As you graduate from high school, you are expected to plan the rest of your life. Friends and relatives are constantly asking you, where are you going to college or where are you going to work? While a four year college was once the norm, more and more high school graduates are heading into a technical college. Technical schools differ in many ways from a traditional four year college. While you begin to plan for the rest of your life, consider the differences between the two types of schools.
Unnecessary pre requisite classes
You will find that many four year colleges are filled with unnecessary classes that do little to advance your working knowledge and skills. This is one of the reasons that it takes four years of a full time course load to achieve a degree. The first two years of the program usually include courses like English, Math, and History. If you are not interested in taking more of these filler classes, technical schools might be a better option. Technical schools only require courses that are directly related to your intended certification. If you are going into the HVAC industry, you will take HVAC courses. If your goal is to become a pharmacy technician, you will only take pharmaceutical related courses.
High tuition rates
One of the biggest barriers to attending a four year college is the high tuition rates. Some schools can cost as much as you would earn in an entire year. Without a college fund, you could be forced to take out student loans. Whether or not you find employment after college, you are required to pay those student loans back. The U.S. currently has high student debt ratios and today, many students are making the decision to not go into debt for their education. Technical schools are much more affordable. You are not paying for unnecessary courses and on campus dormitories. The average trade school degree costs $33,000, while a bachelor?s degree can cost around $127,000. That is a savings of $94,000! Many of the technical degrees also have the opportunity to produce a high paying income.
Minimum job prospects
Four year colleges tend to have high enrollment rates. You might attend a class with hundreds of other students, never getting to know your peers or the instructor. This often means limited networking abilities. Because networking is so important to employment, it often also means minimum job prospects after graduation. For example, attending a four year college with the plan to become culinary arts professional provides you with little networking abilities. However, in technical schools, all of your instructors and peers will also be in the industry. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for culinary specialists is on the rise. They expect the field to grow by about 9% between 2014 and 2024. Many technical schools have highly respected culinary schools.
Fewer hands on experience opportunities
People learn in different ways. One student might prefer to learn by reading about an industry, while another prefers hands on experiences. Most four year schools only provide you with academic opportunities. Technical colleges, however, have both types of opportunities. You begin your trade by increasing your academic knowledge and then move on to hands on experienced. These hands on experiences are what truly prepare you to work in the industry. HVAC professionals especially require hands on tasks to really learn the trade. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that by the year 2022, the HVAC field will experience a 21% increase in job growth. Many of these HVAC trained students will be expected to already have hands on experience.
The time of high school graduation brings many decisions. You must decide what type of career you will pursue and where you will obtain that knowledge. Some may choose to attend a four year college. However, some industries are actually best to learn from technical schools. In comparison to four year colleges, technical schools tend to cost less, provide you with more industry related courses, give you better networking opportunities, and provide more hands on work related experiences.
