Well Bill,
I'm 37 and I feel my generation was sold a bad bill of goods regarding education.
We were told that all we needed to do was work hard in school, get into a good college, which would get us a good job, and life would be perfect. (2008 proved otherwise).
It appears to me that in today's economy, education is still important obviously, but unless there is a particular goal you wish to achieve that requires specific training, learning how to build and create things is very important. A willingness to get down and dirty is important.
In my line of work, with a GED you can show up with zero skills other than common sense, and a good work ethic and make $50k starting. A year later you can give yourself a raise by simply taking a class and getting a raise in grade. Learning to service the machine as I do can double and triple that income in 3-4 years if you really focus and work hard.
I look around at people my age and see men with $250k worth of education, that cannot for the life of them figure out how to change the blades on their lawn mower. I figure at the very least I should show the kids how to work basic power tools in a safe manner.
My son plays video games.... which we allow, but we feel there needs to be something to learn about it. So he plays this game where he drives around tanks and planes and shoots at other people online. Well the wife found an AutoCad program so he could design his own tanks to use. I can't imagine having to try and teach a 12 year old AutoCad, but since he is into the game, he pretty much taught himself. He also has several Trebuchet designs he made up that he wants to build in the shop.
It's always easier to learn something when it furthers something you are already interested in.... this is why we homeschool, we can really go "all in" on any interest the kids are obsessing about. This is much more interesting than public school's "teaching the test" mentality.
Rant off.
So we're getting the floor pans in today. Will have more progress pictures as we cut and weld them in.
