While a four-year undergrad degree sounds great, the typical college experience isn’t for everyone. In fact, vocational schools offer many people a more cost-effective path to success.
So, university isn’t for you
You never really wanted to apply to college. It doesn’t sound like your thing and your family never went; you just really don’t see the point. You don’t want to work at Target forever, though. You know that helping old ladies find the right-sized slipper isn’t in your future.
Cooking has always been your passion. You could whip up a mean soufflé and your eggs benedict once brought your father to tears. Or, maybe you love the inner-workings of clocks, the ticks and clicks that perfectly fit into a minute.
So you do your research and find a school that help you on your way to be the best damn chef or watchmaker you can be.
What’re you talking about?
Vocational schools — known also as trade schools — are ways for people who aren’t going to university to still be trained for a certain job. There’s excellent ways for recent high school grads (or those who have been out of the education system for a while) to get training and certification in a field that requires a high level of focus that isn’t necessarily taught regularly at universities.
The process of applying is the same as if you were applying to a community college. It’s simple and much less expensive than going to a university or college in the United States would be. However, instead of an Associate Degree when you walk out, you receive certification in your field.
Vocational schools come in many shapes and disciplines, anything from art to blacksmithing is fair game for a vocational education. Vocational schools are an easy (and cheap(er)) way for students to find themselves in a profession they truly love.
Who is paying for it?
In 2011, the Obama administration proposed a 20 percent cut in their technical education budget. That’s about $1 billion. This was to push the focus of the budget toward primary, secondary and higher education (that’s elementary school, middle and high school, and universities/colleges, respectively.) But it never went though.
How vocational schools are funded is mostly the state’s problem anyway. In fact, in Massachusetts and other states have a proposition to actually increase the funding by $83.5 million. So it seems like vocational schools aren’t really in that much trouble.
The biggest problem? Branding.
To be honest, there is not a whole lot of material that argues against the effectiveness of vocational schooling. It’s (comparatively) inexpensive, hands-on learning and the pay after graduation is actually pretty nice. Sorry, English majors.
Rather it’s the stigma that keeps many from actually attending. It doesn’t look as nice on a resume as graduating from Berkley or Colorado State University might. However, if you’re learning a trade, wouldn’t you plan on staying with that trade for a while? It’s not like attending a vocational school is keeping you from attending a university or college in the future.
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Undergraduate degrees are still readily available for those who may want to pursue something later in life. If you’re looking to fix cars, your employers aren’t going to care too much if you received your philosophy degree from Duke.
Our take
No matter what Michelle says, you don’t have to go to college. It’s not for everyone and if you feel pushed to go, you might end up wasting a whole bunch of money figuring out that you don’t work in that kind of setting. UCLA doesn’t have a plumbing degree. If that’s your calling, go for it. Just be sure to wear a belt when you’re on the job.
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Header image: Getty
