I have been on the road now for the past 2 years. I enjoy encountering new experiences and meeting people from all walks of life. One thing I have noticed is how little my 4-year degree has played a role in what I do now. I have pretty much done every job that doesn’t pertain to my degree.
My fiance has his 2-year degree in construction management, which he instantly was able to pursue a career in. After two years in the field, he has made substantially more money then I have made. It is great for his ego but sucks for me when I have to pay off a larger amount of debt each month.
A college grad with a 4-year degree may earn 66% more then a high school grad but that is not including tech or trade schools into the equation. I have been working odd end jobs just hoping for someone to give me a break in photojournalism. It turns out that if you don’t know someone or your parents don’t own the company you’re S.O.L..
This is why trades are the future of education, their fast, inexpensive, and you are more likely guaranteed a job afterwords. According to the College Board, the average education debt for a 2-year degree is $7,130, while the average for a 4-year is $24,000, according to the Project on Student Debt. I personally find the average for a 4-year degree low. I have several friends who have a 4-year degree worth 100 thousand. I am of course not calculating the years spent on extracurricular activities.
When it comes down to it, it is better to know what you want a career in before you go to college then to have a period of self discovery while you pay for it. I have tacked up many loans toward the experience of self discovery, now I am paying for it.
Now for all of you folks who are looking for something inexpensive. I have found a couple of jobs that make great money and only take two years to achieve. Each of these jobs make an average starting pay of 40 thousand depending on location.
Nursing is obviously something that people will always need. Especially now that all of the baby boomers and biting the dust. Now there is hybrid courses for becoming a RN(registered nurse). No longer do students need a master of science in nursing to be making the big bucks. The course takes 4-years of information and crams it into 2. If this is something that you would like to do, it is worth it.
When I found out how much a paralegal makes I discovered why my sister-in-law went back to school for a year. For a year of education (if you have your generals, if not it takes two years) you can be making 30 thousand starting. Plus you have the bonus of working with a lawyer who can give you discounts when you get in a jam. Just saying.
I was unaware of this being a job you could go to school for but since the yuppies are going green, I guess there is a large demand for this. A solar energy consultant, comes to your home or business and assists you with integrating your energy waisting ways with something a little more green. This could mean solar panels, wind power, or even bio fuels. If you’re a “go green” kinda person this is actually a really cool job.
The technician degrees that usually make money: electrical, radiological, ultrasound(pretty much anything in the health field), and information techs all have promising futures. As time goes by students will start to realize that it is not so much about the college experience as it is the money.
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