Actually, there are a lot of paths these kids (the low achieving ones) could be encourage to take that are better than the current 'everyone should go to college!' one. They could be trained in HVAC repair, welding, plumbing, electrician, etc. There is a very, very serious shortage of properly trained, competent folks in those professions. A certified welder with a little bit of experience can easily earn $40k a year. The problem is that we, as a society, look down on these 'blue collar' jobs and no longer offer this path to our students. So now they are left with one 'acceptable' solution, even though it's probably in appropriate for a large number of them.
Suppose it takes an IQ of about 115 to study at the college level for a B.A., so that only 15% of the population qualifies.
The careers you suggested are reasonable for people with IQ of say 100-115, but they DO require smarts that not everyone has. Do you think someone with IQ of 85 can become an electrician? After people stop pretending that everyone is smart enough to go to college, the next step is to stop pretending that everyone is smart enough for the skilled trades. Many people cannot be trained to find jobs paying much above the minimum wage.
