There is a need for both. The problem is that not everyone has critical thinking and/or reading comprehension skills. Some people learn by doing. Others achieve by ruminating on large abstract problems and developing elegant solutions.
Forcing people who really can't read or comprehend what they read to take liberal arts curricula is no different from making someone without fine motor skills pick up a painter's palette, or making a tone deaf person play the trumpet.
It's the same with trades. If you can't tell the difference between a 1/8" and a 1/4" brass fitting, or don't understand the concept of freeze/thaw cycles, you probably shouldn't be in the plumbing business.
The whole debate is like watching Washington DC play with an infant's toy and try to stuff the triangle piece into the circle hole.
My wife's brother is an elevator mechanic, probably the top of the trades because he has to be top-tier in every one of them. He joined the union 47 years ago straight out of high school. He drew an hourly wage until about twelve years ago when he was hired into an executive position with one of the major global manufacturers. He rarely travels more than 40 miles from his home or office, has never attended an opera or ballet, will never know the exquisite pleasure of multi-level analysis of Finnegan's Wake.
He dedicated himself to becoming an expert elevator mechanic. When necessary he has worked around the clock to get hospital elevators up and running, or to restore service to incredibly long subway escalators, or just to put people at ease as an elevator rescue takes place. He has always made more money than I, and I'm glad he's well-off. We have nothing in common except the important things, such as long successful marriages, raising children who contribute to society as much as to family, and a dedication to using what skills we have to share with our neighbors.
He got his son into the union - this was one of the many guilds that required relationship to a member to join, with disparate impact on minorities. That's being corrected. He had to work far harder than I to learn his trade; my B.A. was in beer. No need for a four-year degree.
There is a need for both. The problem is that not everyone has critical thinking and/or reading comprehension skills. Some people learn by doing. Others achieve by ruminating on large abstract problems and developing elegant solutions.
Forcing people who really can't read or comprehend what they read to take liberal arts curricula is no different from making someone without fine motor skills pick up a painter's palette, or making a tone deaf person play the trumpet.
It's the same with trades. If you can't tell the difference between a 1/8" and a 1/4" brass fitting, or don't understand the concept of freeze/thaw cycles, you probably shouldn't be in the plumbing business.
The whole debate is like watching Washington DC play with an infant's toy and try to stuff the triangle piece into the circle hole.
My wife's brother is an elevator mechanic, probably the top of the trades because he has to be top-tier in every one of them. He joined the union 47 years ago straight out of high school. He drew an hourly wage until about twelve years ago when he was hired into an executive position with one of the major global manufacturers. He rarely travels more than 40 miles from his home or office, has never attended an opera or ballet, will never know the exquisite pleasure of multi-level analysis of Finnegan's Wake.
He dedicated himself to becoming an expert elevator mechanic. When necessary he has worked around the clock to get hospital elevators up and running, or to restore service to incredibly long subway escalators, or just to put people at ease as an elevator rescue takes place. He has always made more money than I, and I'm glad he's well-off. We have nothing in common except the important things, such as long successful marriages, raising children who contribute to society as much as to family, and a dedication to using what skills we have to share with our neighbors.
He got his son into the union - this was one of the many guilds that required relationship to a member to join, with disparate impact on minorities. That's being corrected. He had to work far harder than I to learn his trade; my B.A. was in beer. No need for a four-year degree.