Evaluating Our Career Options
Choosing the Right Career Path
What are your career goals?
Look at the different apprenticeships, technical training programs, and college/ university degree options –
College/ university degree programs
Technical training
Apprenticeships
Understand your goals!
Are you seeking a specific, in-demand trade, or are you looking for broader career path with more flexibility?
What is your focus?
Streamlined courses and learning methodologies focusing on manual, mechanical, or technical skills for specific occupations that will allow you to gain hands-on experience in a specific trade or
Critical thinking skills to build your reasoning and logic widening and building diverse knowledge relevant to an industry
The choice is yours!
When you are looking at an apprenticeship, technical training, or college/ university program, you should do perform research to identify right training programs or college/ university majors.
What factors should you consider?
According Research.com, the cost of college, duration of the study, and job prospects are a few things to consider when making your decision.
What tools are available ?
Holland Codes, Career Planning Tool
Holland (RIASEC) Codes are keys to discover the right, apprenticeships, technical training programs, and college majors!
Holland (RIASEC) Codes can match your interests to training programs or college/ university majors.
An example of the relationship of Holland (RIASEC) Codes to Apprenticeships, technical training programs and/ or college majors is -
What are the differences between the different options?
Understand the differences!
Colleges and universities help you hone your reasoning and logic and widen your knowledge about your field of study. Research.com.
Trade, technical school, vocational school, or vocational college schools
Allow you to develop industry-specific skillsets that employers will surely find impressive. Research.com
Focus on honing manual, mechanical, or technical skills for specific occupations. Research.com
Involve streamlined courses and learning methodologies that allow students to gain hands-on experience in a specific trade. In this way, students can become equipped to enter the workforce faster.
The accelerating technological advancements have produced the need for specialized trade school training and high-demand roles. Research.com
Consider the different factors!
Important factors to consider when making your decision about apprenticeships, technical training programs, and college/ university majors degrees are –
Duration - Length of Time to Graduate
Cost of Attendance
Institutional accreditation
Job prospects
Return on Investment (ROI)
Job Readiness
Career Flexibility
Average Salaries
Admission Requirements
Check the program accreditation
Use available resources!
The College Affordability and Transparency List from the U.S. Department of Education outline the different factors –
Which colleges have the highest and lowest tuition and net prices
How much do career and vocational programs costs?
How fact are college costs going up?
Accreditation is an important factor!
An essential Check the accreditation of the school that you are interested in. Go to https://www.bestcolleges.com/trades/are-trade-schools-accredited/
Looking at College/ University Majors
One of the university/ college major exploration web sites is Big Future. Find the right colleges or university for you. College or university search web site is here to help you make the best decision for you. To begin, choose one of two starting points. Use MatchMaker to generate a list of colleges that match your preferences. Use QuickFinder to research a college that you already have in mind.
Areas included involve –
Majors
Location
Type
Affordability
Campus Life
Credit
Admissions
Reach, Match, Safety
Degrees
Trade Schools
The programs in trade schools are designed to provide students with specific training on hard skills needed for a particular job. The curricula involve streamlined courses and learning methodologies that allow students to gain hands-on experience in a specific trade. In this way, students can become equipped to enter the workforce faster and get the best jobs for trade school graduates.
Advance CTE (Association for Career and Technical Education) formerly the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc) is the nation’s largest not-for-profit association committed to the advancement of education that prepares youth and adults for successful careers.
According to Research.com, Advance CTE has defined 16 different vocational clusters and 79 trade school careers that students can take.
Apprenticeships
One of the Apprenticeship web site is ApprenticeshipUSA. ApprenticeshipUSA is a unifying brand that encompasses the entire National Registered Apprenticeship system and brings awareness to the proven and successful
ApprenticeshipUSA connects all stakeholders in the National Registered Apprenticeship system including employers, industry associations, labor unions, education and training providers, apprenticeship contractors and grantees, apprentices, community-based organizations, equity partners, Ambassadors, DOL Apprenticeship Staff, State Apprenticeship Agencies, Federal partners, and intermediaries.
Registered Apprenticeship is a proven recruitment, training, and retention strategy for all industries, that enables employers to develop, train, and retain their future workforce while offering career seekers affordable paths to secure high-paying jobs. In fact, 93% of apprentices retain employment after completing an apprenticeship program contributing to a high return on investment for employers and industry leaders.
References:
· Trade School vs. College: What’s the Difference? By TBS Staff Writers, October 8, 2024 https://thebestschools.org/degrees/trade-schools-vs-college/
· Trade School vs College for 2025: Pros & Cons, and Job Opportunities, Imed Bouchrika, Phd, MAY 16, 2025, https://research.com/universities-colleges/trade-school-vs-college
· Advance CTE (n.d.). Career Clusters. Retrieved from https://careertech.org/career-clusters
· Carnevale, A.P. & Cheah, B. (2018). Five Rules of the College and Career Game. Georgetown University Center for Education and the Workforce. Retrieved from https://1gyhoq479ufd3yna29x7ubjn-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/Fiverules.pdf
· National Center for Education Statistics (2021, May). Undergraduate Enrollment. Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cha
· Plumer, B. (2013, May). Only 27 percent of college grads have a job related to their major. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2013/05/20/only-27-percent-of-college-grads-have-a-job-related-to-their-major/
· Quiroga-Garza, M.E. Flores-Marín, D.L. Cantú-Hernandez, R.R. Rojas, I.E.E., & Cabrera, M.V.L. (2020). Effects of a vocational program on professional orientation. Heliyon 6(4). Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e03860
· Thompson, D. (2020, October). College Grads Lack Job Readiness. TD Magazine. Retrieved from https://www.td.org/magazines/td-magazine/college-grads-lack-job-readiness
· Torpey, E. (2019, January). High-wage occupations by typical entry-level education. Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2019/article/high-wage-occupations.htm
· U.S. Department of Education (2020). College Affordability and Transparency List Retrieved from https://collegecost.ed.gov/affordability
· U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2020, May). Learn more, earn more: Education leads to higher wages, lower unemployment. Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2020/data-on-display/education-pays.htm
· But, Do I Need a College Degree?: Understanding Perceptions of College and Career Readiness among Students Enrolled in a Career and Technical High School Genia M Bettencourt 1,✉, Chrystal A George Mwangi 2, Keisha L Green 3, Daniel Morales Morales 3https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8614215/
For more resources, visit our resource web page!
Have a blessed day,
Dr. Mary Askew
