, achievement, triumph, attainment, as well as happiness and good health..
Quail hunting is like walking into, and out of a beautiful painting all day long. Gene Hill
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Re: Successful Without College
[Re: bill oxner]
#8257837
05/05/21 06:54 PM
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Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 16,797
S.A. hunter
THF Celebrity
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Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 16,797 |
Three ways to make money in this world
Know what no one else knows, do what no one else can do, or do what no one else wants to do.
We all decide how we want to proceed.
I love old sayings. This would make a great saying. You can take it to the bank. Haste makes waste. Thanks, I used it to motivate my kiddos.... I didn't want them in the last category with me. It has a 50% success rating so far.....
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Re: Successful Without College
[Re: deerfeeder]
#8257847
05/05/21 07:04 PM
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Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 14,153
Hudbone
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Posts: 14,153 |
I graduated in the upper 10% of my class at The School of Hard Knocks. I can guarantee you that in many subjects I can run rings around these so called college grads. Whatever
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Re: Successful Without College
[Re: HWY_MAN]
#8257857
05/05/21 07:12 PM
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Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 237
20bore
Woodsman
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Woodsman
Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 237 |
Trimming my toenails without passing out, other than that I don't believe I even used the word. Wasn't necessarily directed at you, though it is in the article and thread title.
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Re: Successful Without College
[Re: HWY_MAN]
#8257869
05/05/21 07:19 PM
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Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 1,687
SherpaPhil
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Posts: 1,687 |
A lot more folks need to be going into the trades, without a doubt, but its not as simple as annual income vs. debt. I took on a lot of debt to go to school and when I graduated, my classmates from high school had jobs making more money than me with a several year head start on earning and no student loans. I was the dummy, right? 10-15 years later, those same guys are making about the same money, but are saying they need to look into something else because of some combination of their body not being able to take it any more, not wanting to spend so much time away from their families, getting tired of layoff cycles, etc. Meanwhile, I've been able to move up in a career that I absolutely could not have gotten into without my education. I am out earning them, work banker's hours for the most part, and will be able to do this for as long as I desire to do so.
Obviously, everyone's situation is different, and I'm not arguing that trade school isn't a great thing for a lot of people, but its not as simple as looking at debt load vs. starting salaries.
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Re: Successful Without College
[Re: 603Country]
#8257870
05/05/21 07:22 PM
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Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 9,969
Old Rabbit
THF Trophy Hunter
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Posts: 9,969 |
It’s really hard to say what’s enough money. It varies with every person, so there’s no exact number. I stressed over it when we retired, but it turned out that we have more than enough and not less than enough. But, I married a frugal gal. We both came from modest money families, so we just don’t have the need or desire to spend the big bucks. That said, I am buying a new truck late this year. This pretty much tells the story of me and my wife word for word. She put herself thru college with scholarships, Pell grants and working part time (no college debt) and retired from teaching for 29 years. I on the other hand graduated high school at 17, went to trade school to be a machinist and was working at a chemical refinery at 19. I had no debt when I finished trade school and had a job waiting for me to finish. I completed the company mechanic apprenticeship program in a little bit over 2 years and took every certification they ever offered me for the rest of my career. I retired at 53, then went to work for a different company and retired permanently at 62, the wife retired at 52 but substitute teaches just to have something to do and keep her mind sharp.
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Re: Successful Without College
[Re: SherpaPhil]
#8257873
05/05/21 07:24 PM
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Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 16,797
S.A. hunter
THF Celebrity
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Posts: 16,797 |
A lot more folks need to be going into the trades, without a doubt, but its not as simple as annual income vs. debt. I took on a lot of debt to go to school and when I graduated, my classmates from high school had jobs making more money than me with a several year head start on earning and no student loans. I was the dummy, right? 10-15 years later, those same guys are making about the same money, but are saying they need to look into something else because of some combination of their body not being able to take it any more, not wanting to spend so much time away from their families, getting tired of layoff cycles, etc. Meanwhile, I've been able to move up in a career that I absolutely could not have gotten into without my education. I am out earning them, work banker's hours for the most part, and will be able to do this for as long as I desire to do so.
Obviously, everyone's situation is different, and I'm not arguing that trade school isn't a great thing for a lot of people, but its not as simple as looking at debt load vs. starting salaries. 100%
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Re: Successful Without College
[Re: HWY_MAN]
#8257876
05/05/21 07:26 PM
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 110,795
dogcatcher
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 110,795 |
It takes all kinds to make the pwrld go around. The employment field is varied, everybody cannot e a welder, and we sure do not need everybody to have a PHD in basket weaving. It takes a lot of occupations, each dependent on a lot of other occupations.
Combat Infantryman, the ultimate hunter where the prey shoots back. _____________"Illegitimus non carborundum est"_______________
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Re: Successful Without College
[Re: HWY_MAN]
#8257879
05/05/21 07:29 PM
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 22,716
BigPig
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 22,716 |
I worked through college, got my 60 credits at 19 and applied for the PD. No student loans.
My wife worked through college, got her bachelors degree. No student loans.
There are ways to do it and be successful. Student loans are a joke and a burden.
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Re: Successful Without College
[Re: deerfeeder]
#8257880
05/05/21 07:29 PM
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Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 6,183
Mike Honcho
THF Trophy Hunter
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Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 6,183 |
I graduated in the upper 10% of my class at The School of Hard Knocks. I can guarantee you that in many subjects I can run rings around these so called college grads. Tell that next time to the doctor, nurse, lawyer, etc next time you see them.
“Two things that define an individual what you do when you have everything, and what you do when you have nothing."
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Re: Successful Without College
[Re: Old Rabbit]
#8257887
05/05/21 07:39 PM
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Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 5,067
titan2232
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 5,067 |
It’s really hard to say what’s enough money. It varies with every person, so there’s no exact number. I stressed over it when we retired, but it turned out that we have more than enough and not less than enough. But, I married a frugal gal. We both came from modest money families, so we just don’t have the need or desire to spend the big bucks. That said, I am buying a new truck late this year. This pretty much tells the story of me and my wife word for word. She put herself thru college with scholarships, Pell grants and working part time (no college debt) and retired from teaching for 29 years. I on the other hand graduated high school at 17, went to trade school to be a machinist and was working at a chemical refinery at 19. I had no debt when I finished trade school and had a job waiting for me to finish. I completed the company mechanic apprenticeship program in a little bit over 2 years and took every certification they ever offered me for the rest of my career. I retired at 53, then went to work for a different company and retired permanently at 62, the wife retired at 52 but substitute teaches just to have something to do and keep her mind sharp. Similar on my side of the fence other than age and spouse's career. The wife has a master's degree and makes slightly more than me, buuuuut I work a 4-10 schedule and golf/hunt/fish on Friday's while she works 14 years left to retire at 55 from the world's premiere petrochemical company IF oil & gas can stabilize
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