Are Trade Schools Overtaking College Degrees?

This is a question that I have been pondering a lot lately.

With an economy that is far from great, I have been seeing more educational articles about potential four-year university students choosing job training through a trade school than a working towards a college degree.

There are two questions that come to my attention from this observation:

Is the job market going to change in demand patterns?

AND

How much is the enrollment rates at Universities/Community Colleges decreasing?

The Effects Of Cost

This is most likely the number one reason for the change in enrollment rates at vocational schools and colleges.

Students can pay about half as much to receive training through a trade school, and enter into a career field right becoming certified.

A graduate of a major university can pay well over $100,000 in tuition to receive a degree, and then not find a job for months.

Depending on the job market of course, and what career field they are trying to enter.

This is a no brainer —

Pay less and start making money right away

OR

Pay more and start paying off loans while struggling to find a job.

Pretty simple to figure out which scenario is more appealing.

For example…

A student can start training at a technical school in western PA, and become certified within weeks after starting a welding school program–

Which is a field that is always in demand.

OR

The student can enroll at Pitt or Penn State…

Spend four years, or more, working towards a degree that will cost them well over $100,000.

And then graduate with a degree…but no job for months.

How This May Affect The Future

With enrollment rates at universities staying the same, or decreasing, because of the economy and state enrollment caps, one may wonder how this will affect the future.

Will colleges have to increase tuition rates even more, year-to-year, to make up for the declining enrollment rate?

Or, will tuition stop increasing to attract potential students back to the big universities?

Also, will the job market change so that the demand for professionals in the fields of business and medical increase —

While decreasing the demand for the jobs that require vocational school training?

These are all questions that we will just have to wait and see for the answers.

I can never see a time where universities and colleges will get to a point where enrollment decreases to the point where the college will have to shut down, unless we meet a recession that is worst than the one of the past two years.

But, it is interesting to see how the economy is changing our education culture and which jobs are in demand.