Maybe you’ve suddenly felt an urge to pursue a career in the trades. Whether you’re currently enrolled in college courses, straight out of high school, or you’ve been searching for the right career fit for quite some time, it makes sense that you’re wondering who will be able to help you start this application process. While a college counselor may not be able to directly help you apply to trade school, they can still be of assistance as you navigate finding the right career path for you.
How can a college counselor help?
While a college counselor can’t legally help you apply for your desired trade school, they can help students in other ways. For example, an online college counselor can help if you need guidance with college admissions deadlines and counseling for your potential degree path, and take away some of the stress that tags along with the overwhelming process of college applications.
In addition to these services that are more college admissions-based, college counselors will also work with your educational interests and work style to guide you on choosing a career. Not to mention, they work hard to support you with academic planning, extracurricular and volunteer opportunities, college applications, and personal essay drafting, too.
Online counselors are a great tool for students because qualified counselors assist in lowering the stress of students and families and help you choose a school that’s a good fit for you, so you’ll have a clearer picture of what to pursue.
Consider the various career paths to follow.
While college counselors can’t help with trade school applications, they can help you to determine your interests and skills. These are important parts of your unique personality that allow you to figure out what your specialty may be regardless of the educational institution. For example, if you enjoy working with your hands, figuring out electronic systems, and learning the technical skills of how to fix automotive technology, then an automotive technology program might be of interest.
On the other hand, if you’d prefer to learn about the theories behind these electronic and automotive technologies, including classes on physics, thermodynamics, mathematics, mechanical design, and possibly business principles, then it might be in your best to try pursuing a degree in some type of engineering instead.
With an online counselor’s assistance and the use of possible career aptitude tests, you’ll be able to narrow down whether you should go through with college applications, technical school applications, or certificate programs. Finally, once you’ve received some clarity as to which career path feels right for you, you’ll likely want to start the application process.
Move forward with a trade.
Let’s say you’ve already determined that you want to completely skip the college application process because you don’t want to pursue a college education. If you’re still a little unsure of your path, then it’s never a bad idea to pursue an Associate of Applied Science from a local community college so you have a greater understanding of what you’ll enjoy, plus a fairly affordable starting point.
In that vein, you could look into this Automotive and Diesel Technology program that earns you your associate’s degree while getting hands-on work experience. This particular automotive program offers the opportunity to gain hands-on skills, industry certification, education, and training in all areas of transportation technology.
To be specific, it offers students the chance to earn 60 credits of automotive, truck, diesel, and transportation-related classes. Not to mention, it only takes 15 months with 1,440 hours of total training that will help you be prepared for the workforce, making it an incredible option for counselors to recommend to their students.