Skilled Trades Vs. College Degrees

When deciding what type of higher education to pursue, potential students need to evaluate their career and life goals and decide whether to learn skilled trade or get a college degree . By acquiring skills such as welding, car mechanics, construction, you can earn an excellent career, but the university degree also has many advantages.

It usually takes 4 years to obtain a bachelor's degree, but more students may be necessary, especially if you have to work within school hours. Certificate of completion of vocational school usually ends within two years. The average annual tuition fee for the public technical schools in 2012 is $ 4,000, the Washington state four-year state university ranges from $ 7,000 to $ 11,000 per year, technical training has become more affordable.

The course of the university is usually done in a traditional classroom or laboratory, students need to attend a lecture and devote time to reading, writing thesis, and conducting group projects outside the classroom. The trade school environment is like a real work place. According to the Texas Labor Force Council, some skilled trading can be learned through practical training. There, students combine on-the-job training and curriculum to earn rewards while learning new skills.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average income for those who have a bachelor's degree is $ 55,000 per year. Workers who only receive high school education average about 34,000 dollars per year, but workers who have university credits but do not earn degrees earn about 37,000 dollars. According to the financial website Kiplinger, skilled trade jobs are compared with the wages of people who need a degree. For example, sales representatives in the manufacturing industry average $ 52,000 per year, and telecom operators earn approximately $ 55,000 per year.

BLS reported that workers with college degrees had the lowest unemployment rate - the bachelor's degree in 2012 is 5%, the high school diploma is 3%. According to a survey by Georgetown University, workers with degrees in architecture and anthropology have a proportion of more than 12% in 2010, so a degree does not guarantee a low unemployment rate. Some skilled trade jobs have high demand, so there is a possibility of stabilizing employment. According to Kiplinger's report, the work of brickworkers, electricians, plumbers, etc. exceeds 14% per year on a national average.

Marie Anderson from the Houston area began writing educational articles in 2013. She has a bachelor's degree in science in sports and physical education and a master's degree in science in educational administration. She has 7 years of teaching and guidance experience in the Texas public school system.

"Trade school and university" is a common argument among many potential students. There are many training options, but choosing a path can lead to confusion. The university that participates in the traditional degree ceremony seems to be an obvious choice for many people, is it always necessary? Do you have any good choice on what to do on behalf of the university? Commercial school is a good choice? In any case, what is the difference between trade school and university? All these are good questions. First, let's see the main differences between trade schools and universities. It is important to know that vocational schools, vocational schools, commercial schools and vocational schools are essentially the same; these terms are used interchangeably.

Trade School provides specific vocational training for various skill professions. This may mean acquiring an associate degree in a community college, but in most cases it will take about a year at a vocational school. These professions are often related to the work of "blue collar", and unfortunately today's culture often has negative stereotypes. In reality, millions of people are working with skilled workers, and in particular they are getting higher salaries than university graduates. The average starting salary of college graduates is $ 45,000, but the average initial salary of those attending school commuting to school is $ 42,000. Although there is not much difference, graduates of vocational training schools are about to enter the labor market for at least two years.

There are more than 30 million people in the US, over 55,000 dollars, no bachelor's degree. The technology industry can earn six figures without a college degree. I still believe in higher education faithfully, but it is clearly not suitable for everyone. We also need to stop thinking and talking about the skilled industry as a low-level truck of the career level. The average debt of university graduates is 37 thousand dollars, and trade school graduates can work as university graduates after graduating from high school, but there is no debt