An education at a trade school is an excellent investment in your future. While it may seem that there is a stigma about attending a trade school rather than graduating from a traditional four-year degree program, those who study the trades can actually end up making just as much if not more money than those with a Bachelor’s degree in their future careers. Additionally, there is a great amount of job security for those with jobs in the trades, as the general population depends upon the services that those in the trades provide. If you are interested in pursuing trade school or are already in trade school and are curious about your career options, here are five great paths to follow.
1. HVAC Installation and Repair
One of the major areas for a trade school grad to get involved in is HVAC installation, maintenance, and repair. HVAC units are present in almost every building in America, as they are the machines that bring us air conditioning and heat. Being an HVAC technician means you would be working with heating, ventilation, and air conditioning and ensuring that people are comfortable either in their residence or their workplace. HVAC jobs can be quite lucrative, as well, with the median annual salary for a skilled technician being reported at just over $44 thousand.
2. Jobs in the Culinary Field
When people typically think about trade schools, they imagine that all graduates go into jobs working as mechanics, welders, or other jobs in an industrial environment. However, you should never forget about the many careers available in the culinary field. In this field, you can train to be a chef, sous chef, line cook, and much more. If you fancy yourself a great cook or are a foodie, a career in the culinary field might be very well suited to you. Plus, working in culinary jobs means you will always have access to the best food around and you’ll never go hungry!
3. Medical Careers
Another area for a trade school grad to explore is the medical field. There are many positions in this field that do not require the arduous process of graduating medical school and becoming an MD. You can fulfill your desire to help others by becoming a member of the support staff in numerous types of medical foci. For instance, if you are interested in working in a hospital you may want to become a medical technologist and operate the equipment that can run ultrasounds, CAT scans, radiation treatments, and more. A career in dental hygiene is also possible for a trade school graduate whose medical interests lie in dentistry.
4. Working With Heavy Machinery
If you love big rigs and working with your hands, there are numerous jobs you can have after completing trade school. Being a mechanic is a popular choice, but you should be creative when imagining your future career. Every type of heavy machinery needs an expert to work on it and repair it when needed, so you could pursue something as specific as providing forklift engine maintenance to warehouses.
5. Plumber
One last possible career option to keep in mind as you decide on whether you will attend trade school is being a plumber. Many would agree that one of the best inventions humankind has developed throughout history is indoor plumbing and running water. However, that invention isn’t so great if it does not run smoothly, so we as people need plumbers to help everything go right. Plumbers have a great deal of job security, for this reason, so you can be sure your job will be safe for years to come.