One of the most challenging decisions a graduating high school senior is faced with is whether to attend college or to learn a trade and start earning money. There are a lot of factors to take into account from scholastic ability to talents, finances, teen pregnancy, early marriage, home circumstances, career choices, and whether a student knows what they want to do in life.
For many college students, the purpose of education is to attain a high-paying job.
· According to the University of Washington, the percentage of unemployed college graduates stands at 53%. They state that “Even with a perfect resume, references, and an established job-seeking strategy, they are unlikely to find work in their field or even one that requires a college degree.”
· According to Nitro, a company that provides student financial guidance, the average student loan debt after four years of college is approximately $37,172. The Wall Street Journal reported that 43% of college graduates are underemployed in their first job.
Just those facts alone could easily deter a student from the idea of attending school for at least another four years. Juxtapose this against the following facts from Finances Online, which provides reviews for business:
· 81% of high school dropouts state that the teaching of real-world skills would have kept them in school.
· The five fastest-growing jobs in health science are home health aides, personal care aides, nurses, physician assistants, and physical therapist assistants (American Education Services, 2019).
· The median annual wage for health care careers is $28,710 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2020).
· The five fastest-growing jobs in business and finance are customer service representatives, operations managers, office clerks, stock clerks, secretaries, and administrative assistants (AES, 2019)
· In business and finance, the median annual wage is $67,710 (BLS, 2020).
· The five Information Technology jobs with the best outlook are information security analysts, IT research scientists, web developers, computer support specialists, and software developers.
· For IT jobs, the median annual wage in 2018 is $84,580 (BLS, 2020).
It would seem that moving right into the job market straight from high school is a good idea, especially if a student feels that their general education didn’t prepare them for the real world. The pros for attending a trade school include: Learn relevant skills, it’s less costly, it takes less time, smaller class sizes and flexibility, job-specific educational format, specialized career offerings, high demand, hands-on experience, no waiting for admission dates, and they offer career services.
The downside of trade schools includes Limited scope of job opportunities, they are not always cheaper, there is no job guarantee, no shared knowledge, it discourages skill set diversity, there are no divergent opinions in school, job specialization means no other career path, jobs may not always be available, limited choice of schools to choose from, and limited job flexibility.
The upshot of either option is that there’s risk involved. For some students, going straight from school to job is their only option or it may be that further schooling holds no interest for them and they’ve already got a trade they’re interested in. For other students, higher education is their choice perhaps because they don’t have an aptitude in the trades field, their aspirations require at least one degree, or their family is insisting on attending college. There are a million more reasons for choosing either path.
Amanda Olson, in an article dated July 5, 2019, for Deseret News, wrote: “Career and technical education isn’t the wood-shaving shop class of many parents’ experiences. It is instead a robust network of programs for students as early as junior high, with dual enrollment available for high school students, as well as certificate, credential, and training programs for post-graduate and returning students.”
Olson also states, “Career education’s focus is on ‘pathways’ — direct means to the ends students want: a job, a certificate, or a smooth transfer to a four-year college.”
Importantly, students need to understand that if they choose to forego further schooling and invest in a trade instead that attending college in the future is still a possibility. With a wealth of online courses available from most colleges and universities, the opportunity is always available to expand one’s horizons and job/career prospects. And many companies and businesses are interested in candidates who already have job experience.
Whatever a student’s situation, it’s key to understand that the more diverse one’s education and life/work experience, the more options available to be more flexible with one’s career choices.
In today’s world, it isn’t unknown for people to enjoy multiple careers in their lifetime, often in very different spheres. The point is, there is no rubric or algorithm to follow. Whatever your current circumstances are, whether just graduating from high school or already in the workforce, choose what works best for you while remaining true to your responsibilities. As the saying goes, “The sky’s the limit!” ●
