Let me begin by informing you that a college education is not a necessity. It’s just one of the options to choose in a long list which consists of several other great alternatives. Hence you could even strike it out from the list and you would still have choices that are good enough to ensure a comfortable life for you.
If you are not predisposed towards obtaining a college degree but are still unsure about how that might turn out, then this fact might come as a timely relief for you: two-thirds of the entire population aged 25 and above do not possess a college degree according to a report by the United States Census Bureau. So, you are not alone. There are many other viable ways of improving yourself and this article will expound on a few of them.
Community College
Community college is a sub-tertiary education program which runs for two years. Community college programs are usually aimed at tackling current prevailing gaps in the labor market.
If you have a rethink and decide to pursue a college degree, community college affords you the opportunity to make a seamless transition and obtain your degree after just two years. Remember that the amount it will cost you to complete your community college program is just a paltry stipend compared to the money you would have paid for the first two years of college.
Trade School
There are numerous trade institutions in different parts of the country and you are very likely to get one in your area. You can acquire invaluable and high-paying skills in several fields without having to go to college. A great advantage of this option is that you get to save a lot of money over when you go to college. In addition, the duration is much shorter than what obtains for a college degree.
Furthermore, a lot of these schools make it possible for their students to, while still in the school, work the necessary apprenticeship hours needed to obtain a license. This means that the student is ready for employment at graduation.
Take Online Courses
There are many short courses online. A lot of these are free while the ones you have to pay for offer great value for your money. The courses are often short and they focus on specific skills or discipline. This ensures that you don’t have to waste time studying courses that do not align with your interests, something that cannot be said of college. You can take them at your own pace and convenience which makes them easier to assimilate. To cap it off, the courses available online are college courses offered by reputable institutions such as Harvard, MIT, and so on. Online platforms where you can get these courses include Coursera, Alison and many others.
Conclusion
There are many options to explore apart from college. In fact, many people who went to college end up not practicing the professions they learned in school. Therefore, you can save yourself a lot of money by exploring these other options.
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