On 3/17/2013 11:19 PM, Wayne B wrote:
On Sun, 17 Mar 2013 21:15:08 -0500, amdx
wrote:

On 3/14/2013 9:52 PM, Urin Asshole wrote:
On Thu, 14 Mar 2013 20:35:51 -0400, Wayne B
wrote:

On Thu, 14 Mar 2013 12:09:12 -0500, Boating All Out
wrote:

Those "lifetime earnings" stats don't account for kids who paid up for
college but didn't succeed. They end up dropping out before they
finish, or finish and end up working at Starbucks.

====

Not everyone who drops out of college ends up in a dead end job.
Take a look at Bill Gates and Steve Jobs for two notable examples.
There are lots more.

That's true, but those who don't go are much more likely to earn many
thousands less over their lifetime. More true now than ever. Even four
years is just the minimum now.

Unless you start a business.
Mikek

====

Or work your way up the organization from an entry level job, i.e.,
the old fashioned way. The demand for certain technical skills is so
high that any experience at all can get your foot in the door. Once
hired, job performance counts a lot more than education. I've
encountered a surprising number of well educated individuals who just
could not apply their knowledge effectively in a work environment.
Being able to apply what you know, recognizing opportunities and
acting on them in a timely manner is what gets people ahead. There
are also a lot of opportunities in some of the difficult, dirty, blue
collar areas like refrigeration, air conditioning, plumbing, diesel
mechanics, commercial electricians, etc. Those jobs are physically
demanding and require a fair amount of skill but they pay very well
and can lead to having your own business.


Speaking of diesel mechanics: Recently I had a problem with one of my
engines. The mechanic plugged in his laptop and proceeded to run a
battery of tests. He then told me what he suspected was wrong, but
protocol required that he email snapshots of the test results to the
manufacturer who then consulted with the mechanic and told him they were
sending two parts for him to replace. The 2nd phase of the repair
required him to get his hands dirty replacing parts.
The skills needed to do certain jobs have certainly evolved over the years.