In our day and age, the norm for most young adults when it comes to setting up their future is a 4 year college degree. It is almost suffocating how much it is brought up and pushed by High Schools and colleges themselves. For some it is the way they want to travel to have a stable and good career, but there’s another opportunity.

For people wanting to work in blue collar jobs, trade schools are an incredible way to find a high paying job without many of the issues that come with a 4 year college. Over the last 5 years fields like mechanical and electrical jobs have desperately needed workers. Because of this, trade schools have become more popular as of late. With increasing prices in everything like gas, food, and the stock market, many are starting to try to find high paying jobs allowing them not to live paycheck to paycheck.

Most millennials and Gen Z believe that university is the only way to succeed anymore, but that’s not the case. Jobs like an air traffic controller or a power plant engineer can lead to getting paid up to 80,000 per year. So why do people look down on trade schools? Well in simple terms many think it’s for people who couldn’t get into any good colleges. This stigma is far from the case. Trade schools allow people to find jobs that will set them up for years or even their lifetime by showing working class skills anyone can use . Truthfully it’s a better path to take for young ready-to-work adults. 

The price is also a huge pro as prices are significantly lower than most 4 year colleges. So why do the majority of high school students never take the opportunity? Well first and foremost much of the careers that pay highly are hard labor jobs, like a construction manager or elevator repairer. It also doesn’t help that much of the media makes trade jobs sound like its lower tier, far from what it really is. Trade school jobs are fundamental to our daily lives and are key to everything running smoothly. I fully believe that for graduates who don’t have a grasp on what career they want to pursue, trade schools will not only give you the first steps to getting into a strong career, but give you skills that will be important down the road.