In today’s fast paced world traditional four-year colleges are facing a lot of scrutiny. Some question if they provide the same return on your investment as they once did. Trade schools are often discussed as a way to get a high-caliber education mixed with on-the-job training that prepares you for a high paying career. For some careers this makes sense, but for others a traditional college will offer you better results. Let’s look at some of the fields where a technical school will benefit you more.
Information Technology – Things change so fast in the online world that by the time you finish a four-year degree in IT your skills and education are nearly obsolete. You have to think on your feet and be able to apply what you learn as you learn it. This makes you battle-tested and job market ready so that there isn’t any lag between what you’ve learned, what’s new and emerging, and what you’re able to do in the real world.
Health Care – The health care field moves at nearly the speed of the IT field. There are always new medications, new techniques, and new procedures to learn. Of course, if you want to be a doctor you must got to medical school and follow the pre-established curriculum. But if you want to help people without investing 8 or more years to your education and training, there are hundreds of other roles you can perform that are health related. Any of the allied health professions would make a great fit, and all of these can be done in a fraction of the time it takes to be an MD. You’ll be able to help people right away, as you’re learning your craft. Plus, the cost of your education is far less than a medical school degree, and you’ll be able to supplement it as you study because you’ll be training in the field.
Paralegal – Similar to those wanting to be involved in health care without being a doctor, you can be involved in the legal field without being a lawyer. Studying to become a paralegal is something that doesn’t require a four-year degree. You can learn what you need to in a short amount of time, without having to spend four years as an undergrad and another 2-3 years at law school. You can experience the same thrill as a lawyer because you’ll be involved in the same cases. You won’t make as much as a lawyer of course, but you also won’t be burdened by all of the debt a law student racks up.
This is just three of the many different fields that make sense to study at a technical college. There are plenty of other programs that offer similar bangs for the buck, just be sure to do your homework and run the numbers before going all in.