Consider Vocational-Technical Education for Post-Secondary Education

Overview & Synopsis

In an era when the highest paying and most readily available jobs seem to be in the technical and medical arenas, it may not be worth initially pursuing a four-year degree when a one or two-year training program will do. It may make more sense to pursue a technical degree to become self-sufficient first and then later explore career dreams and aspirations. It all depends on how much one knows about vocational-technical (vo-tech) education programs. Vocational education, also referred to as career and technical education, is shorter and cheaper than traditional university education programs, is covered by financial aid, offers a wide variety of programs, is often more geographically accessible, and in many states, vocational education credits are transferable to degree programs at four-year universities. Many high school graduates, unsure of what to major in, head out of town or out of state for four years, only to change their major three times, on average, and graduate with little training in fields that pay just enough to support them. Citing examples from nursing schools and community colleges in Indiana, this article describes the basics of vocational education, including duration and certification of vocational-technical education programs, costs, areas of study, employment opportunities for graduates, transferability of programs, and instructional technology within the programs.