I guess you could say that we used to be a bit snobbish.
- When I pictured my kids grown up, I saw them as professional people in business suits with college educations.
We never considered the fact that one or all of them would prefer a trade. It’s not that we looked down on people with trades, we just considered trades were for people with fewer options than my children had. We never really considered a trade as respectable as a career because we saw them as jobs people wouldn’t really enjoy. Boy were we wrong. Our middle son was always good with his hands and he loved to fix things. He did well enough in school but preferred to be actively doing something over reading or studying. So, it should have come as no surprise when he decided that he wanted to become an HVAC technician. After high school, he went to trade school for HVAC training and certification courses for almost two years and served an apprenticeship with a local HVAC company. He has been working with the same HVAC company since then and he loves his job. The other night at a family dinner, we somehow got into a discussion comparing my middle son’s profession with my daughter’s profession. She’s an elementary school teacher with a four year degree. As an HVAC technician, my son receives the same benefits as my daughter does and makes more money than her! We were amazed! And he really loves his job. Now we have a whole new perspective of trades.