# Trade school vs University



## Cataclysm (Mar 16, 2015)

My options are as follows: 


Work shitty jobs like retail
Go to trade school for 2 years
Get a Bachelor's or Masters in some engineering discipline or maybe CS which would take 4 and 6 years respectively, possibly more if I don't qualify this year


Option one is a waste of time if I could be doing one of the other two which I likely will this autumn. Learninga trade would mean that I'd get money earlier with prospects of owning my own business by the time I would graduate if I had chosen option 3. It would also mean that I'd deprive myself of the intellectual stimulation and potential for personal growth that I would get from five years of university as opposed to five years doing construction or plumbing. But five years is a long time. I'll be 20 this year so I'll be 26 by the time I graduate. That's crazy old, lol. 

You can probably tell that I'm afraid of throwing my life away. Option 2 is the safe one because I'll get paid when I'm 22/23 whereas option 3 feels uncertain because I don't know what could happen. It'll lead to better job opportunities in my thirties but 5 years of being locked down to the course I've chosen is scary to me. I don't know how much I'll have changed and the world might be totally different as well. 

Option 2 would put me at around 20k SEK ($2227,25) in debt and option 3 at about 500k ($55681,15) so that's a big difference. I have a hard time imagining how it'll affect me though. I don't know what things to take into account. Is that a big one? 

So I'm asking for help here. What things should I take into account? What are your experiences? 

*Or just in general, what are your opinions on trade school vs Uni?*


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## JayDubs (Sep 1, 2009)

I wouldn't go to Uni just because you want to be intellectually stimulated. You can buy books and read up on interesting topics for far less money outside of university. 

Go to university if: 
-There is a field you want to go into where a degree is required or very advantageous. 
-You are academically inclined so that you can do well in said field. 
-Said field is employable and pays well enough that you can reach your desired standard of living. 

Also, I'd add option 4 (not sure if available where you live). 

Work full time at a shitty job while going to community college for your first two years. During this time, be extremely thrifty and save most of the money you earn. After two years, transfer to a better university to complete your degree. Continue working part-time. Combined with the money you saved, you should be able to complete a degree with minimal or no debt. 

As far as the risk the world will change, that's going to exist no matter what you try to do. Don't go into a field (trade or university) that is obviously in decline or almost assured to become obsolete. But beyond that, you just have to accept the risk.


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## VinnieBob (Mar 24, 2014)

there will always be a market/demand for skilled tradesmen
uni is a bigger gamble with little guarantee
i know of many tradesmen who have done extremely well


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## JaguarPap (Mar 26, 2016)

Want education, transcendence, networking with colleagues of similar interest, and possible lifetime debt?
Go to University.

Want practical skills and potential immediate employment?
Go to trade-school.

I've done both, and I got much more out of University. You can read a lot on your own etc. but the environment, professors, class-mates (that are the brightest of the field at a good school), internships, etc. are going to be so far beyond what most people can do on their own at a library. 

The dichotomy should not be so, but for many it is.


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## ravenlove (Jul 4, 2011)

Cataclysm said:


> My options are as follows:
> 
> 
> Work shitty jobs like retail
> ...


I have a trade degree and eventually ended up completing a doctorate.

I had some of the same thoughts at your age. I was fearful of debt and ready to work. I used my trade skill to pay for my university costs.

One of the bigger questions is what do you want to do? If you know, make your plan-pursue it with passion and excellence and don't look back—go for it!


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## Cataclysm (Mar 16, 2015)

adagio2 said:


> I have a trade degree and eventually ended up completing a doctorate.
> 
> I had some of the same thoughts at your age. I was fearful of debt and ready to work. I used my trade skill to pay for my university costs.
> 
> One of the bigger questions is what do you want to do? If you know, make your plan-pursue it with passion and excellence and don't look back—go for it!


You're probably right. I can sit here all day and weigh the pros and cons but if I don't know what I really want in the end the cost, the things I'll learn or whatever won't matter. 

How old where you when you pursued higher education?


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## Cataclysm (Mar 16, 2015)

JaguarPap said:


> Want education, transcendence, networking with colleagues of similar interest, and possible lifetime debt?
> Go to University.
> 
> Want practical skills and potential immediate employment?
> ...


How old where you when you did each thing?


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## Cataclysm (Mar 16, 2015)

Vinniebob said:


> there will always be a market/demand for skilled tradesmen
> uni is a bigger gamble with little guarantee
> i know of many tradesmen who have done extremely well


Here in Sweden they tell us that both engineers and tradesmen are in high demand so I'm not really worried about the market. :/


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## Penny (Mar 24, 2016)

Cataclysm said:


> My options are as follows:
> 
> 
> Work shitty jobs like retail
> ...


engineering can be really hard. i took a soil engineering class once for some stupid landscaping and ornamental horticulture degree and it blew me away how difficult it was. i ended up dropping the class/degree. if you have the smarts and can do it, have the means to get by those 5 or 6 years, then by all means i'd pick uni. no money no funny and skilled trades don't really pay enough to support a family if that is possibility in your future. i mean, people get by, but not without a lot of stress and stuff. if you are successful at your degree and can find a high paying job i think it would be worth going to school.


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## Cataclysm (Mar 16, 2015)

starfairy said:


> engineering can be really hard. i took a soil engineering class once for some stupid landscaping and ornamental horticulture degree and it blew me away how difficult it was. i ended up dropping the class/degree. if you have the smarts and can do it, have the means to get by those 5 or 6 years, then by all means i'd pick uni. no money no funny and skilled trades don't really pay enough to support a family if that is possibility in your future. i mean, people get by, but not without a lot of stress and stuff. if you are successful at your degree and can find a high paying job i think it would be worth going to school.


Yeah that's a big concern. I don't want to be one of those guys that spend 10 years getting their degree, lol.


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## RocketSurgeon (Mar 22, 2017)

Cataclysm said:


> I'll be 20 this year so I'll be 26 by the time I graduate. That's crazy old, lol.


"Old" is a moving target. When I was 20, I thought 25 or 26 was old. When I was 25, I thought 30 was old. Someone asked my 75-year-old grandfather what he thinks is _old_. He said 90. Funny how that works.

The point is that you're going to be young for a long time, so don't worry about throwing it away in school. Believe me, there are _many_ worse ways to spend your early 20s.

If you're interested in CS, do it. There are so many people who are not designed to work with programming and algorithms who struggle every step of the way through a CS program just for a chance of getting a decent job; if you have an interest and gift for it, you may do really well to go through with it. These days, however, a bachelor's degree may not be quite enough to get you a nice job at the salary you would want, so you may also want to keep a master's degree in mind for later on down the road (not necessarily right after undergrad).

I didn't go the trade school route, but I don't blame those who do. Not everyone is meant to go to college, and college is quite a gamble anymore with the world economy being the way it is. You may start on a seemingly-lucrative degree program today and find in five years that all those jobs have dried up or that the competition is just too steep to actually enjoy working in that field. The world will always need electricians, plumbers, mechanics, etc., though. Just be prepared to make tough, wise financial decisions to stay afloat; you won't have much extra money to play with (though that's becoming true for most people now).

Whatever you decide will most likely be the right choice. You have the correct mindset, and you're focused on the future. That says a lot. A good attitude will carry you a lot further than getting lucky with your career choice.


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## ravenlove (Jul 4, 2011)

I apologize for delay in response. A bit busy with those degree related responsibilitieslately.

I finish my undergrad at age 25 and pursued graduate school at 27.




Cataclysm said:


> You're probably right. I can sit here all day and weigh the pros and cons but if I don't know what I really want in the end the cost, the things I'll learn or whatever won't matter.
> 
> How old where you when you pursued higher education?


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## Cataclysm (Mar 16, 2015)

adagio2 said:


> I apologize for delay in response. A bit busy with those degree related responsibilitieslately.
> 
> I finish my undergrad at age 25 and pursued graduate school at 27.


Np, mate.


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