Do Your Homework Before Enrolling in a Trade School

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Trade Schools in Other Careers

Like anything in life there is good and bad. The same is true about trade schools and career colleges. Some are great, some are good, and some are not as good.

Whether you're new to the job market or looking to enhance your skills, a private vocational or correspondence school can be an excellent starting point for furthering your career.

So what do you do if you want to go to a trade school?

1) What job are you interested in? Do you need a trade school education in order to qualify for that job?

2) If you do need to attend a trade school you should talk to as many schools as possible in your area or any area you may be interested in going. Remember many schools now offer online programs to consider.

3) How are you going to pay for school? Will you need student loans?

4) How long will you have to attend school before you can start working?
5) What is the job outlook for the career you are interested in?

Career Colleges and Technical Schools

High school is over, what now? If you didn't plan or weren't thinking of going to a traditional college or university and don't want to work fast food for life, what other options do you have? Many actually! You could learn a trade as an apprentice, go into the military, or go to a career college or technical school. These are just some of the options of course.

With so many schools to choose from you may have some questions to ask first! Just remember, you have many career choice options, even if you've been out of high school for years or never completed high school.

The HOT JOBS for today and tomorrow!

If you’re ready to change careers or just starting out, it might be a wise decision to pick something in a growing field! So what are the hot jobs? Here are some of the top areas to consider:

Education and health services – This industry is projected to grow faster, 30.6 percent, and add more jobs than any other industry.

Healthcare and social assistance – This includes private hospitals, nursing and residential care facilities, and individual and family services is expected to grow by 30.3 percent

Professional and business services – This industry is expected to grow by 27.8 percent

Administrative, support, waste management and remediation services is expected to grow by 31 percent

Professional, scientific, and technical services is expected to grow by 28.4 percent

Management of companies and enterprises is expected to grow by 10.6 percent

Information area is expected to increase by 11.6 percent

Leisure and hospitality is expected to grow by 17.7 percent

Accommodation and food services is expected to grow by 16.5 percent

Trade, transportation, and utilities is expected to grow by 10.3 percent

Retail trade is expected to increase by 11 percent

The above are projections from 2004 to 2014 about tomorrow’s jobs from the bls.gov website.

3 Must Do Steps In Choosing a Trade School

Before you pay to attend any career or trade school you should at least do the following three steps:

1) Review a list of trade schools and initially pick your schools of interest

2) From your list contact several schools (not just one) of interest and have them send you a brochure plus talk to a counselor to get any questions you have answered (how long will the program take, how much will it cost, does the school help with job placement, what is the success rate of graduates, etc..).

3) Ask for references such as employers who hire the students and former students. Talk with them so you are confident you are making the right choice for your needs.

Vocational Education Assessment

The National Assessment of Vocational Education (NAVE) is a congressionally-mandated evaluation of the 1998 Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act and of the implementation and outcomes of vocational education in the United States.

NAVE has several reports available with more to be added in the future. Some of the reports are as follows:

  • National Assessment of Vocational Education: Final Report to Congress (2004)
  • Report of the NAVE Independent Advisory Panel (2004)
  • National Assessment of Vocational Education: Interim Report to Congress (2002)

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