College isn’t for everyone - the case for vocational training
The sun was hot with a breeze giving respite every now and then. Rugged was the smell of the shop; old tires, large equipment ready for repair. Sand and dirt, old grease and general wear and tear created its on worth.
It was evident this was a working environment. These are people who make things happen. These are the people braving the elements to build buildings, work shutdowns and fabricate the big things.
The tour started me thinking about the people in this world that take care of us. The military men and women, law enforcement, firefighters, ambulance personnel, teachers, doctors and nurses, highway workers, the farmers; the list goes on, including those working at this facility.
You know, the people in the business of saving, feeding, protecting, teaching and building for America.
Military ground troops send men and women to fight on the ground or in the air. Everyone else is the “support personnel.”
Those actually fighting, those answering the emergency calls, those teaching us to read and write; we are the “support people” for them. Our tax dollars are used to pay those salaries but oftentimes, they are not paid what they are worth. As the support people for these men and women, we should want them to succeed and to be the best they can be for us, the people in their care.
The same should be said of each student. Many schools have opted out of providing vocational education and we are seeing industries and businesses struggling to find workers. While it is admirable to be college-educated, some students are not college material. There are some that are made to work with their hands; others feel a calling to serve the public.
Businesses and industries are feeling the effects of the quest for college-ready only students. Trade jobs do not mean that the person is unintelligent. It means they thrive in a different environment than the traditional office.
They know how to use math to cut a board. They know how to use math to create a recipe. They know how to deal with the irate man wielding a gun at his neighbors. They have the courage to do that job and should be just as respected as the college-educated.
We are all in this together.