Career Schools Offer Education Alternative for In-demand
Careers
Whether you are getting ready to graduate high school, or
are thinking about starting school a little later in life,
perhaps you overlooked a great educational option: attending
a career school. Some people call them trade schools or technical
schools, and some people call them career schools. Whatever
you refer to them as, check your local phone book and schedule
and appointment with one today!
Takeaways
- Get a diploma in under a year.
- Take classes that focus on the career, not a liberal
arts education
- Career schools prepare students for in-demand careers
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Length of Time: How does under a year sound?
Diploma programs at most technical schools can be awarded
in less than a year. This fast-paced training is due in part
to students receiving a specialized education as it pertains
to their field of interest. So, if someone is fresh out of
high school and decides on a technical education, they could
be out earning great money and have a great career before
their four-year counterparts are even done with their freshman
years!
Little or No General Education Classes: Get what
you need, no fluff or tough stuff!
Going along with the length of time mentioned above, because
diploma programs focus on the end result, student are usually
not required to take general education courses. Therefore,
students graduate quicker from trade schools/career colleges.
The only exception are in associate degree programs offered
at these schools, which given the requirements for a degree,
there is a need for a few gen eds.
Specialized & Hands-On Training: Focus on the
career you want!
When someone wants to become a massage therapist, they learn
how to become a massage therapist by practicing massages.
The same can be said for phlebotomy. You can't learn to draw
blood without practicing on a real arm. While in a traditional
college, there can be some hands on, especially when it comes
to science and engineering, but for the most part, you get
theory. At a career school, it's usually all practical. Of
course there is still some theory and bookwork involved, but
what it all comes down to is that every piece of the curriculum
is geared toward the career in mind. Medical assisting students
don't take literature and history. They take what they need
to be a medical assistant.
In Demand Career Options: Do well, you can bet you'll
find a job!
How many degree-holding folks do you know who are not working
in their field, or who aren't working yet? Lots. It is a proven
fact that there are more people with college degrees than
jobs available that require a degree. On the flip side, there
are more jobs available for those in the trades and skilled
fields (like the medical field) than people qualified to do
the job. No school can guarantee placement, however, those
graduating from career schools are more likely to find a job
more quickly-if at all than people with bachelor's degrees.
In fact, it is a trend in education that people with BA degrees
are attending career schools to actually get a good-paying
job.
Small Class Sizes
Career schools are generally smaller in size. Rather than
a 101 class being taught in a lecture hall of 101 students,
there are small classrooms with a few dozen students. Class
size will vary from school to school, but for the most part,
personalized attention where staff and faculty knowing students'
names is commonplace.
No Breaks
Another reason that career schools are shorter in length is
that they programs usually run straight through, without a
month-long winter break or a two-three month long summer break.
This is especially good for students fresh out of high school.
Christmas break is enough to make a homesick student leave
college. It happens all the time! Going to school straight
through gets you done fast and keeps you focused.
Accreditation
Many people tarnish the image of career schools, saying they
are not 'real' schools or they are 'fly-by-night' operations
that open and close. While there may have been cases like
that in history, today reputable and successful career schools
are governed by outside bodies, called accreditation bodies.
These serves as watchdogs for schools to make sure they are
following all laws and rules, to make sure the schools are
successful-meaning their graduates are finding jobs, that
their students are graduating and that admissions reps are
being honest. Accreditation also is what allows federal financial
aid to be available for those who qualify. Also, if transferring
credits is in your future-the school must be accredited to
receive credits.
One thing to keep in mind, however, is that you must make
sure any school you are looking at is liscensed by the state,
as well as is accredited by a body like the Accrediting Commission
of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology. Red flags should
be if they do not offer federal financial aid. If a school
says you can only get a personal loan-which technically is
a form of financial aid-you will know there are not accredited.
Also, if they do not offer credits or credit-hours and offer
CEU's or just a certificate of completion, chances are they
are not accredited. Finally, to sit for national certifications
in various fields, you will need to graduate from an accredited
school.
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