There are many benefits of continuing your education after high school. Things like increased income and better job opportunities are just a few of the perks of furthering your education after high school. But what many people don’t know or are taught to believe is that an advanced degree doesn’t always earn you the “big bucks” as most people say.
In fact, the US Department of Education states that people with technical and career educations have a higher likelihood of employment than people with academic credentials, like that of a four-year college. To take that even further, did you know that only a mere 27% of college graduates are working jobs in their college major?
So what’s that telling you? Well, it should tell you that if you can’t afford a four-year degree or simply don’t want to go to a four-year college, that doesn’t mean that you can’t have a lucrative and fulfilling career.
Whether you choose to go to college and earn a degree or not, you can’t deny the amazing benefits of choosing a career path in the skilled trades.
Reasons to Start Your Career in the Skilled Trades
High Demand For Employability
In this day and age, everyone is joining the technology career path, which is understandable because technology is the future. But you can’t deny the fact that skilled trade work is like a lost art.
As the Baby Boomer generation is retiring from skilled trade jobs, it’s leaving more employment opportunities for younger generations. People fail to realize that common everyday use of things like our air conditioners, toilets, light switches, and appliances are all due to the work of skilled workers. Plumbers, HVAC technicians, and electricians are all skilled trade workers that allow us to use these modern wonders. And when they break down, most people have no clue how to fix them. So who does everyone call? A skilled worker to come and fix it.
So as long as we humans will continue to use electricity, go to the bathroom, and need heating and cooling in our homes, there will always be a need for skilled tradesmen.
Higher Earning Potential
Believe it or not, there are people out there with four-year college degrees that are making considerably less than a plumber. That’s not saying that plumbing is a job that’s “less than” an accountant, but it is a job most people don’t want. But, obviously, there’s a lot more to being a plumber than unclogging toilets. Plumbing is all about the pipes and inner working systems of a home.
The average salary of an accountant is $62,000 annually. The average salary of a plumber annually is $78,000… which’s a huge difference in pay and roles and responsibilities.
Education Is Faster and Cheaper
Going to a college or university is obviously going to be anywhere between two and four years and can cost you upwards of $40,000. For a job in the skilled trades, going to a trade school will run you around $6,000, more or less. And depending on which trade you want to take, getting licensed for it is an even smoother process.
For example, if you wanted to get your contractor’s license, an 8-hour pre-licensing course and passing your exam are required in addition to getting the hands-on experience you’ll get in a trade school.
Job Diversity
When most people think of trade jobs, the first thing that comes to mind are plumbers, electricians, and carpenters… jobs that are physically demanding; and that’s just not the case. Skilled trade jobs are so unique and diverse that there are a lot of skilled jobs in the trades that you probably didn’t even know were trade jobs. Barbers, hairstylists, bakers, LPNs, and home inspectors are all skilled worker careers.
There are many more perks to working as a skilled worker. From the diversity in the trades to the guarantee of employability, you have all the important reasons to at least consider it. College isn’t for everyone they say, and that is very true for lots of people… but no one has ever said that learning a trade isn’t for them. Look at all the skilled trade options to see if there’s one for you.
