[AT] Agricultural Equipment Diagnostic Technicians

Sun Sep 1 11:11:41 PDT 2019

Dean, I agree.  "some degree, any degree" is not a good plan.  Two, year,
technical programs have some of the highest earning potential of any career
paths a young person can go after.  The disdain thing I mentioned was more
of a political issue I see, for example a lot of people on social medial
seem to view four year schools as "indoctrination centers," but again I
don't want to go down that path....

And yes, I see a lot of parents that just cut their kids loose at age 18.
I can't imagine starting out with some of the debt these kids come out of
college with.

  Unfortunately, there are people that still have the Cold War mentality
that a 4 year degree is the only path to success!

Al

On Sun, Sep 1, 2019 at 12:16 AM <deanvp at att.net> wrote:

> Al,
>
>
>
> I don’t think it was the intent to show disdain for a 4 year degree. I
> think the intent was to discuss how some 4 year degrees may not be as
> valuable to employers as  a 2 year trade school degree. Unfortunately,
> there are way too many 4 year graduates who have spent 4 years focusing on
> “underwater basket weaving”  thinking that all that is important is a
> degree… any degree. The real world punishes those types of graduates. But I
> even have more disdain for parents who allow their children to waste a real
> opportunity and probably are then burdened with a huge student loan debt to
> pay off without the earning power to do so.   Did parents decide they don’t
> have any more responsibility for their children when they attend college?
> Many of the teachers and professors are the worst kind of people to pass
> their responsibility to.  It is a real mess. I can verify that I have seen
> this mess all too closely and it is sickening. Three of my 4 children all
> graduated from the University of WA, 2 with technical degrees and one with
> Teaching credential. The 4th Graduated from Western WA University with a
> Physics degree and moved on to do his work on a Masters and Doctorate in
> Optical Physics. Of the 4 he was the most highly educated but had the most
> difficulty finding the right kind of job. A very specialized field
> requiring relocation to area’s he could not live in due to health reasons.
> He was focused on the learning not the light at the end of the tunnel. We
> accept some of that responsibility. He ended up in the Computer field.
> Turns out he was very good at that contributing early in the development of
> Cloud Computing for Microsoft.  The skills he developed in college crossed
> over to other disciplines.  “Underwater Basket Weaving” skills are not very
> transferable.
>
>
>
> Dean VP
>
> Snohomish, WA 98290
>
>
>
> *From:* AT <at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com> *On Behalf Of *Al Jones
> *Sent:* Sunday, August 25, 2019 10:44 AM
> *To:* Antique Tractor Email Discussion Group <at at lists.antique-tractor.com
> >
> *Subject:* Re: [AT] Agricultural Equipment Diagnostic Technicians
>
>
>
> Starting my 23rd year in education.  It seems that a lot of people have a
> real disdain for four year degrees, a lot of that seems to be political but
> I won't go down that road.  While I think this is wrong, the mindset is
> slowly, very slowly shifting away from the notion that a four year degree
> is a requirement to be successful, which I think is good. The most
> important thing a person preparing for life after high school needs to
> consider is what their goals and interests are and go from there.  With the
> costs of four year schools now, you have to have a plan and it has to be
> realistic, and it has to have several back-ups if Plan A, B, or C doesn't
> work out.  A psychology or similar degree just doesn't pencil out for most
> people.
>
>
>
> All the statistics I have seen in forever point to increased demands for
> skilled tradespeople. There are and will be some real opportunities for
> young people if that is their interest.
>
>
>
> I was fortunate in that I knew what I wanted to do.  If it was 1992 again,
> and if I didn't know what I wanted to do, I'd go into the military and let
> the government pay for my education once I had a plan together.
>
>
>
> Al
>
>
>
> On Sun, Aug 25, 2019 at 7:16 AM Jim Becker <mr.jebecker at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I have a BA in Mathematics and I did OK.  At least half the things I
> worked
> with didn't exist when I was in school.  A good 4 year degree helps you be
> flexible and be prepared for a lifetime of learning.
>
> The half life of a troubleshooting procedure is maybe 5 years.  If you
> don't
> start using tech school training almost immediately, you'll find the only
> part still applicable is lefty loosey, righty tighty.
>
> Jim Becker
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: James Peck
> Sent: Saturday, August 24, 2019 10:14 PM
> To: Antique Tractor Email Discussion Group
> Subject: Re: [AT] Agricultural Equipment Diagnostic Technicians
>
> I have an in-law that spent 6 years in the Navy and got sent to an A level
> school and trained as an Electronic Technician. After he got out of the
> Navy
> he got a BS degree in Mathematics using the Gi bill. After graduating from
> the Math program he was dissatisfied with the jobs being or not being
> offered to him and returned to study Electrical Engineering. Probably he
> could have used his Electronic Technician training to get a related job
> and
> then use his Math degree to get into an engineering level job at that same
> employer.
>
> People choose academic programs with no idea that they will like the
> career
> or be good at it. Even worse, they choose programs for which there is NO
> career or is overfilled.
>
> [John Hall] Interesting comments on trades vs 4 year schools. My son just
> began college, Math major. He has book sense way more than most--gifted in
> brains and the desire to learn on a higher level. On the other hand, he
> can't change the oil in his truck without my assistance. I tried very hard
> to teach him the basics of farming and mechanic work, but thats just not
> how
> his mind works. For folks like that, 4 year degrees are where its at.
> Myself, I didn't have the brains or the desire to go to 4 years of school,
> so I went to community college and have spent the last 30 years in a
> machine
> shop.
>
> Schooling should match the student, that is my families take on the
> situation.
>
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