Students who are about to complete high school are primarily in their teens when the urge to break free and become independent is at an all-time high. What should I go for “trade school or university” is a question in the mind of most high school students except the best performing 5% who want to pursue higher studies in college and university. The rest of the students have a latent intent to start earning within a year of passing out of high school. However, a high school diploma won’t help them get a steady job in a specialized area to build a career in the long term. So what option do they have? The answer is technical trade schools.
Technical trade schools expertise in teaching students. These skills are required for getting a specific job within an industry of choice. These technical training schools have a more focused approach to helping students learn their chosen area of study skills. These courses are designed to equip the students with the necessary skills within a short duration ranging from 6 months to 2 years. These are job-oriented courses and are in high demand in the market, thereby ensuring that students completing such courses get a job immediately.
This makes it easier for students to choose a trade school over college and earn within one year of high school. Pursuing a job-oriented vocational course provides them the option to start earning within just six months after completing high school. The best part of a trade school diploma is that it is relatively affordable compared to a college degree and assures a job opening immediately upon completion of the course. In addition, unlike students passing out or dropping out of college, a student who chooses a vocational course doesn’t carry a huge debt burden when beginning his career.
There are many reasons students pass out of high school to prefer a job-oriented course over colleges or universities. Here are some significant reasons why Students Prefer Trade School Over Universities:
For someone just out of high school to gain entry to vocational trade schools in Philadelphia. Here is an admission eligibility criteria to refer to from a well-known technical trade school in Philadelphia.
Most training schools offer specialized courses in several areas. This means that class sizes are smaller, making it easy for instructors to pay more attention to individual students. The quality of instruction improves with such individualized attention, which benefits the students who learn more efficiently.
Trade schools are very well-connected to the market and the respective industries that require the skills they teach their students. They have counselors in their ranks who focus on helping their students get opportunities like internships, industry-oriented training, and hands-on training.
Somebody passing out of high school and choosing a vocational course can hope to begin earning in about a year. This is the kind of empowerment that most youngsters are looking for after passing out of high school. It gives them the confidence to choose a career of their choice, including pursuing higher studies in college or university while working.
Studying in a top-tier college or university can be both very competitive and costly. Getting into a reputed college is challenging without a high Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) score and other credentials like volunteer service projects and extra-curricular activities. Hence, students are more likely to choose trade schools over universities.
There are differences in the earning potential of those who pass out from top-tier colleges and those who pass out from trade schools. However, some data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics are pretty interesting. For example, while construction managers earned over $95,000 per year, radiation therapists earned over $85,000 a year, and dental hygienists over $76,000 a year. While that can’t be said about all jobs with vocational qualifications, it is also true that most such jobs don’t get outsourced. Besides, if a worker with a vocational qualification wants to pursue higher education later in his career, he can always do so.
Overall, the opportunities for a student to choose a trade school over a university cannot be overlooked. Gone are the days when a college degree could get you a well-paying job soon after graduating. Today, the market requires people with hands-on skills in precision jobs that trade schools teach – e.g., HVAC technician, manufacturing, mental health technician, etc. The other important point to note is that the wages in these jobs are pretty decent even if they don’t match the salaries that graduates pass out of good colleges and universities.
According to Student Loan Hero, a leading agency that counsels students on loans, the average college student graduates with a debt of $30,000 which requires an average debtor 21 years to repay. College fees can range between $56,000 and $127,000. A student passing out of a trade school requires about $16000, which is much easier to repay. For someone who gets a job immediately after passing out of a skilled trade training program paying off a much smaller debt is easier. After that, he built a career in his chosen field with a certification program in the skilled trades.
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