http://finance.yahoo.com/college-ed...n-hard-times-lured-into-trade-school-and-debt Both of us who work here see this everyday. If you want to do this work get an entry level job at a shop and work your way up. You won't be making a lot to start but you also won't be incuring massive debt. Both my wife and I could be doing and making the same amount of money without a monthly bill.
The trade schools can be a good thing but if you have zero mechanical ability and go to school thinking when you come out you going to be a mechanic your wrong. You'll be someone with zero mechanical ability, listened most of the time, broke a bunch of stuff in shop and have a big ass bill to go with it. I have worked as a mechanic for the last 35 years, went to trade school in high school which was great and also worked at a gas station (remember those?) at the same time. I had a good mechanical mind and school gives you the tools needed for the techinical side of things and OJT (on the job training) put you in touch with what you were really up against. Good advise in these hard times no to take on more debt to try and get ahead. Cliff Ramsdell
I'm glad they are finally pulling out the BS meter. Schools like ITT and Everest are and hve been a shame.
Not to bash anybody in particular, but I graduated from a state technical college, and I think that state technical and community colleges are generally going to be the most cost efficient option for any student wanting Vo/Tech training. They may not offer in depth course work like McPherson Coll., or some of the other schools that specialize in hot rod building or auto restoration, but a state school will provide a better bargain than a "for profit". Later, Kinky6
Even thoes schools MMI and Wyotech are promising false hopes. I know a few people that have attened both schools. None of them have good jobs (In my opinion, at least) The commercials for these schools promise high paying jobs and a life long career. None of my friends make over 30K a year!!!
We looked into Wyotech a few years back for our oldest son and about had a heart attack. Everyone I know with a shop all said the same thing, get hands-on knowledge working your way up the ladder and then look into any specialty training if it's required and there is no one there to teach you. Wow were we rocked by how much that stuff cost, my daughter got a degree in Psychology and nursing for less than the basic courses at Wyotech.
I went to trade school as part of a high school program during my junior and senior years, 1/2 day of class was tech. I quickly found that in some demographics, nobody wants to hire a highschool kid with zero job experience, regardless of whether he was #1 in his class. (This program required no tuition fee) A guy with just 1 year of experience will blow you out of the water in a job interview. I went into the .mil for experience. It isn't for everyone, but it is one of the best things you can do.
I agree with you jreeder. I learned the autobody trade by working at a bodyshop, then started painting....which paid enough to get me through engineering school. I can't see going in debt $30k to learn a trade....ouch....
It’s worth noting, but I don’t think mentioned in the article, that student loans aren’t dischargeable in bankruptcy. -Dave
i went to trade school, i left high school early, i only need grade 10 to get in, back then it was free, a two year course on metal fab and welding, i allready knew how to weld and had been building my own things and doing my own repairs, i had my first welder at age 12, i was always building something when i was young or just taking things apart to see what made them work, i didn't go to trade school thinking it was going to be a career, i just wanted to learn how to be a better welder/fabricator, trade school was great, to bad it's not free anymore.
I went to a local technical school after earned my bachelors degree at a 4 year college (the deal with my parents). It really worked out great for me, I got to do all of the hands on automotive comprehensive stuff for the applied degree and just took a few classes (plus my transferred credits from the 4 yr) to earn my automotive engineering degree. I think that the local tech colleges are a great place to learn or start a technical education. It is a good, generally cheap place to test the waters and see if that is the trade you really want to learn. Plus I know a lot of guys that have started out there and the teachers were kind enough to tell them they couldn't hack it, let's hear Wyotech or one of those big schools tell a paying student that
This same statement applies to many/most post-secondary schools of all kinds, not just for-profit colleges and trade schools. Of course, the professor at Seattle University School of Law conveniently leaves that out of his statement. I would note that Seattle University School of Law is a private college, and would appear to be a for-profit. I could not find any statement on its website that it is a non-profit 501c3 educational institution, including on its "Make a Gift" pages. Pardo says: Is Prof. Pardo condemning his own institution, too, or just the competition? Mr. Potter (handsomely pictured in my avatar) would be happy to offer a loan for any of your educational needs.
NOTE TO ALL YOUNG PEOPLE - forget what people tell you about liking what you do for a career - get the highest level of higher education you can & find something you're comfortable with that you CAN MAKE A LOT OF MONEY doing - the way things are going in Washington, you're going to have to make a lot of money just to live a normal life - 15 years from now, you'll thank me for bringing this up - i know, i've been there - in the big scheme of things, a job is still just a job
I think youre missing the point of this post. Education is a fraud done on most young people. Higher education is a big business that exists to persuade customers (students) to spend money. There are almost no regulations on what they can say to get students to spend the money, so theres a bigtime caveat emptor situation for prospective students. Education is great, but think hard and do a lot of research before you rush into a particular field. Talk to people in the field and find out what job prospects really are. And unless youre exceptionally good at whatever it is you go into, youre not going to be successful at it if you dont also like it. I know and know of plenty of people who got JDs and passed the bar exam, but discovered they hated practicing law, and couldn't scrape together enough work to cover their loans and expenses. They'd have been better off going into what they loved, because they'd have actually worked hard at it. -Dave
I'll be 30 in July. I got my bachelor's in Communications/Journalism in 2003 without taking any student loans. My company paid for my master's 100% and I finished that in 2009. After all that education, I have found myself wishing that I was able to take over the family body shop. Unfortunately I was 14 when my grandfather decided to retire, so that wasn't feasible. Since youth "college, college, college" was drilled in my head. I make a decent living now, but I wish that I had followed my bliss (cars). I don't feel I'm able to make a go at it now because I'm a prisoner to a new mortgage. College is just paper. Follow what you want to do instead of what other people think you should do.
i agree, as a wyotech grad. i learned a lot, had some great experiences, paid a lot of tuition, but had a very hard time finding a job afterwords. i have moved from job to job, not really getting anywhere.
GreenMonster48<SCRIPT type=text/javascript> vbmenu_register("postmenu_5051917", true); </SCRIPT> , At 30, nows the time to keep the day job and start what you love to do part-time, nights and weekends. You can work part-time for someone else for a while to see if you really can do it on a level to make a living at it and also see how a small business operates. THen you go out on your own part time, too, to test the water. When you can make enough at the chosen carrier, give up the day gig and go full time on your own. Independence is what separates US from the rest. 30 ain't too late for a change, I started out as a tool&die maker apprentice, when that field dried up I went to work at a big fleet bus company, learned the ropes, went in business for myself, did that for 25 years. Now I left that business about 12 years ago and have rental properties, residential and commercial. The point is, you are not tied to one profession, carrier, business forever.
I went to Perry Tech in Yakima Washington and I can't say enough good things about it. I went into the Electrical Technologies program, and they were very upfront about what to expect when we graduated. What made them different, at least to me, was that there are several large companies (including the seventh largest electrical contracting firm in the U.S.-at that time) who recruited almost exclusively from their school. I got my first job out of school from another international company that recruited, at least locally, from their school. That's what you need to look at, in my opinion, who is hiring from the school you are considering attending. Trade businesses don't want to screw around with losers, so if you find a school that has big trade companies hiring from them on a REGULAR basis (not once in a blue moon), that should be an indication that you're going to get your money's worth-provided you give it your best effort!
my buddy spent a fortune going to mechanic school and cant find a job while I went to the local college machine tool tech program and am getting some fantastic offers.
As an instuctor in an autobody repair and refinish program I can tell you, 1. Not every votech instuctor is one you would want to learn from. 2. Not every votech student is one you would want to have working for you or your company. 3. State funded technical colleges/votechs are cost wise far better than any for profit college. 4. Those who do their homework before they start a college do far better after they are in the college. I.M.H.O.
I went to tech school half a day when i was in high school. (Machine Trades) My senior year I went on work release, half a day school the other half went to work at a nuclear navy machine shop. Best thing I ever did. Learned alot in tech school. Learned more on the job. Flash forward 12 years later, Still working at the same shop, never laid-off. Worked my way from Milling flats on bolts in a bridgeport and cleaning up to running cnc's. Now I am Quality Control in that same shop I used to sweep floors in. My point Find somethiing that interest you, apply yourself keep you head down, mouth shut and listen. You may learn something useful along the way.
I graduated from Wyotech in '05 and have been working at the same dealer for 4 years. The degree from wyotech helped me get the job, but has otherwise been worthless. To get my ford certifications I have to go to denver every few months for training classes, and its the same thing if not more educational, and they pay me instead of the other way around. My point is if you wanna be a tech, get a job changing oil at a dealer (witch is where I started after school anyway) bust your ass and get them to train you.
There use to be a time in america when not everybody went to college, there were trade schools and vo/tec classes in high school that were some kind of useful, when did it happen that everybody should go to college. The world will all ways need plumbers and a/c repair men. thats some stuff you can't go to school for.
Yes, we all want our kids to work at Quickie-Lube. I will spend their 529s on hotrod parts instead of sending them to med school.
I've noticed the local ads for computer schools have toned down their promises. A year ago they were promising that grads could make $40-50K, now they are saying $25-30K. If you glute the market with too much of anything the price is going to go down.
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