Perhaps you recently graduated from high school, or earned your GED, and wish to further your education. However, you don’t have the time or resources to attend a traditional four-year university or college.
If that’s the case, you may want to consider a trade school, which provides you the opportunity to earn a great education, job training, and hands-on experience that’ll make you the ideal candidate for employment. And these aren’t the only reasons more people are choosing trade school – here are five reasons trade school is becoming increasingly popular.
1. The Cheaper Cost of Education
The price of a college education increases every year, and many recent graduates are finding themselves saddled with enormous debt. Is college really the best choice, or is there a better way for you to get an affordable education? According to The Simple Dollar¹, obtaining a bachelor’s degree from a university or college will cost you an average of $127,000. Compare that to the estimated cost of a trade school education at only around $33,000, trade school offers a huge savings of $94,000!
This picture gets even worse if you consider the high drop-out rate of colleges and universities. According to the National Center for Education Statistics², as many as 40 percent of students drop out before completing their four-year college education. Oftentimes, this leaves students without a marketable degree and with large student loans that must be repaid.
2. Job Security of Trade Jobs
Most of the skills learned in trade school never go out of style, and the jobs cannot be outsourced to other countries. Take auto mechanics, for example. It’s inconceivable to think about shipping an automobile to a foreign country for repairs. Additionally, employers are finding that skilled labor positions are some of the hardest to fill, so they’re going to great lengths to make sure valuable workers are retained.
The job security of trade jobs is presently at a premium because many Baby Boomers are retiring, leaving a critical shortage of qualified applicants to fill vacated positions. Just think of all the skilled labor that’ll be required to build roads and bridges in the future or to lay pipe and string power lines. Obviously, such jobs will continue to be in high demand.
3. Specialized Programs Produce Desired Skill Sets
Many jobs are going unfilled today because of a mismatch between the skills employers are looking for and the skill sets jobseekers have to offer. To remedy that, many trade schools have built strong relationships with employers and offer specialized programs tailored to meet employers’ needs. In some cases, employers work with trade school administrators to develop the curriculum needed to meet current employment needs. This is especially true in high-demand fields such as business, technology, and healthcare.
An associate degree or a certificate earned through an accredited trade school is evidence that you have the necessary skills and experience to perform the duties of a specific job. Most employers will view this as equal or superior to on-the-job training, especially when you consider that many of these courses are taught by instructors who have real-world experience in the subject area.
4. Quicker Path to Earnings
Another benefit to attending a trade school is students usually complete their education in half the time required for a college degree. This means that trade school graduates will have as much as two years or more of additional earnings. When you couple this with the fact that trade schools cost less, it’s easy to see how a trade school can provide you with a quicker route to financial success.
5. Multiple Career Paths
You may be under the impression that trade schools only offer courses in such things as carpentry, auto mechanics, and welding. While that may have been true in the past, the range of courses in today’s trade schools has been greatly expanded, and now includes many courses that will prepare you for a well-paying job of a more professional nature. Some of these courses are:
- Computer Specialist
- Web Developer
- Dental Hygienist
- Radiation Therapist
- Nuclear Medicine Technologist
- Commercial Pilot
- Fashion Designer
- Cardiovascular Technologist
The above list is only a sampling of courses offered. Chances are excellent that if you have a particular career path you want to pursue, you’ll be able to find a trade school that offers related courses, often with a degree or certificate.
If attending a trade school sounds like the right option for you, you owe it to yourself to do some additional research. Look into various trade schools, the courses they offer and their cost. Think about the skills you want to acquire and the vocation in which you would like to build a career. Then you’ll have the information you need to make the decision that’s best for you.
Like anything, it’s always a good idea to be aware of the latest research. We recommend comparing at least 3 or 4 options before making a final decision. Doing a search online is typically the quickest, most thorough way to discover all the pros and cons you need to keep in mind.
