Don't borrow money for school...it can hurt you and those close to you...

[LaterBloomer]

You know something? Maybe we're not giving ourselves (members of this forum) enough credit. Personally, I've been guilty of thinking someone was stupid because, well, I knew something and they didn't. If I knew it, everyone does. Right? Maybe that's not the case. Maybe we're smarter than the average bear. Folks talk about low-information voters. Maybe these folks are low-information students. Yes, I know that sounds contradictory, but part of the "I can do this" (get a degree) was because I was around some REALLY stupid people who had college and post-graduate degrees.

[gingerbeefE]

If you live in a state with strong unions, then you might have access to a lot of apprenticeships. If you live in a state with weak unions, like I do, then apprenticeships that don't require prior training in high school (if the high school you attended even offered trade programs), a community college, or a technical college are hard to find.

Sorry, I am not really actively following this board.

I am probably from the same state as you and haven't seen the same issues. Have 3 brothers two of them are doing trades in Texas.

My brother is a welder that attended Missouri Welding institute, was less than 6 months for all his courses/certs not nearly as much as a 4-year college. He works in Kerrville, don't think he has had much issues finding a job ( he worked in San Antonio before Kerrville). Another brother in an election apprentice, works in San Antonio and he did not work to hard to get accepted for the apprenticeship, had no prior experience. There are plenty of options out there. Like someone above said, kids are pressured into thinking it is their only option.

[sanantone]

Sorry, I am not really actively following this board.

I am probably from the same state as you and haven't seen the same issues. Have 3 brothers two of them are doing trades in Texas.

My brother is a welder that attended Missouri Welding institute, was less than 6 months for all his courses/certs not nearly as much as a 4-year college. He works in Kerrville, don't think he has had much issues finding a job ( he worked in San Antonio before Kerrville). Another brother in an election apprentice, works in San Antonio and he did not work to hard to get accepted for the apprenticeship, had no prior experience. There are plenty of options out there. Like someone above said, kids are pressured into thinking it is their only option.

Missouri Welding Institute is not in Texas. Plus, I did not say it was hard to find a job if you already have training. If you live near a cheap technical college, then of course it's easy to attend one. One person finding an apprenticeship with no training is not indicative of a trend.

[sanantone]

I checked out the Missouri Welding Institute. Training is 40 hours per week for 11- 18 weeks depending on which program you choose. If you're a young person living with your parents, then you can probably afford to not work or only work part-time. If Missouri has grants to cover this type of training, then that's great. Otherwise, this program doesn't qualify for Title IV funding. They actually direct students to Sallie Mae for loans. While $11,625 or $14,000 in student loans is not a lot in the long-term (it's still expensive for a program that is less than 6 months), it's cheaper for someone who qualifies for the Pell Grant to go to a community college for two years and a public university for another two years. If they wanted to go to a public university all four years, they would come out with about the same amount of student loans, except they would be federally-backed.

[dfrecore]

I checked out the Missouri Welding Institute. Training is 40 hours per week for 11- 18 weeks depending on which program you choose. If you're a young person living with your parents, then you can probably afford to not work or only work part-time. If Missouri has grants to cover this type of training, then that's great. Otherwise, this program doesn't qualify for Title IV funding. They actually direct students to Sallie Mae for loans. While $11,625 or $14,000 in student loans is not a lot in the long-term (it's still expensive for a program that is less than 6 months), it's cheaper for someone who qualifies for the Pell Grant to go to a community college for two years and a public university for another two years. If they wanted to go to a public university all four years, they would come out with about the same amount of student loans, except they would be federally-backed.

Yes, we have some welding programs here that are expensive as well. I think most of them are many thousands of dollars, but you get it quickly (as quickly as they're allowed to teach it). They are full-time, and you're done in about 6 months. Maybe $15k.

If you wanted to do it more cheaply though, our local CC offers it for closer to $700 in 2 semesters for basic skills, and another $800 (a total of $1500) in about 4 semesters for more advanced skills (takes longer because some courses build on each other). Obviously it's entry-level skills. But it certainly lets you do some courses and then figure out if you want to do this for a living before spending $15k. If you decide yes, you can then go on to take more advanced courses, saving the time and cost of the lower level courses.

And, if you qualify for Pell grants, then it's free for those 2-4 semesters. You just have to be willing to take more time to accomplish your goals.