DaveShearon

High-End Plumbers

Gaping Void quotes from his friend's Cardboard Spaceship:

If I was 20 years younger and going to college, would I, like our peers did back in the 1980s, be studying "media" or advertising? Considering film school, law school or an MBA program? Would I hell.

First, I would save my parents serious cash by opting out of university, and attending instead a good local technical college. Then I'd spend a year after that, maybe going to night school studying English, English Lit and creative writing.

Upon finishing my studies I'd hang up my shingle as a high-end plumber in an affluent part of the world, like Conneticutt, Austin or Santa Barbara.

And I'd immediately turn my recently acquired English-language skills to writing a witty and informative blog about plumbing. And wait for the phone to start ringing off the hook after an initial start-up lull of... what? 12, maybe 13 mintues?

Gaping Void adds:

We are now moving into a world where you have two basic survival choices:

1. You can be the cheapest.

2. You can be the best.

There is no middle option.

Apply this to public schools.  Cheapest?  For parents, yes; for the public, not so clear (probably not).  Best?  Some are.   But I think the vast majority of public schools do not want to compete in that arena.

Of course, maybe this analysis is not applicable to government-run enterprises -- they get to be as mediocre as the want to be without any irresistable pressure to improve.

Plumbing

Brian's blog has a post on increasing numbers of folks in Britain seeking to become plumbers, including a university biologist who hopes to double his salary. I've posted on this before: why don't we give kids who are not focused on college a chance to accomplish something meaningful in high school. Becoming a licensed plumber might be a good option.

Update: Both Brian and a commenter suggest the response will be to make plumbing a college course. Of course! Make sure kids who don't want to go to college have no options! What a plan!

Demand for Vo-Tech Education

The Nashville Business Journal reports demand greatly outstripping supply at the Tennessee Technology Center at Murfreesboro. Programs include AC/Refrigeration, Automotive Tech, Business Systems, CAD/AutoCAD, Dental Assisting, Practical Nursing, etc. Part of the demand is being driven by lottery scholarships -- and lottery money cannot be used for secondary education.

OK, what's wrong with this picture? Students are bored and don't work during high school, sometimes disrupting the education of others. Once they get out, they try to get technical education that's in too-limited supply. Meanwhile, the State Board of Education is pushing all students to a college prep curriculum.

Tell me again. Why can we not offer students a real option to earn a meaningful certification (license) that will gain them entry to a quality job immediately on graduation from high school? Whose interests are being protected by our refusal to offer this option. Students? Or adults?