The Veteran’s View: By Dennis Mitchell Finally, summer is here! School is coming to a close for another year and graduations are promoting our students to their next level. Potential seems to be blooming every place you look. Some of those soon-to-be-former students are facing life changing decisions regarding their possible potential for employment. I still remember those days in a galaxy far, far away and a long, long time ago, but the choices were still the same! Get a job or move into the basement of my parent’s house, sleep till noon, and then party till the early hours of the morning. Reality check: staying at home was never an option in our house. I knew from an early age it was 18 and out – with “out” meaning you don’t live here anymore, come by to visit, stay for dinner, but life is on you now, so go start living it. Just two weeks after my graduation I joined the military and began the next chapter of my life. From then until now, I never spent another night under their roof – or in their basement. Many of you who know me also know I am not an advocate of kids going directly from high school to college. I have said before, for every 100 students, 10 should attend higher education in the fields of science, medicine or technology, and only those who have not only the potential to comprehend this advanced material, but also the means to cover its cost. You and I, Joe and Jane Truck Driver, should not be responsible for the repayment of college loans for kids who studied underwater basket weaving and now can’t find a job or refuse to pay back their educational debts. Now, before any of you start with the name calling and berating me for discriminating against anyone, hear me out. Of the remaining 90 of those 100 students, 35 should go into a structured vocational program – trade schools with an apprenticeship schedule or preferred work program for up to four years. That should also include an introduction to transportation with a pathway to your Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). After all, we are considered to be a skilled trade. They can expect to get a real education on the job from people who not only know the course material, but that can actually do the job, as well. All while they are earning a wage to maintain themselves. In my experience, most college “professors” have never done the job, nor can they do the job, that’s why they teach. Too many have only learned from a book and not actively worked for any length of time in their field of expertise. I truly am an advocate of the hands on work experience since it exposes people to other opportunities in trades besides the single one they may be pursuing. Now, for the remaining 55 of those 100 students, they just need to get a job, and any job is a good place to start. Just the basic tenet of employment is going to be a considerable adjustment to most young people. When taking this route, the purpose is to see where their interests lie and, if nothing else, they will learn the jobs they don’t want to pursue. Then, when life has given them some sort of experience, they will be better prepared to decide on “if” or “where” to seek a possible higher education. I really hadn’t intended to write about education this month until I got a copy of the local newspaper. In it, they reprinted a page from March 19, 1975. The front page headline read “Five Blissfield FFA Young Men Named State Farmers” – and to my surprise, there I was, 50 years ago, standing with a group of very prominent successful farmers of today. Not all of us took the same path in life. Three of the five today head 50 10-4 Magazine / June 2025 SAFETY BLITZ OR NOT!
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