Please help me guide my 11th grader......

[LearnFromHome]

The last two years my ds has made it very clear he does not like school. He does the work because "mom" tells him so and he does not want to be disrespectful (he's a wonderful kid) He has put interest in the contruction field and started working on Fridays and Saturdays for a contruction company earning him $10.00 an hour. It's hard labor but he really enjoys it. He also mentioned he does want to go to college and major in it but does not want to waste his time taking general courses - I don't know how to guide him or where to go with this or what degree he would need. Where can I find this information so my son can be focus on his career path. Thank you!
Judy

[JFS in IL]

ask the folks he works with on weekends. How did they get trained? Is there "college" for such a career, or an apprenticeship program instead? Any college WILL require basic courses of any major to get an AA - he might consider working on thsoe basic courses at the local CC while also working in construction. But ask the guys who do that kind of work - they should know (and be the ones providing recommendations should an apprenticeship or training program be the answer.)

[Kathy in MD]

The last two years my ds has made it very clear he does not like school. He does the work because "mom" tells him so and he does not want to be disrespectful (he's a wonderful kid) He has put interest in the contruction field and started working on Fridays and Saturdays for a contruction company earning him $10.00 an hour. It's hard labor but he really enjoys it. He also mentioned he does want to go to college and major in it but does not want to waste his time taking general courses - I don't know how to guide him or where to go with this or what degree he would need. Where can I find this information so my son can be focus on his career path. Thank you!
Judy

tradesman? In otherwords, does he want to become a carpenter, a steamfitter, a plumber, an electrician or ......? Or does he want to manage constuction projects? Does he want to run the show?

Training for the trades varies from area to area. Unions sometimes provide training. Sometimes it's community colleges. Sometimes it's just on the job training. And the training typically completed by a non-union crew will be different from the training completed by a union crew in the trades not licenced by the state. (A licenced trade would typically be steamfitters, plumbers, electricians, etc. Carpenters typically aren't licensed.) I'd check with both a union and non-union shop for their recommended training. And some of these trades are very math and science intensive, especially at the master level. (Journey man level is the basic, fully trained level. Apprentice is the training level, of course.) At the master level, the tradesman often must be able to design a system as well as a registered engineer would. A master steamfitter would be able to design an entire HVAC system as well as own the company. :tongue_smilie:

If he wants to go into construction management, that's now a 4 year degree and is often offered by civil engineering schools. And for that, he's going to be hit with "general studies". But he'll dealing directly with architects, engineers and owners and a careful selection of his general study electives would help him understand the background of these strange, incomprehensible individuals. (I can call them names because I've been the owner's rep, engineering firm's rep and architect on various projects :lol: )

[mcconnellboys]

And there's also construction engineering as a degree, I believe..... Also, drafting, various types of architecture, etc.

Regena

[Katia]

Check your local community colleges. I know ours offers a degree in construction, but I don't know the exact title of the degree. The class works/apprentices with experts to build a house each year in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity. So the students get hands-on work in all the stages of building a house and when it's done, they get to help the needy family move in and see the appreciation the family has in receiving a home of their own. It's a terrific program and sounds a lot like what you are looking for. Community Colleges are great for this type of degree.