It’s no secret, a college degree is an expensive investment. But it’s meant to be just that—an investment—that will one day pay dividends in the form of more job opportunities and higher earnings. But with the average public university student borrowing almost $32,000 for their bachelor’s degree and the average federal student loan balance at nearly $40,000, you might be wondering if a college degree is a sound investment.
You’re not alone. Many folks are feeling that the traditional pathway: high school, followed by a four-year degree program, then an entry-level position, isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Instead, you might find yourself comparing an apprenticeship vs. traditional education pathways. So, what’s the difference between them? What benefits do you get from apprenticeships, and who should consider them?
Apprenticeship vs. Degree: What’s the Difference?
Apprenticeships differ from traditional educational opportunities in several key ways. While both programs involve some classroom instruction, an apprenticeship has far more hands-on learning. Unlike traditional education, there’s no promise of a job with an apprenticeship—it is a full-time job. That means rather than spending money for an education, an apprenticeship pays you to learn. Let’s breakdown those key differences a bit more:
- Hands-on Learning: While there will typically be some classroom instruction to understand some of the theory behind your occupation, you spend your days learning on-the-job. You learn the essential skills of the job while actively developing them yourself. In apprenticeships, like many vocational training programs, seasoned professionals in the field show you how to complete tasks and then give you opportunities to complete them yourself providing for a grounded, readily applicable learning experience.
- A Job on Day One: When you enter an apprenticeship program, you become a full-time employee of a company or professional association. Most traditional educational programs are built around the idea that you’ll be a full-time student for 2-7 years and then seek employment. However, in traditional education, that employment is not guaranteed.
- Instant Income: As we already mentioned, traditional education programs expect you to either pay or take out loans to pay for the program. As an apprentice, you begin earning money from the first day on the job, just like any employee.
Benefits of Apprenticeships
It’s no accident that some of the main differences between apprenticeships and traditional educational opportunities are also some of the major benefits. The hands-on learning you receive as an apprenticeship is well suited to the careers you can pursue after the apprenticeship. It’s a learning environment that promotes success beyond the program. Also, an apprenticeship doesn’t just pay you, it pays you better than most other job opportunities and puts you on track for sustained success. Here are just some of the benefits of apprenticeships:
How Hands-On Learning Leads to Career Success
We all know the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell, but how many of us have actually used that knowledge in our jobs? In an apprenticeship program you never have to question a lesson again. Everything you learn is directly tied into your roles and responsibilities in your chosen career.
It’s education that evolves, too. Fields change, best practices get revised, new techniques and technologies change the expectations of workers on the job. It can take some time before these changes reach classrooms in traditional academic settings. In an apprenticeship, where the jobsite is your classroom, you witness these changes firsthand, leaving no gaps between your education and your job.
Apprenticeships Provide Pathways to Success
Another of the benefits of apprenticeships is the window into potential futures. Your primary educators in an apprenticeship program are leaders in their industry. They’re not just teaching you how to succeed as an apprentice, but how to advance to their level. They also become a great connection to help you secure promotions and new positions as you move throughout your career.
Apprenticeships Pay From the Start
Traditional education programs offer you educational opportunities, degrees, access to learning facilities or labs, and a network of professionals in the field in exchange for tuition and other fees. Apprenticeships, on the other hand, pay you from day one—without sacrificing the opportunities.
Also, apprenticeships aren’t like internships where the pay typically hovers around minimum wage, if you get paid at all. Apprentices start out making roughly half of what a veteran professional in the industry might make. However, apprentices receive consistent raises as they advance through the program. Once they do finish their apprenticeship, they become professionals in high paying industries.
Apprenticeships are typically offered for professions like electricians, carpenters, plumbers, and brick and block masonry. In the Orlando area alone, these professions and other apprenticeship occupations all make more than the median annual wage of $45,000. Completing an apprenticeship program doesn’t just provide you with pay while learning, it sets you up for long-term career success.
An Apprenticeship Through Orange Technical Could Be Right For You
Apprenticeship programs provide life changing opportunities for the people who decide to pursue them. If you’re someone who enjoys visual and tactile learning, would otherwise need to take out loans to finance traditional education, and want a career in growing, varied industries, an apprenticeship could be right for you.
At Orange Technical, we connect students with apprenticeships that combine vocational training programs with classroom instruction. We have opportunities in traditional apprenticeship occupations like plumbing and brickmasonry along with emerging apprenticeship opportunities in child care and IT network support. So regardless of your interests and skills, there’s an apprenticeship opportunity waiting for you at Orange Technical College.