Dear Dr. Per Cap:
I graduate high school this year and am unsure about my next step. My mom tells me I need to go to college and earn a four year degree. She says it’s the best way for Native people to get ahead. But I really don’t want to spend four more years in school. I like working on cars and there’s a great automotive service program at a nearby community college. Is college a better choice than a trade school?
Signed, Undecided
Dear Undecided
That all depends. The trade school vs college debate is a hot one these days. It’s true a four year degree in a high demand major like engineering, information technology, medicine, and computer science can lead to a great career; however, four year degrees don’t come cheap these days. Average in-state tuition and fees at a four year college is just under $9,500 according to the College Board website; whereas average tuition for a two year community college is less than $3,500. Moreover, a professional career often requires graduate school which means more time and money to earn an advanced degree.
Your mom just wants what’s best for you and while a four year degree makes sense for some people, it’s definitely not the only way to go. Careers in the trades can be extremely rewarding, pay well, and require less schooling with paid apprenticeships so you earn while you learn. Seems society is really caught up on image and there’s an attitude that trade or vocational careers are “easier” or “less prestigious” than professional careers. This is unfortunate.
That said the trades are not for everyone because they’re challenging in their own way. It takes a special kind of talent and dedication to climb a three-hundred foot wind turbine or weld a pipeline on an ocean floor. I tried my hand working a trade in my early twenties but I just wasn’t good or fast enough to make a career as a professional transmission mechanic. You’ve really got to have a knack for fixing things and a solid working knowledge of electrical, hydraulic, and other engineering systems. Moreover, while training to learn auto repair might be more affordable than going to a four year, the career requires another type of financial investment.
As an automotive technician you’ll need to have your own tools. And tech tools don’t come cheap. Don’t be surprised if a starter set sets you back ten grand while it’s nothing for a veteran wrench to have $70,000 or more invested in tools. Many techs have to finance their tools at interest rates that make student loans look like free money. Some carry this debt throughout their whole career.
My advice is to sit down with your mother and make a deal. You agree to attend either trade school or a university for one full year. If at the end of that first year you’re just not feeling that you made the right choice, then switch schools the following year. Simple as that. Your young and one year will not set you back should you decide to make a change. Good luck and congrats on that high school diploma!
Ask Dr. Per Cap is a program funded by First Nations Development Institute with assistance from the FINRA Investor Education Foundation. For more information, visit www.firstnations.org. To send a question to Dr. Per Cap, email askdrpercap@firstnations.org.