Trade school vs on-the-job training for cabinetmaking

Had coffee with an old timer last week. He said apprenticeships are dead and trade school is the only way now. Claims schools teach the math and design part better than any shop floor ever could. But I learned everything hanging around a custom shop in Portland. Sanding, finishing, reading blueprints, all hands-on. Took me 3 years to get comfortable with dovetails. What do you all think is better for a newbie today? Has anyone switched from one path to the other later in their career?

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claire_barnes744mo ago

Honestly that old timer might have a point about the math but he's missing something big about speed. In a shop you learn by messing up and fixing it right there, which sticks way better than a classroom. But ngl, trade school does drill in the technical stuff like angles and joinery theory that you might not get organically on the floor. I've seen guys switch from shop-only to school later and they said the classroom filled in gaps they didn't even know they had. Did you ever feel like you hit a ceiling with your hands-on learning where you wished you had more theory backing you up?

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anthony4264mo ago

Yeah, I was all about the shop-only route for years. This post actually made me rethink that, I can see where the gaps really show up now.

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