College Vs. Debt Vs. Career
Conventional wisdom in the USA has always said that a bachelor’s degree from a 4-year university is the best way to get a job that pays well. But many 4-year colleges and universities have different priorities than their students, and many students graduate into major debt without a reliable career secured. Many recent graduates find that they do not even have a clear path to entry-level employment.
All of these factors lead many people to the logical question: Do you need bachelor’s degree to have a successful career?
Luckily, the answer is no. A bachelor’s degree is not the only way to land a high-paying job, create a secure retirement, or have a comfortable life. You may not realize that there are many new jobs being created that require specialized training, and employers who would prefer someone who is highly-focused on their field. A bachelor’s degree may qualify someone for a wider range of jobs by having them study many topics, but many new jobs need candidates who are willing to dive-in and do intensive learning on one topic for 6 months, 1 year, or up to 2 years.
This specialized training is the opposite of most 4-year programs (where you study a little bit of everything), and specialized training for a career usually does not build onto what is learned in a bachelor’s degree program. This means that if enter a career training program without a bachelor’s degree, you start out at the same place as someone with a degree. When recruiting their workforces, many employers have started to go around the traditional university system by working with smaller colleges to create low-cost (or even no-cost) career training programs that can set you up for a high-paying career in a short amount of time. And because these programs will be teaching you exactly what you need to know, employers can reliably expect you to be excellent in your field.
Focused Job Training for A Solid Career
The old advice that you “have to get a 4-year degree” is proving to be out of date. The education you need for your dream career may be even shorter than a typical 2-year associate’s degree. It really just depends on what you want to do, and then finding the right training to get you there and get you paid well.
Technical colleges like York Tech in Rock Hill, SC offer certificate, diploma, and degree programs that
- don’t take four years to complete and
- are far less expensive than 4-year universities.
If you’ve been told you need a bachelor’s degree to succeed, you may not have been told about the well-paid jobs you can get with a bit of training at a technical college. Browse the careers on our site and then click the “Get Started” button to set up a call with one of our career experts about how to get on a fast-track to success.
