COLLEGE VS. THE TRADES
Weighing the advantages of a career in the trades.
College isn’t for everyone. And with tuition consistently rising and jobs for graduates declining, there are plenty of reasons to consider a trades career.
Stay ahead by
$140K
“America is lending money it doesn’t have to kids who can’t pay it back to train them for jobs that no longer exist. That’s nuts.”
Mike Rowe
HIGH SKILL. HIGH DEMAND. HIGH PAY
| 0% | Trade jobs require local, skilled, hands-on workers. So no jobs can be outsourced overseas. |
| 30M | 30M trade jobs— pay $55K+ per year. |
| 2M | 2M vacant skilled trade jobs in manufacturing will remain unfilled by 2025 |
HIGH SKILL.
HIGH DEMAND.
HIGH PAY.
Trade jobs require local, skilled, hands-on
workers. So no jobs can be outsourced overseas.
0%
30M trade jobs—
pay $55K+ per year
30M
2M vacant skilled trade jobs in
manufacturing will remain unfilled by 2025
2M
Average Salary
$50K+
FIND YOUR CAREER PATH
IN THE TRADES.
Learn about skilled trade career path steps to becoming an HVAC technician, certified electrician or plumber, from career training and education to certifications and salary. Find your career path today.
APPRENTICESHIPS
Find the right training or skilled trade job for you.
Want to earn while you learn? Start here. Find an apprenticeship where you get trained by a mentor while learning in the classroom. Search by occupation, keyword or location.
FIND CAREERS
Find the right training or skilled trade job for you.
Ready to take your career to the next level? Start your search here; find featured positions, browse by category, or upload your resume and get help building it with a free resume review.
APPRENTICESHIPS
Find the right training or skilled trade job for you.
Want to earn while you learn? Start here. Find an apprenticeship where you get trained by a mentor while learning in the classroom. Search by occupation, keyword or location.
FIND CAREERS
Find the right training or skilled trade job for you.
Ready to take your career to the next level? Start your search here; find featured positions, browse by category, or upload your resume and get help building it with a free resume review.
See Why Others Do It.
The classroom is helpful but doesn’t emulate perfectly what you experience in the field. It allows you to learn and be prepared, but the apprenticeship is eye-opening where you learn on the fly and earn while doing it.
See Why Others Do It.
I wanted a challenging career that made me think. I enjoy problem solving and to be literally one of the few people to know the solution is rewarding.
See Why Others Do It.
It’s very easy to advance in the trades. Once you’ve been in your trade for 5 years, you can own your own business fairly easily. 95% of all companies in this area are owned and operated by former Skills USA students.
See Why Others Do It.
Everyone loves the person who can fix your problem. If someone’s AC breaks in the middle of summer, and I get to fix it quickly and help people—that’s something I can be proud of.
