trade schools are better than higher ed. let me make the case, my friends!

[Andylusion]

So, that is why Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffet, and all of those other billionaires went to trade school; right?

Those college dropouts couldn't handle a trade..

Funny, since a know specifically someone who dropped out, and went into a trade school.

 

[Moonglow]

So, that is why Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffet, and all of those other billionaires went to trade school; right?

Those college dropouts couldn't handle a trade..

Funny, since a know specifically someone who dropped out, and went into a trade school.

I never went to a trade school I got a job and learned the trades.

 

[hadit]

If you went to school to learn a trade, you must be lesser, because someone long ago decided that college should be called “higher” education. Considering the state of colleges and universities today, the word “higher” may be the most misleading of them all.

The way we speak about education is inherently classist. When a student of lesser means attends a traditional four-year school, we say she “overcame her circumstances.” When a student from a wealthy background chooses a trade school we say he didn’t “live up to expectations.” We are all but telling people that the trade jobs this country needs are dirty, and that skills-based education is for people without means or, much worse, without potential.

A case for increasing the minimum wage and unemployment compensation for simply being unemployed; to be better able to respond to local market conditions.

You don't even change the words. Do you just copy and paste them from Notepad?

 

[pismoe]

So, that is why Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffet, and all of those other billionaires went to trade school; right?

Those college dropouts couldn't handle a trade..

Funny, since a know specifically someone who dropped out, and went into a trade school.

I never went to a trade school I got a job and learned the trades.

------------------------------- too much foreign imported third world labor in the USA nowadays . I did the same as you [maybe] as I went to work on the small Union RailRoad in my area in about 1968 with no training of any sort . And no foreigner competition except maybe in the big city hundreds or a couple thousand miles away from my RailRoad and probably in Texas . Nowadays , I'd go to a trade school rather than 'college' and pay some 'perfessors' inflated salary Moonglow .

 

[Andylusion]

So, that is why Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffet, and all of those other billionaires went to trade school; right?

Those college dropouts couldn't handle a trade..

Funny, since a know specifically someone who dropped out, and went into a trade school.

I never went to a trade school I got a job and learned the trades.

And there are many who do that. Granted, before jacking up the minimum wage, there were more opportunities for learning on the job.

 

[Cecilie1200]

So, that is why Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffet, and all of those other billionaires went to trade school; right?

Those college dropouts couldn't handle a trade..

Funny, since a know specifically someone who dropped out, and went into a trade school.

I never went to a trade school I got a job and learned the trades.

And there are many who do that. Granted, before jacking up the minimum wage, there were more opportunities for learning on the job.

It's definitely not something I would want to count on being able to do these days.

It really just comes down to "being educated and learning are almost always good things, but you must be wise and responsible about how you spend your resources in acquiring knowledge."

 

[danielpalos]

More options, more locally is always better. Unemployment compensation for simply being unemployed means first world labor can adjust to structural unemployment and adjust to working in new environments and challenges in a more prompt and efficient manner.

U.S. has record 6 million job openings, even as 6.8 million Americans are looking for jobs

 

[Andylusion]

So, that is why Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffet, and all of those other billionaires went to trade school; right?

Those college dropouts couldn't handle a trade..

Funny, since a know specifically someone who dropped out, and went into a trade school.

I never went to a trade school I got a job and learned the trades.

And there are many who do that. Granted, before jacking up the minimum wage, there were more opportunities for learning on the job.

It's definitely not something I would want to count on being able to do these days.

It really just comes down to "being educated and learning are almost always good things, but you must be wise and responsible about how you spend your resources in acquiring knowledge."

I absolutely agree with your wise counsel.

Indeed, it is much harder to get apprenticeship positions.

One of my previous jobs was working at a dealership, and I was good friends with the assistant manager.

He explained to me that this Cadillac dealership had a long history of individually training new employees, but that now the number of apprenticeship positions went from five full time positions, to only two full time positions.

The reason was that, mechanics in general are paid per job. You get paid for what work you accomplish.

Which for a new tech, that had no idea what they were doing, could mean they starve to death. So instead apprenticeships were paid by the hour, so they had a stable income until they could get good enough to have enough production to get paid per job.

The problem of course is that they lose money on apprenticeships. The higher the minimum wage, the more money they lose. So now they only have 2 spots, instead of 5.
I wager soon, they'll have zero.

 

[Cecilie1200]

Those college dropouts couldn't handle a trade..

Funny, since a know specifically someone who dropped out, and went into a trade school.

I never went to a trade school I got a job and learned the trades.

And there are many who do that. Granted, before jacking up the minimum wage, there were more opportunities for learning on the job.

It's definitely not something I would want to count on being able to do these days.

It really just comes down to "being educated and learning are almost always good things, but you must be wise and responsible about how you spend your resources in acquiring knowledge."

I absolutely agree with your wise counsel.

Indeed, it is much harder to get apprenticeship positions.

One of my previous jobs was working at a dealership, and I was good friends with the assistant manager.

He explained to me that this Cadillac dealership had a long history of individually training new employees, but that now the number of apprenticeship positions went from five full time positions, to only two full time positions.

The reason was that, mechanics in general are paid per job. You get paid for what work you accomplish.

Which for a new tech, that had no idea what they were doing, could mean they starve to death. So instead apprenticeships were paid by the hour, so they had a stable income until they could get good enough to have enough production to get paid per job.

The problem of course is that they lose money on apprenticeships. The higher the minimum wage, the more money they lose. So now they only have 2 spots, instead of 5.
I wager soon, they'll have zero.

There are ways and ways, but you have to do your research.

When I decided that I wanted to learn to be a medical coder, I was faced with the fact that most people listing those jobs want to hire someone experienced. Well, how do you get experience if no one will hire you until you have it? If you don't mind taking forever to get there, you can get a job in a medical practice and have them gradually work you around to learning the billing and coding.

In my case, I chose a school which works directly with the AAPC and includes a practicum, so that the last and largest portion of the curriculum involves actually doing the job from real medical files and being graded on it. The AAPC also works with the school to offer externships for the best students, and many employers who are willing to take a chance on a newbie with education and certification will go directly to the AAPC and this school to look for them, rather than advertising the job to the public.

Thank God for professional organizations, I'll tell you that.

 

[Moonglow]

So, that is why Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffet, and all of those other billionaires went to trade school; right?

Those college dropouts couldn't handle a trade..

Funny, since a know specifically someone who dropped out, and went into a trade school.

I never went to a trade school I got a job and learned the trades.

And there are many who do that. Granted, before jacking up the minimum wage, there were more opportunities for learning on the job.

The only requirement is an attention to detail and showing up for work and that still goes for today as it did forty years ago when I started.

 

[Andylusion]

Funny, since a know specifically someone who dropped out, and went into a trade school.

I never went to a trade school I got a job and learned the trades.

And there are many who do that. Granted, before jacking up the minimum wage, there were more opportunities for learning on the job.

It's definitely not something I would want to count on being able to do these days.

It really just comes down to "being educated and learning are almost always good things, but you must be wise and responsible about how you spend your resources in acquiring knowledge."

I absolutely agree with your wise counsel.

Indeed, it is much harder to get apprenticeship positions.

One of my previous jobs was working at a dealership, and I was good friends with the assistant manager.

He explained to me that this Cadillac dealership had a long history of individually training new employees, but that now the number of apprenticeship positions went from five full time positions, to only two full time positions.

The reason was that, mechanics in general are paid per job. You get paid for what work you accomplish.

Which for a new tech, that had no idea what they were doing, could mean they starve to death. So instead apprenticeships were paid by the hour, so they had a stable income until they could get good enough to have enough production to get paid per job.

The problem of course is that they lose money on apprenticeships. The higher the minimum wage, the more money they lose. So now they only have 2 spots, instead of 5.
I wager soon, they'll have zero.

There are ways and ways, but you have to do your research.

When I decided that I wanted to learn to be a medical coder, I was faced with the fact that most people listing those jobs want to hire someone experienced. Well, how do you get experience if no one will hire you until you have it? If you don't mind taking forever to get there, you can get a job in a medical practice and have them gradually work you around to learning the billing and coding.

In my case, I chose a school which works directly with the AAPC and includes a practicum, so that the last and largest portion of the curriculum involves actually doing the job from real medical files and being graded on it. The AAPC also works with the school to offer externships for the best students, and many employers who are willing to take a chance on a newbie with education and certification will go directly to the AAPC and this school to look for them, rather than advertising the job to the public.

Thank God for professional organizations, I'll tell you that.

I had the exact same experience. I was told they only wanted experienced people. I asked, and asked, and asked, and no one could tell me how an inexperienced person, could get experience, if the only way to get experience was to be hired, and no one was hiring inexperienced people. It made no sense to me at all.

It's a good thing you found a way around that.

 

[Cecilie1200]

I never went to a trade school I got a job and learned the trades.

And there are many who do that. Granted, before jacking up the minimum wage, there were more opportunities for learning on the job.

It's definitely not something I would want to count on being able to do these days.

It really just comes down to "being educated and learning are almost always good things, but you must be wise and responsible about how you spend your resources in acquiring knowledge."

I absolutely agree with your wise counsel.

Indeed, it is much harder to get apprenticeship positions.

One of my previous jobs was working at a dealership, and I was good friends with the assistant manager.

He explained to me that this Cadillac dealership had a long history of individually training new employees, but that now the number of apprenticeship positions went from five full time positions, to only two full time positions.

The reason was that, mechanics in general are paid per job. You get paid for what work you accomplish.

Which for a new tech, that had no idea what they were doing, could mean they starve to death. So instead apprenticeships were paid by the hour, so they had a stable income until they could get good enough to have enough production to get paid per job.

The problem of course is that they lose money on apprenticeships. The higher the minimum wage, the more money they lose. So now they only have 2 spots, instead of 5.
I wager soon, they'll have zero.

There are ways and ways, but you have to do your research.

When I decided that I wanted to learn to be a medical coder, I was faced with the fact that most people listing those jobs want to hire someone experienced. Well, how do you get experience if no one will hire you until you have it? If you don't mind taking forever to get there, you can get a job in a medical practice and have them gradually work you around to learning the billing and coding.

In my case, I chose a school which works directly with the AAPC and includes a practicum, so that the last and largest portion of the curriculum involves actually doing the job from real medical files and being graded on it. The AAPC also works with the school to offer externships for the best students, and many employers who are willing to take a chance on a newbie with education and certification will go directly to the AAPC and this school to look for them, rather than advertising the job to the public.

Thank God for professional organizations, I'll tell you that.

I had the exact same experience. I was told they only wanted experienced people. I asked, and asked, and asked, and no one could tell me how an inexperienced person, could get experience, if the only way to get experience was to be hired, and no one was hiring inexperienced people. It made no sense to me at all.

It's a good thing you found a way around that.

I really, strongly advise finding out if there's any sort of professional organization for whatever career it is that a person wants. Because they obviously have a vested interest in increasing their membership, they often have a lot of help to offer in the way of new people getting a foot in the door, whether it's networking, education help, internships . . .

 

[evenflow1969]

If you went to school to learn a trade, you must be lesser, because someone long ago decided that college should be called “higher” education. Considering the state of colleges and universities today, the word “higher” may be the most misleading of them all.

The way we speak about education is inherently classist. When a student of lesser means attends a traditional four-year school, we say she “overcame her circumstances.” When a student from a wealthy background chooses a trade school we say he didn’t “live up to expectations.” We are all but telling people that the trade jobs this country needs are dirty, and that skills-based education is for people without means or, much worse, without potential.

Different strokes for different folks. I think people have forgot that. Some people do not have natual abilities or likes that would work at a trade school. Life is diverse for a reason.

 

[Cecilie1200]

If you went to school to learn a trade, you must be lesser, because someone long ago decided that college should be called “higher” education. Considering the state of colleges and universities today, the word “higher” may be the most misleading of them all.

The way we speak about education is inherently classist. When a student of lesser means attends a traditional four-year school, we say she “overcame her circumstances.” When a student from a wealthy background chooses a trade school we say he didn’t “live up to expectations.” We are all but telling people that the trade jobs this country needs are dirty, and that skills-based education is for people without means or, much worse, without potential.

Different strokes for different folks. I think people have forgot that. Some people do not have natual abilities or likes that would work at a trade school. Life is diverse for a reason.

Nobody has suggested otherwise, although I will point out that trade schools are a lot more than just manual labor-intensive jobs these days. Schools specializing in all manner of subjects without the extra "general ed" courses have proliferated as the cost of traditional college has risen.

We're just suggesting that people should think outside the box and consider all options.

 

[evenflow1969]

If you went to school to learn a trade, you must be lesser, because someone long ago decided that college should be called “higher” education. Considering the state of colleges and universities today, the word “higher” may be the most misleading of them all.

The way we speak about education is inherently classist. When a student of lesser means attends a traditional four-year school, we say she “overcame her circumstances.” When a student from a wealthy background chooses a trade school we say he didn’t “live up to expectations.” We are all but telling people that the trade jobs this country needs are dirty, and that skills-based education is for people without means or, much worse, without potential.

Different strokes for different folks. I think people have forgot that. Some people do not have natual abilities or likes that would work at a trade school. Life is diverse for a reason.

Nobody has suggested otherwise, although I will point out that trade schools are a lot more than just manual labor-intensive jobs these days. Schools specializing in all manner of subjects without the extra "general ed" courses have proliferated as the cost of traditional college has risen.

We're just suggesting that people should think outside the box and consider all options.

Absolutely agree. I some times wish I had went that route and saved some time and money also getting in the work force quicker. Of course I would have gotten through college quicker if I had not let people pressure as to what I went into. In the end I ended up doing what I wanted and could have saved some time.

 

[Flopper]

Funny, since a know specifically someone who dropped out, and went into a trade school.

I never went to a trade school I got a job and learned the trades.

And there are many who do that. Granted, before jacking up the minimum wage, there were more opportunities for learning on the job.

It's definitely not something I would want to count on being able to do these days.

It really just comes down to "being educated and learning are almost always good things, but you must be wise and responsible about how you spend your resources in acquiring knowledge."

I absolutely agree with your wise counsel.

Indeed, it is much harder to get apprenticeship positions.

One of my previous jobs was working at a dealership, and I was good friends with the assistant manager.

He explained to me that this Cadillac dealership had a long history of individually training new employees, but that now the number of apprenticeship positions went from five full time positions, to only two full time positions.

The reason was that, mechanics in general are paid per job. You get paid for what work you accomplish.

Which for a new tech, that had no idea what they were doing, could mean they starve to death. So instead apprenticeships were paid by the hour, so they had a stable income until they could get good enough to have enough production to get paid per job.

The problem of course is that they lose money on apprenticeships. The higher the minimum wage, the more money they lose. So now they only have 2 spots, instead of 5.
I wager soon, they'll have zero.

There are ways and ways, but you have to do your research.

When I decided that I wanted to learn to be a medical coder, I was faced with the fact that most people listing those jobs want to hire someone experienced. Well, how do you get experience if no one will hire you until you have it? If you don't mind taking forever to get there, you can get a job in a medical practice and have them gradually work you around to learning the billing and coding.

In my case, I chose a school which works directly with the AAPC and includes a practicum, so that the last and largest portion of the curriculum involves actually doing the job from real medical files and being graded on it. The AAPC also works with the school to offer externships for the best students, and many employers who are willing to take a chance on a newbie with education and certification will go directly to the AAPC and this school to look for them, rather than advertising the job to the public.

Thank God for professional organizations, I'll tell you that.

I agree. I council my kids and grand kids now to sleek out professional organization, join, participate, and network. Most of the jobs I have got has come through networking. Cold calls to buyers, and hanging around employment offices is not the best way to get work. The old saying, "It's not what you know, it's who you know" is a half truth. Who you know is important.

 

[Flopper]

I never went to a trade school I got a job and learned the trades.

And there are many who do that. Granted, before jacking up the minimum wage, there were more opportunities for learning on the job.

It's definitely not something I would want to count on being able to do these days.

It really just comes down to "being educated and learning are almost always good things, but you must be wise and responsible about how you spend your resources in acquiring knowledge."

I absolutely agree with your wise counsel.

Indeed, it is much harder to get apprenticeship positions.

One of my previous jobs was working at a dealership, and I was good friends with the assistant manager.

He explained to me that this Cadillac dealership had a long history of individually training new employees, but that now the number of apprenticeship positions went from five full time positions, to only two full time positions.

The reason was that, mechanics in general are paid per job. You get paid for what work you accomplish.

Which for a new tech, that had no idea what they were doing, could mean they starve to death. So instead apprenticeships were paid by the hour, so they had a stable income until they could get good enough to have enough production to get paid per job.

The problem of course is that they lose money on apprenticeships. The higher the minimum wage, the more money they lose. So now they only have 2 spots, instead of 5.
I wager soon, they'll have zero.

There are ways and ways, but you have to do your research.

When I decided that I wanted to learn to be a medical coder, I was faced with the fact that most people listing those jobs want to hire someone experienced. Well, how do you get experience if no one will hire you until you have it? If you don't mind taking forever to get there, you can get a job in a medical practice and have them gradually work you around to learning the billing and coding.

In my case, I chose a school which works directly with the AAPC and includes a practicum, so that the last and largest portion of the curriculum involves actually doing the job from real medical files and being graded on it. The AAPC also works with the school to offer externships for the best students, and many employers who are willing to take a chance on a newbie with education and certification will go directly to the AAPC and this school to look for them, rather than advertising the job to the public.

Thank God for professional organizations, I'll tell you that.

I had the exact same experience. I was told they only wanted experienced people. I asked, and asked, and asked, and no one could tell me how an inexperienced person, could get experience, if the only way to get experience was to be hired, and no one was hiring inexperienced people. It made no sense to me at all.

It's a good thing you found a way around that.

Getting experience is lot like getting credit when you first start out. You can't get it unless you already have it. What you have to do is get your foot in the door and build on it. For example. say you get some education in some type of technical support and nobody wants to hire you. Get a job in a closely related field say sales or maybe just delivery and setup of equipment, or whatever just so it's closely allied to your chosen field. Work a year there and go after another job that's a bit closer to what you're looking for. You might have to do a little exaggerating on your resume but before long you'll have a foot firmly in the door. The biggest mistake a lot of people make after getting some training in a field is taking a totally unrelated job because they don't have the experience they need while they look for the "big" job.

 

[Andylusion]

And there are many who do that. Granted, before jacking up the minimum wage, there were more opportunities for learning on the job.

It's definitely not something I would want to count on being able to do these days.

It really just comes down to "being educated and learning are almost always good things, but you must be wise and responsible about how you spend your resources in acquiring knowledge."

I absolutely agree with your wise counsel.

Indeed, it is much harder to get apprenticeship positions.

One of my previous jobs was working at a dealership, and I was good friends with the assistant manager.

He explained to me that this Cadillac dealership had a long history of individually training new employees, but that now the number of apprenticeship positions went from five full time positions, to only two full time positions.

The reason was that, mechanics in general are paid per job. You get paid for what work you accomplish.

Which for a new tech, that had no idea what they were doing, could mean they starve to death. So instead apprenticeships were paid by the hour, so they had a stable income until they could get good enough to have enough production to get paid per job.

The problem of course is that they lose money on apprenticeships. The higher the minimum wage, the more money they lose. So now they only have 2 spots, instead of 5.
I wager soon, they'll have zero.

There are ways and ways, but you have to do your research.

When I decided that I wanted to learn to be a medical coder, I was faced with the fact that most people listing those jobs want to hire someone experienced. Well, how do you get experience if no one will hire you until you have it? If you don't mind taking forever to get there, you can get a job in a medical practice and have them gradually work you around to learning the billing and coding.

In my case, I chose a school which works directly with the AAPC and includes a practicum, so that the last and largest portion of the curriculum involves actually doing the job from real medical files and being graded on it. The AAPC also works with the school to offer externships for the best students, and many employers who are willing to take a chance on a newbie with education and certification will go directly to the AAPC and this school to look for them, rather than advertising the job to the public.

Thank God for professional organizations, I'll tell you that.

I had the exact same experience. I was told they only wanted experienced people. I asked, and asked, and asked, and no one could tell me how an inexperienced person, could get experience, if the only way to get experience was to be hired, and no one was hiring inexperienced people. It made no sense to me at all.

It's a good thing you found a way around that.

Getting experience is lot like getting credit when you first start out. You can't get it unless you already have it. What you have to do is get your foot in the door and build on it. For example. say you get some education in some type of technical support and nobody wants to hire you. Get a job in a closely related field say sales or maybe just delivery and setup of equipment, or whatever just so it's closely allied to your chosen field. Work a year there and go after another job that's a bit closer to what you're looking for. You might have to do a little exaggerating on your resume but before long you'll have a foot firmly in the door. The biggest mistake a lot of people make after getting some training in a field is taking a totally unrelated job because they don't have the experience they need while they look for the "big" job.

I would somewhat agree....

So I know you used credit as an example, but I hope you'll forgive me for getting on my rant box....

Parents do their children incredible harm, by advising them to get credit. The worst think you can do, is teach your kids to get credit, or worse not teach them to avoid credit.

I am particularly baffled by left-wing parents, who stand one minute saying Bankers are a great evil, and they hate on the big banks, and then have their kids go deeply into debt, and get their FICO score up. What do you think a FICO score is? It's a measure of how wealthy you are making the bankers.

You don't need credit. You need money. The two are not the same. To get money, you just need a job. To get credit, you need to be a slave to the banks.

How about we teach kids to forget their credit, and teach them to get money instead? How about we teach kids to get wealthy, instead of get a FICO score?

What do you need credit for again? To buy a car? I've purchased 3 cars using something called "Cash". Was it the dream car I've always wanted? No. But I also don't have the debt payments I don't want.

To get a mortgage? No, there are plenty of first time home buyer programs. You can get a mortgage without being a slave to the banks.

I have not had a loan, or a debt, or a credit card, in 10 years now. Haven't missed a single debt payment, and I haven't slaved for a bank since 2009. If anything, I have interest on my savings account. So the banks are working for me. Maybe you should teach your kids that.

Ok, I am getting off my rant box.....

But otherwise, I agree completely. The worst career move people make, happens before they find their career.

We had a guy with a degree in engineer show up. While I was chatting with him, he explained that he only had this job because he couldn't find any other job, and after a year of searching this was the best he could find.

The problem was, he had never worked before. He would show up at interviews, and the recruiters would ask what he had been doing since high school. Nothing. "Not even at McDonald's or something?" Nope. "Thanks for stopping by. We'll be in touch".

Employers want to see that you can work, and hold a job. Whether you have the degree or not, doesn't translate into actual ability to work. Working, shows you can work.

I'm convinced that one of the reasons that I have never been unemployed for longer than a month, is because people look at my resume and see that I work. I have no degrees, no real skills or abilities. I have no trade skills, or anything.

But what I do have, is a history of working. People like that. All during 2008,09,10,11,12.... when everyone else was crying that they couldn't find a job, I was constantly finding willing and ready to hire, employers.

I knew another guy back in high school, and all during high school, I had a job. His parents discouraged him from getting a job. When he got out of college, without working anywhere, he had a bit of a tough time landing a job, and it wasn't very good. Because employers want experienced employees.... even if you are not experienced in what you want to do, you have to be experienced in working, and that along is a benefit on a resume.

 

[Flopper]

It's definitely not something I would want to count on being able to do these days.

It really just comes down to "being educated and learning are almost always good things, but you must be wise and responsible about how you spend your resources in acquiring knowledge."

I absolutely agree with your wise counsel.

Indeed, it is much harder to get apprenticeship positions.

One of my previous jobs was working at a dealership, and I was good friends with the assistant manager.

He explained to me that this Cadillac dealership had a long history of individually training new employees, but that now the number of apprenticeship positions went from five full time positions, to only two full time positions.

The reason was that, mechanics in general are paid per job. You get paid for what work you accomplish.

Which for a new tech, that had no idea what they were doing, could mean they starve to death. So instead apprenticeships were paid by the hour, so they had a stable income until they could get good enough to have enough production to get paid per job.

The problem of course is that they lose money on apprenticeships. The higher the minimum wage, the more money they lose. So now they only have 2 spots, instead of 5.
I wager soon, they'll have zero.

There are ways and ways, but you have to do your research.

When I decided that I wanted to learn to be a medical coder, I was faced with the fact that most people listing those jobs want to hire someone experienced. Well, how do you get experience if no one will hire you until you have it? If you don't mind taking forever to get there, you can get a job in a medical practice and have them gradually work you around to learning the billing and coding.

In my case, I chose a school which works directly with the AAPC and includes a practicum, so that the last and largest portion of the curriculum involves actually doing the job from real medical files and being graded on it. The AAPC also works with the school to offer externships for the best students, and many employers who are willing to take a chance on a newbie with education and certification will go directly to the AAPC and this school to look for them, rather than advertising the job to the public.

Thank God for professional organizations, I'll tell you that.

I had the exact same experience. I was told they only wanted experienced people. I asked, and asked, and asked, and no one could tell me how an inexperienced person, could get experience, if the only way to get experience was to be hired, and no one was hiring inexperienced people. It made no sense to me at all.

It's a good thing you found a way around that.

Getting experience is lot like getting credit when you first start out. You can't get it unless you already have it. What you have to do is get your foot in the door and build on it. For example. say you get some education in some type of technical support and nobody wants to hire you. Get a job in a closely related field say sales or maybe just delivery and setup of equipment, or whatever just so it's closely allied to your chosen field. Work a year there and go after another job that's a bit closer to what you're looking for. You might have to do a little exaggerating on your resume but before long you'll have a foot firmly in the door. The biggest mistake a lot of people make after getting some training in a field is taking a totally unrelated job because they don't have the experience they need while they look for the "big" job.

I would somewhat agree....

So I know you used credit as an example, but I hope you'll forgive me for getting on my rant box....

Parents do their children incredible harm, by advising them to get credit. The worst think you can do, is teach your kids to get credit, or worse not teach them to avoid credit.

I am particularly baffled by left-wing parents, who stand one minute saying Bankers are a great evil, and they hate on the big banks, and then have their kids go deeply into debt, and get their FICO score up. What do you think a FICO score is? It's a measure of how wealthy you are making the bankers.

You don't need credit. You need money. The two are not the same. To get money, you just need a job. To get credit, you need to be a slave to the banks.

How about we teach kids to forget their credit, and teach them to get money instead? How about we teach kids to get wealthy, instead of get a FICO score?

What do you need credit for again? To buy a car? I've purchased 3 cars using something called "Cash". Was it the dream car I've always wanted? No. But I also don't have the debt payments I don't want.

To get a mortgage? No, there are plenty of first time home buyer programs. You can get a mortgage without being a slave to the banks.

I have not had a loan, or a debt, or a credit card, in 10 years now. Haven't missed a single debt payment, and I haven't slaved for a bank since 2009. If anything, I have interest on my savings account. So the banks are working for me. Maybe you should teach your kids that.

Ok, I am getting off my rant box.....

But otherwise, I agree completely. The worst career move people make, happens before they find their career.

We had a guy with a degree in engineer show up. While I was chatting with him, he explained that he only had this job because he couldn't find any other job, and after a year of searching this was the best he could find.

The problem was, he had never worked before. He would show up at interviews, and the recruiters would ask what he had been doing since high school. Nothing. "Not even at McDonald's or something?" Nope. "Thanks for stopping by. We'll be in touch".

Employers want to see that you can work, and hold a job. Whether you have the degree or not, doesn't translate into actual ability to work. Working, shows you can work.

I'm convinced that one of the reasons that I have never been unemployed for longer than a month, is because people look at my resume and see that I work. I have no degrees, no real skills or abilities. I have no trade skills, or anything.

But what I do have, is a history of working. People like that. All during 2008,09,10,11,12.... when everyone else was crying that they couldn't find a job, I was constantly finding willing and ready to hire, employers.

I knew another guy back in high school, and all during high school, I had a job. His parents discouraged him from getting a job. When he got out of college, without working anywhere, he had a bit of a tough time landing a job, and it wasn't very good. Because employers want experienced employees.... even if you are not experienced in what you want to do, you have to be experienced in working, and that along is a benefit on a resume.

I completely agree that parents do stress getting credit more than they should with their kids and that's not restricted to any particular political persuasion. I think a lot of parents do this because when they were young. getting credit was a lot harder than it is today.

Kids today without credit start off with a debit card, then credit cards with very low limits and if they manage it well, banks will be more than happy to increase their credit. Credit cards can be very useful in managing your finances provided you pay your balance off every month and only carry a balance due to a true emergency.

People do say the strangest things in job in interviews. I remember interviewing a girl and as I read her resume, she began explaining why she had so many jobs in a short period of time. She said she was hooked on cocaine and moved on to heroin but she was working very hard to get clean. As she talked, I pictured myself going to my boss and explaining, that I just hired a drug addict on heroin who is using.

 

[mgh80]

For some people they are a better option, for others they are not. This isn't rocket science.