Some Ann Arbor high school students shrug off stigma to learn a trade
Recent Pioneer High School graduate Alexus Pace-Patterson used to hate school. She dreaded every single minute she had to spend in the classroom, and her grades were a direct reflection of those feelings.
Her first two years at Pioneer, her GPA was less than stellar.
“I just hated (school),” Pace-Patterson said. “I thought it was the worst thing in the world.”
Pace-Patterson walked across the stage on Thursday at the Eastern Michigan University Convocation Center and accepted her diploma not only in good academic standing, but ready to start classes at Eastern Michigan University in the fall.
She has a way to pay for it, too.
Melanie Maxwell | Ann Arbor.com
She plans to work as stylist to pay for her education at Eastern, where she’ll major in business.
Patterson has already proven worthy of an A in economics. Not only will she have a viable way to earn money to pay for school, she has learned her trade without spending a dime. Ann Arbor Public Schools students attend the Huron Valley Beauty Academy free of charge.
A similar program at Dougals J. Aveda Institute in Ann Arbor costs more than $18,000.
“When I talk to people who have gone the other way around, they go to school and then they learn cosmetology, they're jealous because it cost them so much money,” Pace-Patterson said. “I’m lucky because I’ll have the certification without having to pay, and I can work to pay for school.”
Joyce Williams, college and career center director at Pioneer, said very few students at Pioneer take advantage of opportunities to learn a trade free of charge while in school.
Despite its practicality, pursuing a trade still carries a negative stigma among high school students and the community, Williams said.
“It’s hard to sell in a town where college is the main goal,” said Williams, who also noted funding has been drastically cut to the programs over the years. “But those kids written off as ‘grease monkeys’, they’re out there working on your cars.
"They’re out there employed and contributing to society, so sometimes we have to just shed that elitist attitude. ... (In Ann Arbor) we have a lot of educated people that work at jobs below their education level.”
Recent Huron High School graduate Matthew Gasparovich will attend Washtenaw Community College in the fall to earn the certificates needed to become a motorcycle mechanic. Gasparovich said it's his backup plan, but he wants to have a skill in hand before pursuing higher education.
Gasparovich’s twin brother, Andrew, will attend Eastern in the fall to pursue a degree in the computer or medical field. Pam Gasparovich, the boys’ mother, said she encouraged her sons to pursue their passions and something they could see themselves becoming employed in rather than just pushing a four-year college education on them.
“People sometimes look down on the trades, but those people work in this town,” Williams said. “When you go out in town, you see a lot of our graduates employed and doing positive things.”
Contact Pete Cunningham at petercunningham@annarbor.com or by phone at 734-623-2561. Follow him on Twitter @petcunningham.
Comments
bunnyabbot
Mon, Jun 11, 2012 : 3:09 p.m.
stigma? from peers, adults, parents? my hairdresser makes $120,000 a year PLUS tips, she sets her own schedule, takes nice vacations, can afford things like adding on to her house, funds retirement, has college funds for her kids and makes MORE money then her husband, an engineer that went to college for 8 years and has to job hop many times due to restructuring, downsizing and places going belly up. In fact she has made more money then him every year after being married 20 years, even as a new stylist she made only $30,000 her first full year. I know several stylists who are in their mid to late 20's making over $40,000 a year working only four days a week, are married, having babies, own homes, take vacations, don't drive beat up cars. A customer of mine who has been a mechanic for 8 years, who went to school for the trade, worked as a paid apprentice for a number of years in a brake shop to a guy that wants to retire soon. He has been grooming this 28 year old to take over the business. This guy is set up with a full business because he has become like family to the master mechanic. people with only "trade skills" make good money, generally have much less "student loan debt", there should be no stigma attached to any job if you are a hard worker and making as much money as you can if you are working to your full potential within that trade. there is actually a shortage of people in trades. Things need to be fixed or done and trade trained people are the people you go to to do it.
YpsiVeteran
Mon, Jun 11, 2012 : 1:46 p.m.
The idea that learning a trade carries a stigma is a load of utter crap. It's a veiled way of conveying the idea that honest work and higher education are somehow mutually exclusive, and/or that those who work in specific fields only do so because they couldn't "make it" in school. What carries a stigma is living in your parents' basement at the age of 36, because you can't support yourself. What also carries a stigma is exiting college with $50K in debt and not one marketable skill.
walker101
Mon, Jun 11, 2012 : 1:16 p.m.
I think this story should go with the GAP year, lets see do I want to be a responsible individual or do I want to go party for a year and then decide what I want to do? Do I want to hire an individual that may want to take a year off because mommy and daddy will fund their activities, or do I want someone who is willing to take on being productive and gaining self worth?
PhillyCheeseSteak
Mon, Jun 11, 2012 : 12:38 p.m.
Help! Can anyone figure out this sentence in the article, "Gasparovich said most of his friends are choosing to do."?
PhillyCheeseSteak
Mon, Jun 11, 2012 : 12:35 p.m.
Why did Pioneer High School convert most (if not all) of their Vocational Education space into regular classrooms? I think they still offer some automotive mechanics classes but not much else.
Jim Heinold
Mon, Jun 11, 2012 : 12:04 p.m.
A good roofer can make $500 to $1000 a day! My friend's company needs CNC machine operators who can make $100,000 a year with overtime. Our schools don't have "shop" class anymore so he is starting his own in-house school to train people. I have been to law school and been a roofer, roofer paid better!
Tony Livingston
Mon, Jun 11, 2012 : 1:15 a.m.
My cousin's son is an apprentice lineman in Ohio and made $70,000 last year. There are many great careers in the skilled trades. This story is not very in depth.
My V. Nguyen
Mon, Jun 11, 2012 : 1:04 a.m.
I strongly encourage high school students about to graduate to take vocational class or to learn a trade. I have encouraged my smart junior high school nephew to learn drafting if he can. There is no stigma learning a trade in high school. When summer vacation arrives, the one holding a job as a cosmetologist enjoys better pay, privileges, and working conditions than someone who is holding a car wash sign. In France, politicians push for employment of young people. Unfortunately, for over a decade of a slumping global economy, jobs for young people were taken over by illegal workers. Many ended up getting into trouble, especially those in the lower class and of single parents.
bedrog
Sun, Jun 10, 2012 : 9:39 p.m.
"when every plumber has a Ph.D , neither your pipes nor your theories will hold water" why the word 'stigma' in the title??? as someone with a ph.d i have enormous respect ...and often profound gratitude..for all those who do the necessary everyday things i can't .
Doug
Sun, Jun 10, 2012 : 7:16 p.m.
What stigma? I have two college degrees and many of my best friends are in the trades. Terrible headline!
YpsiVeteran
Mon, Jun 11, 2012 : 2:18 p.m.
I agree; simply awful headline. Whose biases does it reflect? The one high school counselor quoted in the article? Somebody's elitist mom or dad? The PR dept. at the University of Michigan?
DJBudSonic
Sun, Jun 10, 2012 : 7:15 p.m.
The United States would do well to take a look at the education systems of other countries. Instead of a push toward uniform academic standards for all, many other systems recognize the difference in students and their abilities, and allow them, after a receiving basic amount of education, to pursue learning paths that are more suited to their abilities, wants and talents, and means. Germany comes to mind. There is ability testing done at a few key points in the academic path, which helps the student and their family decide if they should pursue more education, like high school, or college prep, or the trades. This instead of our constant testing, which costs the school system big bucks and precious teaching time. If we put all the money we have spent on "No Child Left A Dime" into developing a system of practical trade schools, we would be better prepared as a nation to compete, would likely have lower unemployment, and would give young adults a start in life that is not burdened by massive debt. Of course, then all the bankers wouldn't be able to send their kids to private schools, would they?
janofmi
Sun, Jun 10, 2012 : 5:35 p.m.
This is just not an Ann Arbor problem. The national push for a common core curriculum has forced most students into a college prep mode. Requiring students that want to pursue a career in trades a more difficult route because of the lack of flexibility in their class choices. The State is trying to make it a bit easier for these students by reducing some of the requirements or making them less onerous by offering alternatives to classes like algebra II. We used to recognize that not all kids wanted a college prep track. Offering an alternative school program like the Region Career and Tech program, the Early College Alliance, the Middle Tech program (at Washtenaw) and other county programs offer hope for many. But "Those kids" are often treated differently and their unique talents are not honored. I respect those families that are smart enough to get their kids into a program that will allow them to pursue their career right out of HS. And if they want to use this skill to help work their way through college without having to borrow tons of $$$, more power to them.
Fat Bill
Sun, Jun 10, 2012 : 4:31 p.m.
We can't all sell each other insurance...
sc8
Sun, Jun 10, 2012 : 3:02 p.m.
The "stigma" of learning a trade? Man....heaven forbid kids learn what it takes to work for living. Maybe then they'l have appreciation of the things that they've been given!
YpsiVeteran
Mon, Jun 11, 2012 : 2:13 p.m.
So right, a2. What happens now after kids go to college simply because that's "what's done," and not in pursuit of a genuine interest in something? They graduate, often now with tons of debt, go to work doing something they have no passion for so they can pay the bills, lead the lives of "quiet desperation" that are so often the subject of song, literature and theater, only to wake up in their 40's or 50's and discover that following their own paths is the key to happiness in life. Why do so many think that perpetuating this cycle is the right way to do things?
a2citizen
Sun, Jun 10, 2012 : 3:39 p.m.
And if they enjoy their chosen trade, it's not "work".
Macabre Sunset
Sun, Jun 10, 2012 : 2:59 p.m.
The only real stigma here comes from the media. I'm not sure why anyone would be ashamed of learning a trade.
YpsiVeteran
Mon, Jun 11, 2012 : 2:05 p.m.
a2 is right; kids ridicule each other for whatever they can think of. When jan's kid is successful in ROTC and is in demand later in life for his discipline, problem solving skills, leadership ability and ability to self-regulate, half the "college-track" kids will still be living off their parents and whining about how no one will give them a job without a Masters/Ph.D/life experience/whatever.
a2citizen
Sun, Jun 10, 2012 : 7:10 p.m.
jan, kids ridicule other kids for being tall, short, fat, skinny, zits, white, black, chinese, japanese, jewish, muslim, christian, atheist...and on......and on......and on.....
janofmi
Sun, Jun 10, 2012 : 5:36 p.m.
My kid was enrolled in the RCTC program in Ypsilanti. When he would get on the bus to go to his afternoon classes he would be ridiculed by the college track kids.
a2citizen
Sun, Jun 10, 2012 : 2:54 p.m.
"...Despite its practicality, pursuing a trade still carries a negative stigma..." I would never tell a kid not to go to college because the level playing field begins with a bachelor's degree. That being said, the education-industrial complex is the biggest scam this country has going.
janofmi
Sun, Jun 10, 2012 : 5:38 p.m.
Public $$ is being used by for profit charter school companies. They skim as much as $1000 per student to pad their wallets while the promises of a better education are not met.
Dog Guy
Sun, Jun 10, 2012 : 2:10 p.m.
My sister and brother-in-law were very upset when their oldest son decided on an 18-month machinist program rather than four years of college. Three years later he had a side job writing CNC software for machine tool manufacturers as well as his machinist and sales jobs. Decades later my nephew is far more interesting than most trained-in-college functionaries.
amelia
Sun, Jun 10, 2012 : 2:03 p.m.
This is a wonderful program. My daughter also hated school, and I realized early on that this may be the way for her to go. She also recently graduated from HVBA and passed her State exam. I know that she has a carrer ahead of her--if she choses so. She is pursuing higher education, but even if she wants to own a salon, she will have to know more than how to do hair. I pay $150+ for my hair everytime I have it cut, colored and highlighted. I am highly educated, but I haven't a clue as to how to cut or color hair!
braggslaw
Sun, Jun 10, 2012 : 1:44 p.m.
In many cases, the guy who turns the wrench gives more value to society than the guy spouting poetry
Enso
Mon, Jun 11, 2012 : 8:31 p.m.
Depends on what you mean by 'value,' (I know, spoken like a true liberal arts major)
braggslaw
Mon, Jun 11, 2012 : 2:45 a.m.
As long as you pay your own way.. knock yourself out. People can do what they want, just don't make me pay for their indulgences.
Tom Smith
Sun, Jun 10, 2012 : 4:44 p.m.
No, actually -- they provide very different value to society. The one contributes to the (literally) mechanical aspects of our daily lives, keeping things running; the other speaks to our dreams, visions, hopes, and aspirations, without which why keep things running? I am an indie singer-songwriter. I used to be a mortgage clerk. Which one is more valuable -- the one which paid better and assisted people getting houses (and was sadly part of the buildup to the Great Recession [who knew?]), or the one where I make people laugh and sing along and feel good? It's very tricky to compare completely different jobs.
a2citizen
Sun, Jun 10, 2012 : 3:42 p.m.
Mac, what do English majors do anyway? SItting around inventing new words seems kind of boring when you can be surfing the net.
Macabre Sunset
Sun, Jun 10, 2012 : 3:02 p.m.
You know, "would you like fries with that" is one of the more poetic sayings in modern culture. Us former English majors learned very quickly that if we wanted to contribute to the economy, we would have to learn another skill. Alas, it is the road less traveled.
J. A. Pieper
Sun, Jun 10, 2012 : 1:35 p.m.
I feel very strongly about this issue because AAPS assumes that all of its students are going to go on to a four year college/university and they ignore the students who have an interest, aptitude, talent in some kind of trade skill. Every student is forced to follow the district's push, anyone ever think that maybe we need students to go into special trades? I pay my mechanic top dollars, along with the electrician I use, the home repair person, the tree maintenance company, the woman who cuts my hair, the list goes on and on. Have you ever hired a painter? Just because people get a degree from a four year college, doesn't mean they can get a job right away, and it is smart to have a specific skill to fall back on. I applaud these students, even if it is in their future to attend college. There are too many students who end up not graduating because they just weren't interested in the academics needed to graduate and get into college. Heaven forbid we in AAPS ADMIT that some of our students just aren't headed in that direction, period. a2contrarian, you are right, it is one of the influences that "ails" AAPS and probably many other school districts, we are actually leaving out a whole part of educating our population because we are forcing on them what we want them to become, and not giving them an opportunity to make a choice of their own.
YpsiVeteran
Mon, Jun 11, 2012 : 2:01 p.m.
It just brings into sharper relief the biggest problem with public schools in Michigan, and probably everyplace else, now, which is that they have forgotten that their job is to teach kids to love to learn and to want to learn. A child prepared for life this way has no trouble finding his or her path. The "goal" of primary education is NOT to prepare someone for college. It's to prepare them to be a citizen and for a lifetime of learning. Unfortunately, the only place to find this for your kids now is a private, usually Montessori, school.
janofmi
Sun, Jun 10, 2012 : 5:40 p.m.
This not just an AAPS problem. It is a national problem thanks to the Common Core Curriculum.
Mike
Sun, Jun 10, 2012 : 1:32 p.m.
I know a lot of college graduates who are underemployed and many good auto mechanics who are making a good living. Kids in Ann Arbor look down on those who pursue trades; we need more trining in the trades and couselors who can inspire those who aren't going to be doctors and lawyers.
YpsiVeteran
Mon, Jun 11, 2012 : 1:53 p.m.
The biases and prejudices of kids often are the result of parents with the same biases and prejudices. Those parents do their kids and the community an enormous disservice. Skill in a trade and extended education are both excellent goals, are both attainable, and can enhance each other. And who says a doctor or a lawyer can't also be skilled in a trade?
golfer
Sun, Jun 10, 2012 : 1:16 p.m.
the kids now a day have it made. they are given everything so why work. i think a part time job is well worth the experience.
ahi
Sun, Jun 10, 2012 : 3:14 p.m.
Good point. And if the kids aren't working who's going to pay for Mort's Medicare, Social Security, or to bail out his retirement account?
swcornell
Sun, Jun 10, 2012 : 12:42 p.m.
I know several students that work on their EMT/Paramedic license while graduating High School and then work as a Paramedic while going to school to get a nursing degree. Check into the Huron Valley Ambulance training program!
jcj
Sun, Jun 10, 2012 : 12:13 p.m.
When possible an education and degree are the preferred route for students. But a rewarding life ( in every sense of the word ) can be found in a trade. We all need to help remove the stigma that is often associated with a job in the trades. It allowed me to retired debt free and comfortable long before many others are able to do. The important thing is to pursue what you enjoy. Best of luck to all this years graduates!
Sparty
Sun, Jun 10, 2012 : 1:06 p.m.
Even if that is a degree in liberal arts, women's history, dance, music, whatever - follow your passion, despite what many on these boards say - which is to clinically study where the jobs might exist 4-6 years hence and study that regardless of interest, skill, or aptitude. It's only your life for the next 50 years or so.
Carole
Sun, Jun 10, 2012 : 12:06 p.m.
Great article. What many young folks don't realize that the "trades" are an awesome way to earn a very good living. What with so many going to college and not being able to find a job, entering into the trade is a good way to go. And, what is great about this article, both the young folks learned a trade and are still going to college to complete their needs. This world could use more mechanics, electricians, plumbers, etc.
Craig Lounsbury
Sun, Jun 10, 2012 : 12:02 p.m.
I'm a bit confused. You did a story that appears to be about learning a trade. Yet the two examples you give evidently don't actually plan to practice that trade. One is going to use it as a financial tool while getting a "conventional" degree in business at a University. The other one is going to use a trade as a back up plan. So evidently the stigma is alive and well even among kids who "shrug it off". I wish them both well. It just seems the story isn't really about what I thought when I saw the headline.
Danai
Sun, Jun 10, 2012 : 3:03 p.m.
Craig Lousbury, thanks for your comments both on this particular article and generally.
Craig Lounsbury
Sun, Jun 10, 2012 : 12:19 p.m.
Blerg, I don't disagree. But then maybe what she really want is to be a business owner which I might argue is a bit different than practicing a trade. I might also suggest that a business degree is generally not a direct prelude to starting a small business.
Blerg
Sun, Jun 10, 2012 : 12:10 p.m.
It seems to be a logical jump in thinking that if a stylist wanted to own her own salon it would make sense to get a business degree.
a2contrarian
Sun, Jun 10, 2012 : 11:41 a.m.
Good story and emblematic of what ails Ann Arbor and other uber liberal towns, especially those situated around a university. More pressure exists to get a useless degree at huge cost than to provide opportunities and encouragement to learn a trade. Our high schools have classes in psychology and philosophy (not taught by qualified staff) and Community is even starting a class in social justice. Yes, that will help you in the real world.
Polyjuce123
Mon, Jun 11, 2012 : 2:47 a.m.
@a2contrarian Do you look at job ads? Employers want 5+ years experience AND degree for the most menial jobs. This singles out young adults and hence the reason we have such a high unemployment rate for the 18-24 subset. Employers are feeding off the disparity created by the 08 recession and know they can hire young educated workers for less than half of their older counterparts. If degrees are "useless" then why are so many jobs requiring them? Why are so many employers requiring them? The problem is not the education system, but the transformation of the workforce where employers are still finding every way to shave every expense of employees. The days of 50-70K/year without extensive edu and experience are over, the pay that young grads make today will pale in comparison to what their older counterparts received. The educational requirements of employment have not changed, what has changed is the mindset of employers who will continue to play the cards to their advantage as long as they can.
A2anon
Sun, Jun 10, 2012 : 4:45 p.m.
Oh, yeah. Social justice. Who needs that? (sarcasm dripping, here)
JRW
Sun, Jun 10, 2012 : 3:26 p.m.
Nothing wrong with the liberal arts, etc, but there are many good options to a 4-year degree. In this company (UM) town, kids are indoctrinated to go to college, here or elsewhere, and there is a lot of negative bias towards kids who make other choices especially to learn trades. It's too bad, since good careers are out there for the trades. Do you really want to spend upwards of $$75,000 -100,000 for 4 years of a liberal arts education at a fancy college and find yourself working as a retail clerk in a department store or bank for minimum wage after graduation? Unfortunately, that's where a lot of college grads end up. The realities of the economy and the higher education system are misaligned. For example, why do colleges keep accepting and graduating big numbers of students in their education programs when teachers are losing their jobs around the country in big numbers and jobs are few and far between? It's irresponsible on the part of colleges to keep these big teacher training programs churning out graduates with little hope of working in their field and incurring huge debts.