Regular Person Apprentice

In the German school system, not everyone goes to college. Not everyone goes to college in America, either, but they’re supposed to. But in Germany, by the age of 16, 40% of German students have been routed away from the university track and toward an apprenticeship. They learn a trade. And then they get a job. Exactly the opposite of the way college works.

Alex Tabarrok thinks apprenticeships are brilliant and that America should adopt them because, hello, practical and affordable and resulting in jobs, all things colleges are not delivering on right now (ever again?).

He also says that the kids who do apprenticeships are “in no way second-class relative to college graduates.” His commentariat disagrees. Which leads to the question: Does it matter? Better to be of the “intellectual class” and have a degree and NO JOB or to be “working class” and HAVE A JOB? (via)

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