Vocational schools remain relevant today as the rising costs of four-year colleges and a shortage of skilled workers create a viable alternative for students. Graduates of vocational programs can enter the workforce more quickly and often earn competitive salaries, sometimes matching or exceeding those of their white-collar counterparts. With the retirement of many skilled trade workers and increasing demand for these roles, vocational training offers a practical path to financial stability and career success.

1. WHY VOCATIONAL
SCHOOLS
MATTHEW MANN
ARE STILL RELEVANT TODAY

2. FOR DECADES,
STUDENTS IN HIGH SCHOOL HAVE BEEN TOLD THE KEY TO A
BRIGHT FUTURE IS TO EARN A BACHELOR’S DEGREE AT A
FOUR-YEAR COLLEGE. STUDENTS HAVE TAKEN THAT ADVICE
AND ENROLLED IN FOUR-YEAR UNIVERSITIES INSTEAD OF
VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS. HOWEVER, A LOT HAS CHANGED
SINCE THEN. OVER TIME, THE PRICE OF COLLEGE HAS
SKYROCKETED, THERE’S A WORKER SHORTAGE IN SOME
VOCATIONAL FIELDS, AND THESE SAME VOCATIONAL FIELDS
HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR GREAT EARNINGS WITHOUT
PAYING FOR AN EXPENSIVE DEGREE.

3. VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS HAVE
BEEN FORGOTTEN ABOUT, BUT
HERE’S WHY THEY ARE STILL
RELEVANT TODAY.

4. THE TRADITIONAL FOUR-YEAR
COLLEGE HAS GOTTEN TOO
EXPENSIVE
YOU HEAR ABOUT IT EVERYWHERE — COLLEGE IS TOO EXPENSIVE.
THE COLLEGE BOARD REPORTS IN ITS MOST RECENT SURVEY
THAT THE COST OF A FOUR-YEAR, IN-STATE PUBLIC COLLEGE IS
ABOUT $24,610. ALTHOUGH IT DOESN’T SOUND LIKE A HUGE
PRICE TAG, WE’RE NOT FACTORING IN FOOD, TRANSPORTATION,
COURSE MATERIALS, THE ADDITIONAL COSTS THAT COME WITH
FURNISHING A DORM OR APARTMENT, AND LAUNDRY! NOT ONLY
THAT, BUT MANY COLLEGE STUDENTS HAVE TO TAKE OUT LOANS
TO FINANCE THEIR DEGREE. BY THE TIME THEY GRADUATE, MOST
STUDENTS ARE ABOUT $37,172 IN DEBT.

5. THE TRADITIONAL FOUR-YEAR
COLLEGE HAS GOTTEN TOO
EXPENSIVE
WHAT’S WORSE IS THAT MANY OF THESE COLLEGE GRADUATES
AREN’T GETTING THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT THEY WERE
PROMISED. MANY ARE UNEMPLOYED OR UNDEREMPLOYED BY
WORKING IN A FIELD THEY DIDN’T GO TO SCHOOL FOR, SUCH AS
WORKING IN RETAIL OR THE FOOD INDUSTRY. OR SOME ARE
EMPLOYED, BUT THEIR SALARY ISN’T HIGH ENOUGH TO TACKLE
THE DEBT. MOST COLLEGE GRADS ARE MAKING A SALARY OF
$35,000, WHICH IS LOWER THAN THEIR OVERALL DEBT. FACTOR
IN THE OTHER DEMANDS OF ADULT LIFE SUCH AS CAR PAYMENTS,
PROFESSIONAL CLOTHING, RENT, AND ELECTRIC BILLS, IT’S HARD
TO KEEP UP WITH THE DEBT AND ITS RISING INTEREST RATES.
DUE TO THESE INSANE COSTS, IT’S LED SOME STUDENTS TO THINK
ABOUT AN ALTERNATIVE PATH THROUGH A VOCATIONAL SCHOOL.

6. THERE’S A PLETHORA OF JOBS
ACCORDING TO MANPOWERGROUP, THE SKILLED TRADES LIKE
WELDERS AND ELECTRICIANS HAVE BEEN THE HARDEST TO STAFF.
FOR DECADES, PARENTS AND EDUCATORS HAVE BEEN PUSHING
CHILDREN TOWARD THE TRADITIONAL FOUR-YEAR COLLEGE
PATH INSTEAD OF THE BLUE-COLLAR JOBS OF VOCATIONAL
TRAINING. OVER TIME, THERE HAVEN’T BEEN ENOUGH TRAINED
WORKERS TO SUSTAIN THE WORKFORCE DEMAND. NOT ONLY
THAT, BUT THE BABY BOOMERS WHO MAKE UP A MAJORITY OF
THE SKILLED TRADE WORKER POPULATION ARE RETIRING —
EITHER BECAUSE THEY’RE APPROACHING THE AGE OF
RETIREMENT OR THEY CAN NO LONGER WORK BECAUSE THEIR
JOBS ARE TOO PHYSICALLY DEMANDING.
BOTH SITUATIONS ARE LEAVING THE INDUSTRY IN DIRE NEED OF
WORKERS. AND THE DEMAND FOR CERTAIN INDUSTRIES HAVE
BEEN INCREASING AT A PACE FASTER THAN COMMUNITY AND
TECHNICAL COLLEGES CAN PRODUCE.

7. YOU CAN GET AHEAD IN THE
WORKFORCE
BECAUSE TRADE SCHOOL TRADITIONALLY TAKES ABOUT TWO
YEARS TO COMPLETE, VOCATIONAL TRAINEES CAN GET INTO THE
WORKFORCE EARLIER — IN ABOUT HALF THE TIME AS SOMEONE
WHO ATTENDS A TRADITIONAL FOUR-YEAR COLLEGE. THIS ALLOWS
WORKERS TO GET AN ADDITIONAL TWO YEARS OF INCOME OVER A
FOUR-YEAR COLLEGE GRADUATE. WHAT’S EVEN BETTER IS THAT
BLUE-COLLAR WORKERS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO EARN THE SAME
SALARY AS A WHITE-COLLAR WORKER, AND MAYBE EVEN OUT
EARN THEIR WHITE-COLLAR PEERS DOWN THE LINE!

8. ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT
ENROLLING IN A
VOCATIONAL SCHOOL?
ASK ME ANYTHING. WWW.MATTHEWMANN.NET