It is hard to believe that my “baby” is graduating from high
school in only 2 days. Sniff. Sniff.
In the course of the last year, we have vetted ad nauseam the “right
path” for him post high school. He
talked to the Navy, thinking perhaps that enlistment would be a good fit. Briefly, he considered trade school.
Finally, his love of science, math, and soccer prevailed and he decided to
pursue engineering while playing college soccer. The options often seemed endless and the
navigation next to impossible. In six months, we visited 15 universities,
consulted websites, accreditation bodies, talked to students, recruiters, and
professors and constructed one heck of a spreadsheet, all with the hope of
selecting a place where he can grow, thrive and be successful. Oh, and not require selling a kidney or
getting a second mortgage on the family home!
This is the second year in a row and that I assisted a student navigating
the post high school landscape; my oldest is completing his freshman year in
college, studying Environmental Science. I am convinced that there is no “right
path” but there are countless opportunities to explore, learn, develop and
grow. Much like a fingerprint, the
journey is unique to the individual and we often cannot fathom the end
game. Yes, there are individuals who
have a calling, who know with certainty what they want to accomplish, where/how
they want to live, and how they can contribute to society. That was never me. It is not my
children. Moreover, I have only found it
rarely in their friends and associates.
To be honest, I do not see it much at work either. I have yet to witness my nephews pretending to
be Chief Supply Chain Officers or Executive Vice-Presidents of Operations!
Ultimately, my advice to my own boys, their friends, teammates,
classmates, etc…has been to explore what interests you, that you are “good” at,
and that can provide a decent standard of living. Yes, I am pragmatic; some interests are
better explored as hobbies versus careers.
Regardless, I do not buy into the notion that EVERYONE must acquire a
bachelors in “something” in order to be successful. The skilled trade shortage in the US is real and
it will only worsen as boomers retire.
In ’96, I was fortunate to on-board in plant maintenance with a
large apprenticeship class. Hardworking.
Intelligent. Motivated. All are accurate descriptions of the 30+ men
and women that completed the selection process and were accepted into the
program. They worked with seasoned
veterans during the day, went to school in the evenings, stayed up half the
night completing homework and other household chores, and missed numerous family
activities in the interest of bettering their employment and/or earning a
higher wage. Perhaps because I came from
a construction family, multiple generations of tile-setters, I never recognized
a divide. The plant could not operate
without either the engineer or the journeyman.
Our jobs were different, but neither more important than the other. It seems that somewhere along the journey, we
have failed to recognize that many innovations/ideas require physical
construction to produce value. If I pay for an architect, but find no
carpenters, I have no shelter.
For this reason, I was delighted to discover renewed interest in
developing skilled tradesmen and women during a recent visit to the Southern
Indiana Career and Technical Center. With tracts in Robotics, Industrial
Maintenance, Precision Machining, and Welding, the options were varied and
provided a robust means for high school students to explore paths and learn
skills that manufacturer’s value. I
would still love to see a resurgence in formal apprenticeships, as I think the
mentorship it provides is invaluable, but how awesome is the recognition and
subsequent investment by the community in developing manufacturing and
construction leaders.
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