College, college, college. Education, education, education. That is the message sent to every highschool student. “To survive in the world, you need a degree!” “You can’t get a good job without another two to eight years of school, at least!” So they say. What about all those students pressured into mountains of debt for degrees they don’t care about or will never be able to find a job for in this market? Or how about all those young women giving up their best childbearing years to “find meaning in life” and then send their estranged kids to daycare? Okay, this really wasn’t supposed to be a rant on college, but it does lead in to the topic on my mind – apprenticeship.
Apprenticeship is an old-school method of obtaining advanced training toward a specific career. That used to be the most common method of career development. Aside from certain trades and midwifery, I can think of no other jobs in which apprenticeship is an approved training method, which is quite disapppointing to say the least.
Apprenticeship is time-consuming like college, but it offers advantages that college cannot. For one, you don’t waste your time on preliminary schooling for topics completely unrelated to the job you want to learn. Instead you can devote your time and energy to gaining knowledge and learning skills that directly apply to what you need to know.
Two, it is almost always more cost-efficient. For example, the last time I checked, one midwifery school would run me up an easy $30,000. Yet if I were to pursue an apprenticeship in my area, it would only cost me gas, food, books, and the necessary equipment a midwife needs. It might still cost me a couple or more grand, but that’s more reasonable in my case, then getting a loan for $30,000 that I would only be able to pay off slowely as I gained clientelle.
Third, an apprenticeship offers you direct, one-on-one mentorship. You are given hands-on opportunities to learn and when you have questions they will be answered. As you learn, you are given more responsibility until you are able to work on your own, or you are able to pass necessary exams.
And fourth, apprenticeships are far more likely to be family-friendly. An apprentice is expected to be fully commited to her education, s/he must do the time and put as much effort as possible into meeting the standards set by the preceptor. Yet if your child gets sick, you may not be able to make up for a college class (or more) while your apprenticeship work may simply be delayed, without a grade loss.
Apprenticeship is truly a lost art. Why can’t a person learn how to be a cook, teacher, lawyer, doctor, an office manager, or anything else by way of apprenticeship? With national exams, code inspection laws, and reputations themselves being useful to ensure safety and satisfaction, whose to say apprenticeship is any less effective at training the work force?
FYI, I do not currently have a midwife preceptor, although I would love to have one, but apprenticeship is still near to my heart and deserves to be spoken for. As midwives like to say:
Each one, Teach one!
One generation teaching the next. I like that.
I definitely agree with you… How would one go about locating apprenticeship programs?
I would start by looking for people you know in the profession you’re interested in. If they can’t help, they may know where you can start. Honestly, I haven’t reached this point with my kids, so I haven’t done much searching outside of midwifery apprenticeships for myself, but here are two websites I read about that might be helpful. http://www.interimprograms.com and http://www.nsee.org. If you find a good resource let us know!
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In the state of maine, cosometology requires 1,500 hrs of training with a price tag of about $17,000, but you can get an apprenticeship and get your lic. after 3,000 hrs of training. I went to school for cosometology and I do love it, just not the mountian of debt it created. Sometimes I think i should of thought about an apprenticeship a little bit more.
I don’t think there is a “right” way necessarily, but debt is no fun, and it is good to know there are other ways to get an education!
Unfortunately, higher education and college is a business as much as anything. Another way to profit, and a way to keep individuals out of the workforce a little longer (to allow the older generations more time to retire). As a teacher, I can see the necessity of it for medical professions, among others, that have high legal standards to abide, but for general jobs, it doesn’t make much sense. It’s just another thing to add to the list of “created must-haves” by America. And we’re so far into it, I’m not sure there is a way out. Apprenticeships may never make a comeback, sadly.
I agree, it is a business! But I have seen more in the news about preceptorships, which is basically the same thing as apprenticeships, so even if it has a new name, it may come back yet!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Doors have been closing in my face as I research the education route and I was wondering what to do next and this post has given me more ideas! Thank you so much!!!
Stay Blessed!
I’m glad it was helpful for you!
As a stay at home, homeschooling mother of 2, I own a business with my husband and we have apprentices! It is definitely a lost art, but is still very much alive in the tattoo industry. Although idiotic tv programs show places that claim to be tattoo schools, I love to ask people which would they prefer when being marked for life…. Someone who spent some money and took a few month course on tattooing, OR someone who did grunt work and sat alongside people performing this trade for 2 years before applying this skill.
That is a great point Lacey! An experienced apprentice sounds far more appealing than a graduate of a course
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