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These days, it seems like everyone is expected to follow the same path: graduate high school and start college. If you know what you want to do, get your bachelor’s degree. If you’re not sure, go to a community college, get your associate’s, and then transfer to a four-year and finish out your bachelor’s. Then, if you have a good enough GPA, continue on to a graduate program. However, this path isn’t for everyone — nor should it be.
Due to the encouragement toward college so many people receive out of High School, numbers of trade school enrollees have been plummeting. At the same time, college debts have ballooned. The fact is, some people are not suited for the classroom and will have trouble making it through four years of college curriculum, only to graduate in a field they’re not passionate about with thousands of dollars in college debt.
To avoid unnecessary debt, it’s important to understand that college is not the single best option for everyone.
The Trades
Trade school usually costs less than college, averaging about $33,000 for a degree. With college costs growing to roughly four times that, and certain degrees — especially in the arts — unlikely to pay back, the trades often look like a much better option. A degree in the trades also begins paying itself back much faster than a college degree. It typically only takes 18 months or so to obtain trade certification, and students often experience hands-on, paid work in the process.
With such continued stress on the college path throughout high school, the trade path has remained neglected by many students who might benefit from it. For instance, diesel mechanics are in high demand. Instead of going through a long four-year degree, you could could take on a diesel mechanic degree and start working at a paid internship or co-op before the end of the year. In another year or two, they could quickly be making upwards of $40,000 a year, quickly paying off their trade school loans and sharpening their skills in a useful trade.
The same goes for programs for plumbers, welders and electricians, many of whom make salaries much higher than the average college graduate. Further, they’ll have more experience in the workforce while many of their peers in college will still be completing their programs.
College Troubles
As previously noted, college doesn’t always pay off. The average student graduates from a four-year program with over $37,000 in debt — more than the entire cost of a trade program — and will be paying it back for the next decade, at least. This number does not include any payments the student or their parent has already been required to make. With those costs factored in, the price for higher education balloons to well over $50,000 for many students.
With this in mind, colleges justify the price of their degrees with classroom rigor. Many graduating high school seniors aren’t able to keep up academically and feel forced down an educational path that doesn’t best suit their needs. Dropping out partway through school with thousands of dollars in debt is possibly the worst thing someone can do, especially when so many options are available in the trades.
Make the Right Choice for You
Though all the signs you’ve received so far in your life point to higher education — aka, everything your parents and teachers have told you — it may not be the right option. If you have any reservations about attending college, don’t force it. You have plenty of other completely respectable options for your future, and choosing the path that makes the most sense for you and your skills is the only way you’ll truly be successful and happy.
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Photo provided by the author.