Trade Schools Could Hold the Key to Your Dream Job.
It’s not your father’s job-for-life workplace anymore. With employee turnover now at every three years, employers are not asking about your college degree or even your major; they’re asking,
“Do you have the necessary skills to make your ‘temporary stopover’ in our company a good ROI?”
It’s a good question for business owners to be asking and for all jobseekers to be able to address with confidence in this day and age. You are on the right track if you are considering enrolling in a trade school, community college or another institution offering two to three year vocation certification programs. Think about this:
Good Value. For those in need of a well-paying job and/or are unwilling to shoulder the massive student loan burden of a basic four-year college degree…Trade schools represent applied skills acquired in a shorter time for less money (tuition). It’s a superior investment value for the job seeker.
The Time is Right. Nationwide, jobs are growing in the sectors of healthcare, information services, software technology, leisure and hospitality industries. In California alone, the State Chancellor’s Office estimates there will be a statewide need for an additional one million appropriately qualified job seekers by 2025. One particular need is for cybersecurity experts, for which there might be, the San Diego Tribune noted, “as many as 45,000 positions in California,” each paying $80,000.
Get paid to learn. To encourage a qualified workforce, state and federal governments have various grants to subsidize prospective employees, ranging from childcare while parents attend classes; to educational grants. Trade schools may also offer grants. In addition, some employers, to encourage employee tenure, are now offering study reimbursement as part of their overall incentive package.
Live Your Passion. Not all workers find their vocations to be, well, just a job. A surprising number of trade jobs rank high on the CareerCast Jobs Rated Report 2017. (Income, stress level and opportunities for personal growth are among the positive ranking factors.)
Occupational therapist, for example, is #9 on CareerCast Top 10 Best Jobs, while other jobs making the top 20 --- and for which California is a top-paying state --- are dental hygienist and diagnostic medical sonographer. An added benefit to these jobs: due to their high-touch, face-to-face attributes, they cannot easily be outsourced so job security tends to be high.
Speaking of dream jobs! In California, Los Angeles especially, there are many behind-the-scenes jobs in the entertainment industry, from catering to film production to set carpentry, plumbing electrical and more. Most of these positions are protected by unions and guilds that date back to the Golden Age of Hollywood - as does their job security.
The Trade School Advantage Has Arrived…find your school…create your life.
Now that you know the advantages of enrolling in a trade school, go for it. There are excellent trade schools all over California. Find one near where you want to live, apply, complete your chosen trade schooling and apprenticeship. Your dream job awaits you…start living your life.
Sources:
Bureau of Labor Statistics,
Redwood City’s Cañada College
