system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
CMV: Vocational school is just as difficult as a university (relatively speaking)

Why is vocational school often recommended for people who aren't college material/ intelligent? Trades and vocational school are still difficult and require intelligence. Whether it be electrical, welding, HVAC, etc it still requires math, reading comprehension and basic skills.

Why is it viewed that a welding class or a automotive repair class is easier than college courses ( more specifically freshman level history, college algebra, business etc). If anything I would view learning to weld as a more difficult skill than passing a college class.

Additionally you still have to take math and English in most associated degrees. I’ve seen a lot of people even in college struggle with basic algebra and fractions, now how would they be able to thrive in a trade that uses decimals, fractions, micrometers etc quite frequently? Also trades are physically demanding. Someone who has never worked a physical job/ been active will have a difficult time digging trenches, lugging pipes/sheet metal.

I just think the grass isn’t greener on the other side and trades are just as difficult as a general degree. ( not comparing it to Ivy League level/pre med/high difficulty degrees)
gpt
Oftentimes, people who are bad at school are bad at particular aspects of schooling, such as classroom learning and dealing with high levels of abstraction.

For many people, practical applications of math or engineering principles are much easier than purely abstract mathematics, even if the core concepts are the same.  Additionally, they are able to embrace the task more clearly because it is tied to a practical end result, as opposed to being a purely academic exercise.

It isn't to say that trade programs are necessarily easier than ordinary undergraduate programs, but they're difficult in different ways that make them suitable to different people.  So someone who is bad at ordinary academic programs might still thrive in a well designed trade program that better suits their learning style.