NBC/Today: Teens enter vocational school, come out with jobs, no debt

[JDPriestly]

8. In high school in the 1950s, I learned the skills that girls learned back then.

Typing, etc.

I used them professionally until computers came in. Now typing skills are pretty worthless. You can't earn much of a living with them.

I also learned a lot of other things, including how to read well, how government works, and other things that did not lead directly to a job. It's the other things I learned that permitted me to be flexible as new technologies came in and new skills were required.

Had I gone to secretarial school rather than college, I would have been at a great disadvantage when it came to adjusting to new technologies.

I got a teaching degree -- but never really used it to teach in public schools. But the understanding I gained about how we learn helped me as a mother and in life in general.

Understanding and analytical thinking are what kids will need in the future. A trade tech certificate does not mean you haven't learned those things, but the coursework doesn't teach you how to apply those skills outside your specific skill area. And that puts you at a disadvantage.