If you have been thinking about getting a college degree, you are not alone. More people than ever are going to college right after they finish high school. The number of people enrolled in college has actually swelled in the last year or so, with the recession driving companies to lay off their workers. So in order to help improve their future career opportunities, people of all ages, but especially lots of middle aged people, are going back to get a degree. But here’s the thing a lot of people forget about or don’t even realize, and that is college isn’t their only option. Have you considered the possibility of going to trade school and getting a degree there instead?

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If you have been thinking about getting a college degree, you are not alone. More people than ever are going to college right after they finish high school. The number of people enrolled in college has actually swelled in the last year or so, with the recession driving companies to lay off their workers. So in order to help improve their future career opportunities, people of all ages, but especially lots of middle aged people, are going back to get a degree. But here's the thing a lot of people forget about or don't even realize, and that is college isn't their only option. Have you considered the possibility of going to trade school and getting a degree there instead? A trade school, or a vocational school as it is sometimes called, is a type of school that focuses more on teaching you a marketable skill rather than giving you a well rounded education. So just like the name says, you go there to learn a trade. In college, you will have to take all kinds of general education classes, which is all of your basic English, math, history, biology, and chemistry classes. With vocational schools, the classes are all focused on teaching you a new skill that you can use right away after you finish. The main difference is that college is focused on academic learning, while vocational schools focus on practical learning. Another reason to consider getting a trade school degree rather than a college degree is job possibilities that open up once you finally earn a degree. With a college degree, it really depends on what you majored in as to how easily you will find a job upon graduation. The jobs that open up for those with college degrees are all in fields like engineering, computer science, journalism, etc. All programs which teach a set of desired skills and even then, jobs are not guaranteed. Ask someone who got their degree in liberal arts or history or art appreciation and see how many job offers they got right out of school. It was probably not many, unless they also got licensed to teach those subjects. For those who go to a trade instead of college are more likely to find jobs once they finish their degree. Why? Well, even if you study something like computer science in college, it is all mostly theoretical exercises and learning concepts. You really don't get any hands-on, real world experience, unless you complete an internship. With a trade school, though, that is basically all you are doing, getting hands-on experience, usually for about 2 years. For those who want the best of both worlds, many colleges will allow you to transfer credits from a vocational school so you can go on to complete a 2 or 4 year degree. Hide