I think some of the resistance we meet has come from a serious mis-understanding of some terms- and usually with "additions" made to the proper definitions!
"Trade school" is NOT a place for the inept, undiciplined, or those "not good enough" for college. Almost any tradesman worth his salt has put as much time, effort, money, and brainpower into his trade as anyone else- and, yes, I'm including doctors, lawyers, and engineers in this!
"Apprentice" is NOT a term used to describe children, serfs, or inferiors. It is a term describing the special relationship between someone who wants to learn, and someone who wishes to teach him, and the bureaucracy involved in documenting this training- so the guy finishes the course with more than just his hat in his hand.
"Journeyman" is someone who has had the training, the experience, and the documentation to show that they have attained a MINIMUM competence in the trade- and have at least had classroom exposure to all facets of it.
One can easily say that, once you've attained "journeyman" ststus.....then you're ready to begin really learning!
Now, taking the test is something everyone should be able to do. Pass or fail, you can't help but gain a appreciation of the training a journeyman has. Pass it, and that piece of paper is some kind of yardstick as to what you've learned.
But I advise against taking the test by those who feel they are somehow "better" than someone who is "only" an apprentice. Nor should the posession of a college degree be a reason to avoid the program.
Simply put, there are no short-cuts.
