Victoria Pettas, 18, of Moriches, is gaining her 500 hours to become a licensed barber at Monti's Barbershop in Moriches. Credit: Randee Daddona
Facebook feeds have been filled recently with photos of students setting up their dorm rooms as parents drop them off at their chosen colleges. But not every high school graduate follows an academic career path.
Plenty of Long Island high school grads pursue programs to become auto mechanics, plumbers, electricians, medical assistants and more, enrolling in apprenticeship programs or trade schools or immediately entering the paid workforce. “More people are applying right out of high school than 15 years ago. That’s a definite trend,” says Christopher Kelly, training director for Long Island’s IBEW Local 25 electrical union’s apprenticeship program.
Eastern Suffolk BOCES is also reporting an uptick in its high school Career and Technical Education programs. “From last year, we have 200 more students enrolled in classes and our waitlist doubled,” says Leah Arnold, director of career, technical and adult education. Eastern Suffolk BOCES is serving 2,300 students from 35 school districts from Brentwood to Montauk, she says.
"It used to be college was the only way to make money. People are seeing the value of a vocational education. I do think the perception is changing."
Leah Arnold, Eastern Suffolk BOCES
Here are six Long Islanders who have chosen not to attend college, and why they made that decision:
Jessica Brandt, 18, of St. James, works as a technician in training at Haberstad BMW in Huntington Station. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
Victoria Pettas, 18, of Moriches practices her barber skills on Carson Allard, 19, of Medford, at Monti's Barbershop in Moriches. Credit: Randee Daddona
Finnias Wilson, 17, helped build this shed with Benny Diaz, building trades teacher at Southampton High School. Credit: James Carbone
Lavette Smith, medical assistant instructor, watches as students Jade Flores and Joselin Escobar, both 18, of Hempstead, demonstrate how to properly wash hands during medical assistant training at Hunter Business School in Levittown.
Beth Whitehouse writes about families, parenting and great things to do with the kids on Long Island. She’s been a Newsday editor and shared a 1997 Newsday staff Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the crash of TWA Flight 800.
