Trade schools

As you begin to consider your career goals, the questions and choices you have may appear confusing. Should you go directly into the work force? Should you go to college? How will you afford the tuition and living costs? Which school should you choose?

But if you can’t make a four-year commitment to college due to money or uncertainty about your major, there are other options.

You could consider a technical school or apprenticeship! Check out these reasons why a career college could be right for you.

You can graduate in as little as 12 months
At career colleges, you can graduate and be in the work force in one year or less. By getting into the work force quicker, you can use your earning power to pay back debts quickly and begin your career. At a career college or technical school, this is accomplished because you only take courses relevant to your specialty. There are no elective subjects that are unrelated to your career.

You’ll have a shorter learning day
A career college or technical school typically teaches class for four to five hours per day, in the morning, afternoon or evening. This enables you to work part time during your program and still have time for homework and a social life.

Class sizes are small and teachers are experienced
Instructors at technical schools and career colleges have real-world experience. The typical class size ranges from five to 30 students, which enables instructors to give you personalized attention.

Curriculum is current
The curriculum at a career college or technical school is very market-driven due to the number of schools competing for students. Material tends to be updated regularly, especially in information-technology programs. Programs that don’t result in jobs for graduates disappear quickly.

Certification from industry associations means credibility
Often, career colleges and technical schools include industry certifications in their programs. This recognition by state, national or worldwide associations gives employers confidence that graduates have the skills needed to be successful in the work force. Often, a graduate with certification will get priority in interviews and hiring.

There is a school near you
There are often multiple education choices in the city closest to your home. This enables you to live at home, which helps you incur less debt. It also means that you don’t have to leave your friends and part-time jobs to go to school if you don’t want to.

There’s a wide range of jobs from which to choose
You could become trained in business technology, information technology, culinary arts, cosmetology, horticulture or as an electrician, cabinet maker, mason, cosmetologist, manufacturer and more!

Job placement is the goal
Most career and technical schools have dedicated career consultants to help you find a job. These consultants reach out into industry to promote graduates to employers and promote employers to students.

Information provided by Stuart Bentley, president of triOS College Business Technology Healthcare, on the Web at www.trios.com.

Trades to consider
Looking to get into a career where hands-on training is your best bet? Here are some careers you can pursue at a career or technical college or on the job as an apprentice.

Electrician
You can earn college credit as an electrician’s apprentice through the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (NJATC). NJATC apprentices earn $50,000 to $150,000 in salary and benefits throughout a three- to five-year apprenticeship period. Two job possibilities are outside lineman, who install the lines that move power from power plant to building (think power lines), or an electrician, who does inside wiring for homes and businesses. All signs point to people continuing to need energy, so your job prospects are good. The Bureau of Labor Statistic’s Occupational Outlook Handbook says that electrician salaries range from $20,500 to $48,700. For more information, visit www.njatc.org.

Construction
There are many careers that encompass the construction field, such as plumber, cabinetmaker, bricklayer, carpenter, welder and drywaller. According to the BLS, average construction salaries range from $15,000 to $90,000. A helpful Web site to check out is www.constructmyfuture.com.

Automotive technician
Love cars? Consider getting a certificate or apprenticeship in automotive technology. You’ll become qualified to work in a parts manufacturing plant, service stations, or specialize as a brake technician, autobody painter and repairer, motorcycle mechanic and more.

Cosmetologist
If you’re interested in starting your own business and looking for a field, hair care and cosmetology could be your ticket. Schools like the Vidal Sassoon Academy teach different cutting techniques, coloring styles and makeup application in short-term classes.

Horticulture
If you like working outdoors, consider landscape or horticulture. Jobs include design, construction, maintenance, retail and production. You could be a business owner, planter at a garden center, work for a town, small business, greenhouse, golf course, park or chain store.

Carpentry
Ed Scarpignato, 20, is a student studying for a construction technology degree in carpentry at the Williamson Free School of the Mechanical Trades. Ed, a Wallingford, Penn., native in his second year of his three-year program, decided to pursue a trade after working on projects with his middle school and high school woodshop teachers. Ed’s getting plenty of experience—the carpentry students are expected to do maintenance around the school that relates to their degrees, such as hanging doors and building a pavilion. But when he graduates, Ed hopes to be on the management side of the fence instead of being the one to build the fence. “After we graduate, we get hired to be supervisors and run businesses,” he says. “We’re pretty much guaranteed that we don’t have to pick up a hammer ever again.” In another year, look for Ed at a construction site near you!

According to the Career College Association, the top career training programs are:
Massage therapy
Medical assisting/medical secretary
Criminal justice/law enforcement
Computer technology
Computer network management
Medical office computer assistance
Medical insurance specialist
Medical insurance coding specialist
E-commerce

Q&A  with Paul A. Reid, president of

The Williamson Free School of Mechanical Trades

Q: What should students look for when choosing a vo-tech school?

A: The standard benchmarks for tech or occupational or career schools are “placement rates,” “completion rates,” “professional certification rates” and “tuition rates.” These measures focus on the quality and cost of the skills training and the reputation of the graduate pool.

However, the educational experience should be a prime consideration. Does the campus feel like an institution of higher education? Are the vast majority of the faculty full-time instructors who will be there all day to provide help, support, counseling and training? Are there extracurricular activities that interest you?

You should consider whether the community respects the school and its programs and graduates. Will you be proud to say you graduated from that school? You should walk through the student services facilities on campus and try to get a sense of a day on campus. You should expect to have to attend courses that prepare you for more than a job description. Look for the kind of school that will consider you a “whole person” and not just a trade student.

Q: What kinds of careers use a degree from a vo-tech school?

A: Much of the literature states that 80 percent of the jobs becoming available during the next 20 years do not require four-year degrees. But increasingly, employers are looking for some form of postsecondary preparation from applicants. Trade school or vo-tech graduates should do their best to seek out entry-level positions in reputable companies that have shown they can survive good and bad economic cycles and that have opportunities for growth. Graduates will find that if they prove their value at the entry-level position, they will quickly move to more challenging positions within the organization. So much higher education teaches young people about things—but technical and career schools teach students to DO something.

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