Should I Go To College Or Trade School?

Many students are now asking the question, should I go to college or trade school? As more and more students are making the switch to trade school over a traditional four-year liberal arts college, you might be asking yourself why?

Frequently asked questions about trade school vs college

What is the difference between college and trade school?

What are the benefits of trade school?

How will trade school impact my career?

How much does trade school cost compared to college?

How long does it take to graduate trade school?

Why should I go to college?

Will I make more money from going to college or trade school?

These are great questions, so in this article, we’ll answering these questions and outlining why trade school is a great option for some people vs going to a traditional 4-year college.

We’ll also be looking at some of the positives of college over trade school and why you may want to consider college as well.

College Or Trade School [Pros Of Trade School]

There are some huge advantages to trade school, especially for certain types of people.

I was never good at school and the way school was tough just didn’t work for me. I needed a more hands-on learning experience and I also needed a more hands-on career.

So the first step is to identify what type of person you are and what kind of education you’ll enjoy more. However, here are some clear advantages to trade school regardless of your learning style.

1. Trade School Costs Less

The average trade school degree costs $33,000 compared to the average of $127,000  for a bachelor’s degree.

You can add to these numbers when you consider that many students take out loans that have can have over 4% interest, which over 4 years really adds up.

Your total savings with trade school could be upwards of $100,000 when compared to getting your bachelor’s degree.

2. Trade School Helps You Get Into A Career Faster

There are so many different bachelor degree options and quite frankly not many of them have very promising career paths.

People will typically enroll in majors like English, Communications, Philosophy, Art History, and more. Unfortunately, these degree options don’t really allow you to work towards a career.

Most adults will tell you that it doesn’t matter what you major in because you’ll probably find a job in something completely different anyway.

And yes, that happens to a lot of people but it’s 2020 and that’s a bunch of BS now. Quite frankly there is no point in paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for an education you won’t use.

Trade schools, on the other hand, help you learn a skill or trade that easily converts into a career opportunity. Trade school programs are literally designed to help you get a job in your chosen filed.

Not only that, trade school usually takes less time to complete which means you’ll get into your career faster and start earning faster too.

3. Trade School Is Entrepreneurial

Many people who enroll in trade school are entrepreneurial at heart. There’s something about them that say’s no to the status quo and they feel the need to do something different.

Many people who go to trade school end up starting their own business down the line. We’ve met many electricians, HVAC professionals, cosmetologists, and more who have gone on to start very successful businesses.

One electrician we spoke to now has a 5 million dollar a year business and he started in trade school!

College Or Trade School [Pros Of College]

Your traditional college has some clear advantages over trade school and I think that’s well recognized by a ton of people.

But just because college has these advantages, doesn’t mean that you’ll benefit from them.

Here are some positives about college that you’ll need to understand, however, it’s up to you to gain then real benefits!

1. College Helps You Grow Your Network

One of the major benefits of going to a good four-year college to get your bachelor’s degree is that you’ll meet some amazing people. Not only will you make great friends and develop life long relationships, you’ll meet people from all over the world and all over the country.

The people you meet will vary from lower-income to ultra-high net worth people. Meeting a diverse group of people and developing relationships over four years will help you create a support system for when you leave college.

Your network will help you get jobs and advance your career throughout your future life. But here’s the catch, many people don’t take advantage of college in this way.

They stay to themselves and they only have a very small friend group. If you’re introverted, having this giant networking opportunity might not be of benefit to you.

At trade school, you do have the ability to develop your personal network but it’s just not the same.

Most of the people who are attending these schools already living their own life and aren’t too concerned with meeting new people.

Frankly, they just want to complete their classes and get a job and that’s it. And that’s great because they are focused on their goal, they aren’t attending school to goof off and make friends.

2. College Is Full Of Career Opportunities

If you really want to focus on developing yourself towards your career, you have all of the opportunities in the world to do so at college.

There are so many resources you can take advantage of. There are whole departments dedicated to helping you develop a career path. There are frequent job fairs with amazing companies, there are even professors who have incredible connections but most people just don’t take advantage of these things.

You need to befriend your professors and become someone they want to recommend to an employer. You need to visit your career center and work on a plan of action towards your career.

You need to join committees, get an on-campus job, and do all of the extracurricular things that future employers will appreciate. You can even spend you free time interning for a company as well.




College is full of career opportunities but people just don’t take advantage of it because it seems like a secondary thing.

In trade school, you focus on one career opportunity and the whole point of school is to achieve a career in your desired field.

3. College Gives You More Personal Brand

People put to much weight in this category but it needs to be said. If you go to a well-recognized school, it’s great for your personal brand.

People always talk about other people who have attended Ivy League schools like they have something special about them. Employers also fawn over well-recognized schools, so it’s a good look.

People will be more likely to believe in you, trust you, and give you a position of authority just because you attended a brand name school. If two people are going for a job, one went to Harvard and one went to Champlain College, who do you think has the upper hand?

Unfortunately, trade school doesn’t carry much of a “brand name” and one day, if you want to take more of a corporate job you’ll have to rely on your experience and expertise to override your competitions “brand name” background.

Truthfully, most employers hire based on experience and expertise so it won’t be too difficult.

And most trade school professionals never go the corporate route, they end up starting their own companies anyways.

Should You Go To College Or Trade School

I hope this brief but simple explanation of some of the differences between college and trade school has helped you.

Of course, there are many more reasons we could go over but above we have answered many questions that people usually ask.

If you have any more questions feel free to drop a comment! We’d love to hear from you.