Student loan debt has been all over the news for years.

But what should we do about it? Should we forgive it? Should we force students and graduates to pay it off?

The answer will be debated for years to come but no answer creates a real solution.

Older generations have pushed children to four year degrees and ignored the trades.

How much would you pay a plumber or electrician? Often those skills can be learned with little to no debt and the education can start in middle school.

Many of our schools have programs to introduce our children to numerous career paths. Some of the programs have been there for generations. Who remembers home economics? Its now Family and Consumer Science and often has a culinary program. Want to be a chef? You can start in high school.

Want to experience plumbing first hand? There are projects at the Elmore County Technical Center students are doing. The same goes for information technology, nursing, carpentry and many other fields.

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There is even a bank branch in Elmore County High School.

What is great about the programs in the middle and high schools is the certifications earned along the way. They are industry issued and recognized when the students graduate.

The other great thing about the career tech programs is students figure out through hands-on experience if it is something they want to continue.

What better time than when a student is young to adjust a path to the future.

How many parents do we know who went back to school or had a career change because they were unhappy?

We can better understand what our students want and support them better by allowing them to experience the trades earlier in their education path. Let’s do it before tons of money is spent on an education that might not be needed. Let’s encourage students to explore and learn skills that will help them in life regardless of the path they chose.

Let’s encourage our students to take advantage of what is already available to them in the ag shop, kitchen or science lab to discover what they really want to do in life.Â