College vs Trade School

Trade school is different from college, but not by much. This article will be about how college and trade schools are different. The focus will be on five main categories. First will be your career. Second, we will have how much money it takes. Up for third, we have commitment. Fourth in line is the overall time. Last but definitely not least we have experiencing life. So let’s jump right in.

Your career helps decide a number of things in your life. If you go to a trade school it will hone in on your career choice a lot more than college. Once you get your trade certificate or diploma (you don’t get a degree), you can get a job in that specific position, not something related to it. There are many different job courses you can take depending on which trade school you go to. College is a little different. If you get a degree you have more flexibility, because you cover so much more on the topic or career, or you can use that degree to help get you a different degree. For insistence, if you have a forensics science degree, you won’t have to go through as much schooling to get a nursing degree. If you want to change degrees in the middle of your schooling you can also do that in college, you just may have to take a couple of extra courses. So if you know exactly which career you want to do trade school might be a better option, but if you aren’t certain you might want to go with a four-year college. 

Up second is money, which sadly decides a lot of things in this world. With trade school, you pay less money than with a four-year college, though when you are hired there is a good chance you will be paid less if you went to a trade school compared to if you went to a four-year college. You also get more financial aid if you go to college versus if you went to a trade school. Maybe you have people to support and need a fast and well-paying job, then a trade school would be better. If you don’t have people to support, college might be a better course of action. There are both pros and cons to the money differences between college and trade school. 

Commitment is third. How much you commit varies on the person and for the person, it varies on what. For example, maybe you don’t have any commitment to school but have almost too much to your family. Trade school doesn’t have too much commitment. You do commit to the career you chose though, so choose wisely because unless you get another diploma or a degree you are stuck in the career. Colleges have even less commitment. You aren’t as stuck in your career once you graduate and once you choose a career and are in school you have more flexibility to change during school without finishing your initial degree. If you get financial aid though, it requires a level of commitment. So maybe you really know what career you want and are absolutely positive or maybe you don’t really know and are kinda guessing, whichever one applies to you helps determine which path you might take. 

Trade school and college take different amounts of time to complete. PrepScholar says “That the time to complete trade school can range from 8 months to 2 years depending on the course and school.” So it is pretty quick with more hands-on training. College on the other hand usually is completed in 4 years, unless you want something more than a Bachelor’s degree which would take longer. Sometimes your degree will take about 2-4 years to complete, especially if you have credits that come over from high school. The difference between the two is that college often takes longer than trade school to complete. 

Having the college experience is something a lot of people take for granted. You might not realize this, but having the college experience is something that, I at least think, everyone should have. My sisters have gone on road trips to college where they saw amazing views and landmarks. Also, school clubs work differently, and depending on what college you go to you

could get to do amazing things in your field while studying. You might even have a larger social group or have more adventures outdoors. You also get to enjoy living life on your own. With trade school, you don’t get that. You might have more hands-on experience in your field, but that’s about it for having the trade school experience. So it depends on whether or not you want to have the college experience.

Your decision about whether you should go to college or a trade school is big, but entirely up to you. Your future career might help you decide, like if you want to be a doctor. Money is also the thing that pretty much controls the world so it probably has a say in your decision. Commitment all depends on the person and there isn’t much commitment on either of these paths. You may need a job next year or you can wait four years, which is why the overall time has a say. having the college experience might appeal to you or not, whether it does or doesn’t, decides if that takes a part in your decision. So remember these aspects might help you decide but they don’t have the decision, it’s up to you.