As the price of attending college increases around the country, many students are now choosing to go in another direction. More and more students are choosing non-traditional paths, such as entering vocational schools, the military or simply not attending college.
Here at Tualatin High School (TuHS), as the Class of 2024 prepares to graduate, construction teacher Justin Burch and former TuHS student Jordan Nerski shared the opportunities that vocational schools provide for students.
What are the advantages of joining the trades?
Burch: “It’s a great option because they pay you to go to school, and when you finish, you usually make a lot of money. Basically they pay you to go there, and right when you finish trade school, you have no debt, I think it’s a great option for students. Just by going to that trade school, there are probably 15 different careers that you could get into right away.”
Nerski: “There are many reasons why someone might join the trades. Some people enjoy working with their hands and seeing tangible results. Others appreciate the opportunity to learn a valuable skill and have a stable career. Plus trade can often offer good pay and benefits. It really depends on what someone is interested in and what they’re looking for in a career. I was also interested in the trades because of having no debt and getting paid to learn. I have had a very excellent time in my life in the trades. I have met a lot of very nice and smart people teaching me more and more, expanding my knowledge about electrical work. I would highly recommend the trades to anyone who wants to work hands-on. I really enjoy working with my hands and the pay, so that’s why I went with the trades.”
Even though more students have chosen to take another path than college after graduating, some still consider the stigma that still exists around the topic.
Why do you think some students don’t see the value in joining a vocational school?
Burch: “I think it still has a stigma around it. Maybe that you can’t get as good a job as if you went to college, which isn’t true, or that you can’t make as much money, and most of the time you end up making a lot more money.”
Nerski: “I haven’t heard anyone say any bad things about trade schools except people saying that tradespeople are not as respected or worth as much. That is the opposite. I believe that tradespeople are the most valuable people we have on this Earth. Why I think this is because, without trades, there would not be most of what people enjoy on an everyday basis, like houses and lights.”
The reality is that attending college is sometimes not the best option for everyone, and having the opportunity to choose another path opens up many doors.
Nerski also mentioned the important role his teachers played in his decision to join the trades.
“In my younger years, I was interested in engineering,” Nerski said. “But as I grew up and realized I would fit better in the trades, having really amazing teachers like Justin Burch and Ryan Cook showed me there are many ways to have a successful job other than going to college.”
