Marketable skill. Did you happen to see the new report by Mike Rowe about what skilled trade workers are making in the age bracket of under 30? I saw this report and I have to say I wasn’t surprised. When our kids were in high school in the early 2000s there was much buzz about Marketable Skills. In fact, they had two grandparents (my Dad and my Mother-In-Law) who preached this often-and I mean this very respectfully. For all three of our children, this ‘preaching’ paid off. Think about the necessities we need in life, water, electricity, healthcare and haircuts. Well I wouldn’t say a haircut in necessity but think about how often guys get haircuts and how frequently and how much money women spend on their hair. These are just a few skills. I’m talking off the top of my head, but these are services people need and use every week, sometimes every day.Think about how busy the barber is, think about how important it is to have an electrician when there is something wrong with the wiring of your house. Think how much you need a plumber when a pipe burst or when the heat, air conditioning or water tank goes out. Of course there are other areas of the economy that are necessity like healthcare that is an area that there will always be a need for employees in that market. If you have a high school student who doesn’t know what they wanted to do when they graduate from high school I think that I would have them pursue a skilled trade. Many of these trainings and certifications they can still obtain while they’re in high school so there might be little additional cost involved except for a fee for testing certification or advanced training. But for a young man or woman to graduate from high school with a skill and no debt this would be a very good thing. Consider a young man graduating this year who wasn’t sure what he wanted to do if he had taken classes in becoming an electrician or plumber at a local skill center or community college through his high school, he would be able to graduate and start making an income. This might be an area that he would want to pursue either working for somebody else or starting his own business or taking some business classes along the way so he could run a larger operation. Let’s say he worked as an electrician while he pursued other areas of interest. This young man would be able to make a living while he checked out other career areas of interest and it would allow him to save some money for further education if that was necessary. Think of the young woman who is not exactly sure what she wants to do. Maybe she doesn’t enjoy the academics of school. If she signed up for training to become a cosmetologist in her junior year or attended barber school during her high school career, she could get that certification before graduation, without debt and she would be able to get out of high school with a skill and the ability to make a good living. She could work as a hairstylist or barber while she checks out other career options, save money or takes some business classes so that she could run her own salon/shop, should she want to have her own business. For some kids who want to go into education, medicine or any other career field that requires a four year degree/graduate degree/professional advanced education this would not be something they’re interested in. What I like about the option of skill trades though is, it gives a young man or young woman, the ability to have some freedom and choices soon after they graduate from high school at the onset of adulthood.
What I have noticed over the years is that young men and women are taking longer to “Become Responsible Adults,” than previous generations. What I mean by this is young people in general seem to be taking more years to grow up. Often I see kids who graduate from high school who don’t know what they want to pursue. I understand the parents concern that “How can a child at age eighteen know what they want to do for the rest of their life?” Parents need to start thinking about this and observe in their children looking for what are their interests/strengths but I think more importantly to ask their kids, “What they want their life to be like?” Does their child hope to have some independence at age eighteen and the ability to make their own choices? From the age of twelve or thirteen make observations and have discussion with your children on what options are available and how long they hope to be in school past graduation. Get an assessment of what the family budget is for post high school education. Although, regardless of the family budget, let kids know that they are expected to do their part in working hard at their education-THIS IS THEIR JOB AT THIS POINT. Skilled trades education in high school or working towards scholarships for advanced education is something that every child should be thinking about and they should be mindful that education and training costs money and kids need to be aware of the finances involved in getting them prepared for adulthood. What responsibilities will they be responsible for? How much do you want to invest in them? Will they be expected to have some skin in the game? Kids usually take school more responsible when they have skin in the game or they feel an ownership of their educational costs even if you are able to help them.
There’s nothing wrong with checking out all of the career options out there and seeking every option available for your child based on their own unique skill set and interests. There are MANY DIFFERENT WAYS to obtain a happy, fruitful and prosperous life. It’s your responsibility as a parent to help get your child on the right track to obtaining those goals in a timely fashion that’s right for them. How long do you want your child to wallow in the time between the teen years and full adulthood? This is an important question to think about. And as myself and many other adults have said throughout history, YOU as their parent are the most are the most important teacher they will ever have in their life and YOU have their best interests in mind. YOU ALSO HAVE MORE WISDOM THAN A TEENAGER. remember that (you may need to remind them of that too! YOU know what is best for them-they will thank you later and you cannot be their friend until they are a responsible adult and PAYING THEIR OWN BILLS!!!! Also, YOU know your child better than anyone else. Wishing you and your children many Great Days.
- https://www.foxbusiness.com/video/6391654209112 This is the link to the interview with Mike Rowe. He was describing electrician in Plano, Texas he spoke with, under age thirty.
