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The job market in America has become more and more competitive in recent years. Companies look for top-quality candidates to fill the positions they have available, whether that be a technician or some maintenance position.
For some students, getting a job may be harder right after school, while for others it may not. For instance, the ones that have had jobs during high school have a jump start at obtaining a successful job post-graduation. “It’s important to hone your skills, but get a job first so your life is stable,” advises senior Alex Yu. “As you work your job, hone your skills when you have free time, so that you can improve while working and in society.”
In addition, some students face the decision to either prioritize working immediately or going to college first and then working. According to Alex, “If you think you are good at blue collar jobs and actually like it, then yes. But I feel like if you’re just doing it for money or for the sake of having a job, then you’ll get tired and bored quicker making it pointless.”
Another reason that blue collar jobs are recommended is because of the money they generate, but there are other options that are available. Trade schools and the Armed Forces are also available and require just a high school diploma in order to enter. US Army Corporal Ben Gorospe, states, “I do encourage people to join the military. It provides many benefits such as health insurance, paid college, leadership skills, and more. Everyone in the military has a job and they can be transferred over to the civilian world.”
The Armed Forces are available once you hit the age of 17. Gorospe says, “Joining the military should definitely be in the top-10 choices. It’s free to join and you gain a lot of valuable experiences such as traveling abroad. There are many bases around the world and you’re able to get stationed anywhere such as Hawaii or Japan! You will have chances to visit the culture of the places you are based in.” The Military provides a lot of experiences not available to regular blue collar jobs yet it is more physically demanding than most.
“Additionally, students should focus on getting into the trades. It’s more versatile than blue collar jobs and there are a lot of trade schools out there that do a great job in getting their students out there in the real world, working as soon as they graduate. There are a lot of similarities between blue collars and the trades, so I won’t say that getting a blue collar job is worse,” says Corporal Goropse.
Nathan Vinoray is a Senior at Washington High School. He was born and raised in Fremont, California. It’s his first year on WHS Hatchet. He hopes to bring out some new topics to Hatchet. He enjoys doing a lot of things in his free time, like 3D modeling, creating personal films, and hanging out with friends and family. Nathan plans to join the Army within the next year or two while trying to major in Engineering and hopes to leave the US and live in Europe for some time.