Is a four year university just not the right choice? Perhaps a trade school or a vocational program at a community college is a better match. A number of well-paid and rewarding careers can be attained through vocational certificate programs.
Trade schools offer specific vocational training for a wide variety of skilled careers. Sometimes this means getting an associate’s degree at a community college, but many times it’s simply a year or so at a technical school.
 
 
These careers are often associated with “blue collar” jobs, and sometimes carry some negative stereotypes in today’s culture. But the reality is that there are literally millions of people who work in skilled labor jobs, and they’re paid well, especially compared to newly-minted college graduates. The average starting salary for a college graduate is $45,000, while the average salary of someone who went through trade school is $42,000. Not much of a difference, and the trade school graduate is entering the workforce at least two years sooner. But with a certificate with Wills Point High School you can earn between 10-25% more with a certificate and 2 year college degree. 
 
In addition, you’re almost guaranteed a job coming out of one of these programs. There are numerous stories of large energy and construction projects that had to be canceled not due to money shortages, but due to labor shortages. Companies simply can’t find the skills to complete the work needed.
 
Yet another benefit of skilled labor is that your skills are not as exportable as those of people who sit at a computer in a cubicle all day. Even work that was formerly done by lawyers and doctors is being outsourced. You can’t outsource electrical or plumbing or welding jobs. These careers are truly what makes our nation run on a daily basis.