Trevor Eichelberger

Ms. Collin Hull

English 2010
2/17/2015

Given the Many Options, What is the Best Path to

Success?
Introduction
Graduating high school can be an extremely stressful and overwhelming time in a young
teenagers life. The choices those eighteen and nineteen year olds have to make will arguably
effect the entire outcome of their lives. This brings many students to question, Whats the best
fit for me? But what really is a high school graduates best option in todays world? Most if not
all students consider the more traditional option of attending a four year college, obtaining a
bachelors degree, and then earning a well-paying job. However, other individuals claim that
trade schools offer a similar, more hands-on, learning experience and possibly even better job
opportunities than those whove graduated with a four year degree. Still, some other students
seek different ways of life by attending a more affordable community college or even working a
full-time job right out of high school. Its obvious these paths all have their different trade-offs,
but as a senior in high school it can be quite challenging to properly weigh the longtime costs
and profits between attending a four year university, a trade school, a community college, or
even deciding to work a full time job.

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Four Year University

From the most traditional perspective, its pretty clear that a four year university is a great
environment for learning both academic and life skills. A student can higher their level of
education, learning subjects like English, Chemistry, Business, and Biology, etc. Once outside of
the classroom, college students often create strong relationships with peers, learn valuable life
lessons, and have some arguably priceless experiences. While college students continue
broadening their academic knowledge,
they are simultaneously puzzle-piecing
their ways to many more, high-paying,
job opportunities. Senior economist,
Jaison Abel, from the Federal Reserve
Bank of New Yorks Research group
explains that Those with a bachelors
degree have tended to earn 56 percent
more than high school graduates For

Chart used in Mr. Abels article to compare

the average salaries of high school
diplomas, associates degrees, and
bachelors degrees. Image 1

many people, an increased salary is a huge incentive to earn a four year degree. But like
everything in life, college also has its downfalls. The most common argument made against
universities and four year degrees is the cost factor. As time goes on and the costs of college
consistently rise, many wonder whether the benefit of a college degree is still worth the big price
tag it bears.

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Trade Schools
To some students, four years of schooling simply seems like too much time and too much
money to spend on education. These students might be interested in attending a shorter, less
costly, trade school. The New Castle School of Trades offers many career trades which can be
completed in two to three years and get students into the work force faster. Their website
explains that students get to focus on a specific career trades compared to a broad range of
academics. Compared to college, trade
schools are a lot

more hands on. Meaning students often

gain more of the hands on experience
which potential employers look for (New Castle
School of Trades). Increased income is a
common argument made to promote four

Many trade schools have seen a rise in

enrollment as the need for experienced
and skilled factory workers explodes.
Image 2

year bachelors degrees. However, Trent

Hamm, a nine year writer and editor for

The Simple Dollar, provides insight on the comparison claiming a trade school graduate will
make about $42,000 per year. Over the course of thirty years, the difference between that trade
school graduate and the four year college graduate is only $90,000.
With every pro comes a con, and although trade schools have proved affordable and
faster than a four year degree, this program still has its own drawbacks. The main problem with
trade certificates is that they only pertain to that field of trade and are not nearly as flexible in the
work force as a four-year bachelors degree. If a trained welder wants an electrician job they

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would have to complete another two-year electricians program. Whereas if a business major got
laid off they might more easily find a job roughly related to their field of study.

Associates Degree
Colleges and trade schools might seem like a pretty straight forward path to success,
however many people believe that associates degrees and community colleges can allow students
obtain a similar academic experience at easily half the price and half the time. Associates degrees
are comparable to trade schools because they can be achieved in within two years and often share
similar salaries. Nevertheless, associates programs are also relatable to four year degrees due to
its broad academic base and college-like, classroom experience. Associates degrees also open
more job opportunities. According to the University of Phoenix, roughly 60% if job require at
least an associates degree (Dwyer). Community colleges allow students to either earn an
associates degree or transfer to a four year university after completing the first two years of
general education. Liz Addison attended an American community college and continued on to
major in Biology. She explains her opinion about community colleges, claiming them as
Americas hidden public service gem (Addison 213). Throughout the rest of Ms. Addisons
essay she explains how some students would never get to experience college if it wasnt for
community colleges (Addison 214).

Along with the college-like experiences and more

affordable tuition, Jaison Abel also explains that those with an associates degree have tended to
earn 21 percent more than high school graduates (Abel 3). This small increase in salary can
motivate many high school graduates to at least attend a community college and earn a two-year
associates degree.

Working directly out of High school

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Although universities, trade schools, or even community colleges may seem like a fail
proof plan, people must realize before an individual can honestly reap the benefits of better jobs
and higher pay, they actually have to complete the four or two years of schooling while paying
the costly fees of tuition, books, living costs and every other expense a student might face. Most
often, individuals have to take out student loans to afford the high fees. If a student drops out or
even declares bankruptcy they remain responsible for any student loan they withdrew. After all
of the expenses are paid and over with, the student still has to pass their classes in order to
graduate and earn their degree. The National Center of Educational Statistics proves this task is
much easier said than done, stating the 2012 graduation rate for students who began their
pursuit of a bachelors degree at a 4-year degree-granting institution in fall 2006 was 59
percent. They continue by clarifying that statement That is, 59 percent of first-time, full-time
students who began seeking a bachelors degree at a 4-year institution in fall 2006 completed the
degree at that institution within 6 years (U.S. Department of Education). In other words,
roughly 40% of students wasted both time and money for no degree, and the 59% who did
graduate took two years longer than the planned four. With the discouraging costs and
consequences it makes sense why so many people decide to take a year off school, avoid the
consequences of schooling, and simply make money working full-time.
Even if you ignore high-priced direct costs, economists often argue about the less visible
opportunity costs of colleges and trade schools. Opportunity cost represents the value of what
someone must give up to attend college. For most people, the opportunity cost of a college
education is equivalent to the wages that could have been earned by working instead of going to
college (Abel 4). Mr. Abel continues to state it is estimated that someone pursuing a bachelors
degree would give up almost $96,000 in wages and someone pursuing an associates degree

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would forgo almost $46,000 in wages (Abel 5). With these possible profits and high costs of
college, it is understandable why an individual might decide to just work instead of attending a
school or university.

Conclusion
In recent thoughts of education, a question regarding an individuals best pathway
towards success has arose. This question remains unanswerable simply because every person
holds a different definition of success and what it takes to be deemed successful. Some people
view the college experience as a rite of passage, a necessity for both academic knowledge and
life preparation. Other people see equal success in pursing an active trade. Still other individuals
claim that Community college provides an efficient middle ground, allowing students to earn an
affordable associates degree or transfer to four year colleges after saving money on general
studies. Still other individuals feel that time spent working instead of attending school can be
utilized more productively and can sometimes result more successful. Hopefully with more
statistics, we can better answer this question in the future.

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Works Cited
Abel, Jaison R., and Richard Deitz. "Do The Benefits Of College Still Outweigh The Costs?."
Current Issues In Economics & Finance 20.3 (2014): 1-12. Academic Search Premier.
Web. 9 Feb. 2015.
Addison, Liz. Two Years Are Better Than Four. They Say/I Say": The Moves that Matter in
Academic Writing. WW Norton & Company, 211-214 (2012). Print.
Dwyer, Liz. 'Infographic: Educating The Workforce Of The Future'. GOOD Magazine. N.p.,
2011. Web. 9 Feb. 2015.
Hamm, Trent. 'Why You Should Consider Trade School Instead Of College - The Simple Dollar'.
The Simple Dollar. N.p., 2013. Web. 9 Feb. 2015.
New Castle School of Trades,. 'Should I Go To Trade School Or College? - New Castle Trade
Schools'. N.p., 2015. Web. 9 Feb. 2015.
U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2014). The Condition
of Education 2014 (NCES 2014-083), Annual Earnings of Young Adults. Web. 9 Feb.
2015.
IMAGES:
Image 1: Abel, Jaison R., and Richard Deitz. "Do The Benefits Of College Still Outweigh The
Costs?." 2014 Web. 9 Feb. 2015.
Image 2: Manufacturing Boom: Trade School Enrollment Soars 31 Jul. 2012 Web. 12 Feb.
2015.

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