After graduating from high school, students often reflect on their career path, which can compel them to join either trade schools or pursue a college degree. However, multiple factors influence an individual's decision to enroll in either of the institutions. For instance, while a student might qualify to register for a college degree, it might prove challenging to pursue a college degree due to financial constraints. Consequently, such individuals chose to wait as they work and pool resources that will facilitate college education. American society has put a lot of emphasizes on getting college degrees aimed at acquiring a booming career and live the American dream. The income issue plays a critical role in determining whether an individual chooses to join a college compared to trade schools. However, many misconceptions characterize the problem, and the majority of the students make uninformed decisions. Both trade schools and college degree play an essential role in preparing a career path for the learners. Trade schools are a better choice than college degrees because they incur a lower cost, equipped with skills, a shorter learning period, and a worthy career based on income generated.
The trade schools are more convenient for students originating from lower-income families because their cost is significantly lower. According to Holland & DeLuca (2016), enrolling in a college degree insinuates that the learner has access to about $110,000 which will be incurred for the four-year course while students in trade schools pay between $30,000 and $33,000 depending with the institution one registers. There exists a significant difference between the amount of learners in the two institutions pay. Consequently, most students from low-income families have to wait before they join the college as they try to save enough amount from sustaining their learning. High costs of learning lead students to borrow loans, which influence their afterlife since they spend a considerable portion of their income to settle the debts. In the scenario where the learner fails to secure a well-paying job after graduation, the debts become the source of financial instability. Nevertheless, by enrolling in trade schools, the learners avoid implicating themselves into obligations that influence the quality of life after graduating. Subsequently, students who lack the financial strength capable of effectively sustaining their college fees should consider enrolling in trade schools.
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The type of coursework taught in both trade schools and colleges significantly influences students' choices while planning their career path. According to Shain & Best (2020), a college education provides its students with general education to produce a well-educated individual. On the other hand, trade schools coursework is narrow such that it concentrates on the information that a learner requires in his or her profession. Consequently, society creates the impression that the strategy used in trade schools is outdated and prefers to join colleges to avoid the learning approach used in community colleges (Morris, 2018). However, such a choice fails to acknowledge that learners enrolled in trade schools access how their work environment will be. Subsequently, individuals know what to expect when they eventually join the labor market. Moreover, learning in a trade school guarantees the individual a job as soon as one graduate because it does not necessarily require one to have an employer due to being self-employed. Furthermore, the approach is essential because it does not overload learners with information that will be unnecessary as they practice their careers. Trade schools utilize career-specific coursework and learners should not undermine it based on the short scope compared to generalized classwork in colleges.
Students that enroll in trade schools take a shorter period at learning compared to learners that attend colleges. Cabrera & La Nasa (2018) argue that individuals responsible for academic counseling glorified colleges as being the way for individuals to achieve an American dream. The authors argue that it would be better if students were given adequate information about both colleges and trade schools and allowed to make their own choices. Students that decide to join colleges must wait for four years before they can join the labor market. Sometimes, they take a more extended period before pursuing their career path because they might have to work and pool funds, requiring time. Alternatively, students who join trade schools need about two years to study and acquire skills required to join their respective careers. It is unlikely for the students in trade schools to stay long without employment because the economy has ready gaps that they will fill once they graduate. Consequently, it is essential that academic counseling comprehensively covers both colleges and trade schools' advantages and disadvantages aimed at giving learners with options. Individual learners will choose to follow a career path that best fits one's future aspirations.
The issue of income plays a center stage as students determine whether to join college or trade schools. The society created a misconception that individuals that acquire college degrees receive better salaries than those enrolled in trade schools. Nevertheless, individuals that pursued courses in trade schools have access to well-paying jobs as is the case with college degree holders. Goodman (2017) argues that being course-specific, trade schools make it easier for their learners to acquire employment opportunities. Furthermore, learners who join trade schools can be self-employed and target a market that meets their desired compensations. Moreover, since the learners receive employment almost immediately after they graduate, they get financially stable before their peers who joined colleges. Moreover, it is essential to note that college students are unlikely to remain unemployed for the first three years after graduating. It is also likely that a college graduate pursues a career unrelated to the skills acquired at school. Therefore, learners should understand that trade schools equip one with skills relevant to building a decent job that can lead to financial stability within a short period.
Indeed, attending a trade school is much better than enrolling for a college degree based on various aspects, including cost, skills acquired, time, and income. The academic counsels have long emphasized that college degrees are the way for learners to achieve their American dream. Subsequently, the society created misconceptions relating to the trade schools as less deserving. However, students from low income should consider enrolling for trade schools because they will incur less cost, expose learners to course-specific skills, graduate within two years, and build a decent career leading to financial stability. However, it is essential to acknowledge that some careers demand that an individual access college education, making this learning model equally crucial. Therefore, students must evaluate each of the two's pros and cons and determine the model that will best fit individual career goals compared to disregarding trade schools.
References
Best, R., & Shain, S. (2020). Tricks of the Trade? Journal of Financial Planning, 33 (1), 34-46.
Cabrera, A. F., & La Nasa, S. M. (2018). On the path to college: Three critical tasks facing America's disadvantaged. Research in Higher Education , 42 (2), 119-149.
Goodman, P. S. (2017). In hard times, lured into trade school and debt. New York Times , 13 .
Holland, M. M., & DeLuca, S. (2016). “Why wait years to become something?” Low-income
American youth and the costly career search in for-profit trade schools. Sociology of Education , 89 (4), 261-278.
Morris, W. V. (2018). Avoiding community colleges: Students who attend proprietary vocational schools. Community College Journal of Research and Practice , 17 (1), 21-28.
