student loan advice | College Isn’t For Everyone – High Paying Alternatives To A 4 Year College Degree

College Isn’t For Everyone – High Paying Alternatives To A 4 Year College Degree

Alternatives To A College Degree

College Isn’t For Everyone – High Paying Alternatives To A 4 Year College Degree

College isn’t for everyone these days. In today’s time, it seems all you hear is “Go to college and get an education and you’ll be set for life.” Well, I’m here to tell you that’s a Urban Myth, you know, like Bigfoot and the exploding cell phone myths.

Sure, if you really want a career in medicine, law or engineering, you’ll need a college degree. But let’s face the facts and the cold hard truth. Not all High School graduates are cut out to go to a 4 year College. And what’s more, a lot of them have no desire to go to College and sit through boring lectures while their parents are screwed over ever increasing college fees.

Let’s be candid for a second, okay? What’s the purpose of going to college? Well for most people it’s to get an education so they can have a career and make a good living, right? Sure it is. Okay, okay, I know some people want to send their kids off to a public or private College just so they can say “Oh, my kid goes to (insert your favorite overpriced snooty college here)”. These type of people are not doing their kids right nor society. That’s called living vicariously through your kids and those of you (and you know who you are) need to get a life and stop it.

What’s the alternative?

Vocational Schools (Technical to some of you) to the rescue!

Vocational Schools can offer students who do not wish, can’t afford or can not pass entrance exams, an alternative to the standard 4 or 6 year college degree. Sadly, many people stick their noses in the air at the mention of “Vo Tech”.

Vocational Schools can provide students with a skill set that is in demand for today’s society. I can tell you have some doubt about that. Just wait until you air conditioner goes out when it’s 100 degrees outside and see how much you pay for a service call.

Since I came up through the School of Hard Knocks, I know many people who never went to a traditional 4 year college. Some never finished High School. Yet a large majority of these people are doing what they love to do and making plenty of money. My best friend never finished High School. His head was never in the books (nor his body in class many times). However, he did get his GED and finished a two year Vo-Tech course in Welding and now makes over $50,000 a year as a Welder. His brother did obtain a High School diploma but didn’t want to go to College. He enrolled in a Vocational School several times for different subjects before he found something he loved doing. Electronics. Specifically designing electronic systems and installing them. He was offered a job before he finished his course and now works for a power generating plant with a base hourly wage of $26.50. Have you seen what Medical Technicians or LPN’s and RPN’s make lately?

Work in a Union job and you can increase the above salaries 2 times or more.

Now that I’m in a profession that deals with people from all walks of life, I see my share of College Graduates. I see a lot of these young people getting right ouf of College and making 25-35 thousand a year. That’s damn hard to live on in many areas of the country!

The demand for technical trades is growing every day. In my area of the Southern U.S., HVAC (that’s A/C and Heating for those of you with a MBA :) ) companies can’t get enough help to keep up with the demand. Many companies are offering sign on bonuses of $1000 or more with as little as 2 years of experience. Some are even offering new graduates huge sign on bonuses or the lure of a company vehicles.

The wonderful thing about these in demand jobs are that they can’t be outsourced. How many of your 4 or 6 year degrees can say the same?

So the next time you thumb your nose at a Vocational School graduate, be careful because he/she may be the one fixing your foreign sports car when it goes “clunk”. Plus his fees will have you screaming!

Just Remember, College Isn’t For Everyone – There are High Paying Alternatives To A 4 Year College Degree!

Alternatives to a college degree

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