Whether you graduate high school this year or have experienced a life-changing event, such as a divorce or spousal death that has caused you to consider a career later in life, you probably wrestle with the choice of college or vocational/trade school. Some careers require college, but if you want to enter a skilled trade, such as plumbing, welding, electrical services, etc., you only need to attend trade school and complete an apprenticeship.
Let’s explore five financial benefits of going to trade school if that’s the route you’d like to soon take.
1. It Costs Less
Financially, it makes more sense to complete a trade school program if you want to enter a skilled trade. College makes sense for careers that require a particular degree, like being an advertising executive, journalist, lawyer, or doctor, but not for an electrician or dental hygienist. That’s because colleges require two years of broad, introductory classes that expose the learner to a variety of fields. This provides a foundation for how many different industries work together.
For example, an electrician needs to know how to safely wire a building and how to work well with others in the construction trades. A metal fabricator needs safety training to properly use personal protective equipment (PPE), such as 3M masks with welder hoods, and needs to understand how to provide safety training as part of their future company’s quality control program. Trade schools only provide the coursework needed for doing the job you receive training to do. That reduces the time to complete the program, which reduces the cost of it, too. You’ll pay about $33,000 to attend a full trade school program, while that covers just one of four years for a college degree. This results in you saving money!
2. You Start Work Faster
Because you only take necessary courses, you finish within one year or 18 months for a typical program. That means you start work quickly. Most trade schools offer counselors that provide placement assistance. Colleges might host a career fair, but they do not help you find a job — trade schools do. It is to their advantage to have a superb track record for graduates finding immediate work.
3. You Still Qualify for Financial Aid
Did you know that 21% of adults check their credit score every month? It’s good to keep up with your finances. It’s even better to save money when you go to school! You qualify for the same financial aid as any college student when you apply for a trade school program. You can still obtain the Pell grant and SEOG grants that college students do.
4. You Earn a Great Salary Quickly
After a trade school program, you go through an apprenticeship for any construction trade. With a program for dental hygienists, medical technicians, or the lowest level of nursing, you can start work immediately. You still earn a salary as an apprentice and there’s plenty of work. The industrial sector uses predictive maintenance to reduce maintenance costs by up to 30%. Since they need consistent maintenance of their machines to reduce downtime by up to 45%, they hire skilled tradespeople frequently.
5. Your Existing Job Can Pay for Advancement
While you might take the 75-hour licensed practical nursing program to get started quickly with a job, you can use the salary you make to pay for advanced training. You would earn about $47,000 per year to start, making it easy to pay for the advanced coursework to become a registered nurse (RN). As an RN, you earn about $71,000 to start.
Depending on the career you desire, trade school could provide you with the training in much less time than college. You could go to work immediately after finishing school, and you’ll have an easier time finding an excellent position. Consider trade school today!
