I just saw an article in USA Today that I could not bring myself to ignore. It talked about the surprising number of kids who are suddenly interested in trade schools,(GOOD!) but are being affirmatively discouraged from attending them by…wait for it…their PARENTS! https://bit.ly/4ndP8gH
(NOT GOOD!!!)
As mikeroweWORKS approaches it’s 17th birthday, I’m greatly encouraged by the impact we’ve had on challenging the preposterous notion that a four-year degree is the best path for the most people. One of my primary goals with the foundation was to push back against the “college for all” mantra, along with the many myths and misperceptions that have kept millions of kids from explorin g a career in the trades. As this article clearly indicates, Gen Z is finally starting to pay attention. Trade school enrollments are up. University enrollments are down. But many parents are “concerned.” Parents who would rather see their kids go into debt to pursue a four-year degree, than encourage them learn a skill that’s in demand.
Here’s a short video I made for these parents. It tells the true story of a young man who applied for and received a work ethic scholarship from mikeroweWORKS 8 years ago. Michael Gamez was under tremendous pressure from his family to attend college to study mechanical engineering. And so he did. He borrowed a lot of money to do so, and became the first in his family to attend a university. His parents were very proud, but two years in, Michael was miserable. He realized he had made a bad decision. He had never really wanted to be a mechanical engineer. What he wanted to do, was fix things that were broken. Vehicles, specifically.
What Michael did next, and what happened to him as a result, is a story that every parent should see. And the advice that Michael shares in this video should be taken by every 20-year old out there who is worried that time has run out. Give it a look, and if you agree that Michael’s story should be its own headline, share it far and wide. https://bit.ly/ParentsWATCHNOW
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