I never told my son what he should do when he graduated from high school, but I didn’t tell him what he shouldn’t do, either.
I wanted him to go to school and get an education.
I was hoping to see him with a career that gave him opportunities in life my wife and I never had. I hoped he would become a professional; like being a lawyer, doctor, or some other well-paying job. Instead, he went to HVAC technical school right out of high school, and he became a technician. Had I told him to be an HVAC technician, I’m sure he wouldn’t have gone, so maybe I should have told him not to go before graduating. He was stubborn, and had I told him not to go to HVAC school, he would have moved heaven and earth to get into a different school. I tried talking him out of HVAC school, but it was a futile effort. I finally talked man-to-man to my son and told him. I wanted him to go to school to become a professional. He told me to get to the point. I told him I wanted him to do anything but HVAC as a career. My dad worked in HVAC and he couldn’t keep our family in a home, or pay all the bills. I was working by the time I was fifteen, and my sister got pregnant at sixteen to get out of the house. He told me that HVAC was different now than it was fifty years ago. HVAC was a necessity in today’s world, and it gave him job security. I couldn’t believe it, but I was understanding why my son wanted to be an HVAC technician, and I was proud of him.