Off-farm Income

SHOW NOTES INTRODUCING COLE SCHOCK! The FFA does a better job of getting students ready for the career world than any other high school program that I know of.  This is a very good thing, and it can create a question - should I go straight to work or should I go to college.  Today, that question is more valid than it has been in decades.  The price of tuition his risen sharply, well above the rate of inflation and wages over the past 10-20 years, and the value of a bachelor's degree has dropped in many sectors because starting wages with a degree are being overtaken by wages in the trades. So, is a student who goes to college better off?  I think the answer to that question is "it depends".  The answer is definitely not "yes" as it was for so many years.  Today, a student who has a skill and is ready to go to work the day after graduation can get started building their salary, experience level, retirement accounts, seniority and skills 4 to 5 years before their peers who go to college.  If that same student