Job snobbery – the belief that certain professions, trades, and vocations are “below” the dignity of someone’s dreams, talents, or ambitions – is not only an insult to those who work in such fields but can also limit your options for meaningful opportunities and stunt your career prospects.

My youngest son recently started studying at one of Sydney’s top acting schools after two years stacking shelves at the local IGA, a job that not only taught him the importance of reliability, duty, and the benefits of a regular income (as well as how to read a clock!), but also gave him an appreciation of the opportunity he has been given.

The old saying that, it’s not where you start but where you end up that matters, is something young school-leavers should keep in mind as they enter potentially half a century of working lives over the coming decades.

The “university or bust” approach that has become predominant in not just Australian but western culture generally, represents the triumph of an ideal that often doesn’t match reality.

This illusion is one that is also supported by government policy with a seeming ever-expanding number of tertiary education places and support systems pushing our school-leavers to take degrees and diplomas that may or may not suit their personality, interests, or temperaments.

For instance, when one of my older children a decade ago also enrolled in a university-run acting course, he received thousands of dollars in government support for a degree which the institution, CSU at Wagga Wagga, effectively abandoned halfway through his studies. He is now working in retail.

Meanwhile my youngest, now doing his best at a TAFE level, but far more practical, intense, and demanding course, is only offered a pittance to live on in one of the world’s most-expensive cities.

The starving of funds for our tech and trade TAFE system, while money is increasingly lavished on our colleges and universities – at the same time that our society is screaming out for tradies, hospitality workers, chefs, and childcare staff – is one of the mysteries of Australian public political life.

That, however, shouldn’t stop those entering, re-entering, or re-evaluating their position in the workforce from taking a cool-headed and strategic approach to their career direction.

While telling people that you’re studying for a degree in psychology at one of major metropolitan universities might sound impressive at a social event, it doesn’t guarantee a job post-graduation, and instead famously offers some of the worst career prospects of all degrees.

On the other hand, informing someone you’re working towards a trade or in retail or sales, may not earn the same admiring glances, but it could be a far better career choice.

Sales, for instance, one of the most often derided of vocations, can be fantastic way to learn job skills that you simply can’t get in a lecture theatre.

Being in a position where you have to sell something to customers who may or may not be interested – a car, property, advertising spaces, or new mobile or electricity plans – teaches a range of transferable skills that can serve you well in a range of future careers.

These attributes include resilience, ability to think under pressure, negotiating skills, ability to talk to a range of people, human psychology, and personal confidence.

Sales, retail, and trades careers, as well as allowing you to earn money immediately, also don’t accrue the same levels of debt and poor career prospects that an arts degree in, say, gender studies, realistically offers.