According to the Federal Reserve, the student loan debt balance in the U.S. has increased by 66% over the past decade, and it now totals more than $1.77 trillion. With tuition as high as it is, trade school has begun to become more appealing to younger people as compared to colleges. This begs the question, is college even worth it?
According to ZipRecruiter, the average salary of a college graduate in the state of Florida was $33,995 a year, with a top-earning salary of $47,795. This is dwarfed by the median salary of a trade graduate, with their average salary being $46,468, and top-earning being $74,729. Those who graduate from college with an associate degree can subtract $2500 from their yearly income for the next four to seven years.
UHS recently put together Construction Career Day, giving students who are interested in a career in trade or construction the opportunity to learn more about a given career. As part of the event day, juniors and seniors were invited to participate in a construction field trip, in which they spent the day engaging with people who were already employed in the field.
“I had a lot of fun at the construction field trip, I will continue down the path of being an electrician. I want to be an electrician because I want a job that doesn’t have me looking at screens all day,” said junior Emma Moore.
At the field trip, students were able to learn from people already working in the field and were able to operate heavy machinery such as cranes and excavators as part of getting to know the field. According to UHS career specialist and counselor Patrick O’Donal who put together the event, “Students are getting hands-on experience learning about these careers, plus meeting and learning from people currently working in the field. They were able to operate heavy equipment like excavators and cranes, build the forms for pouring concrete, and design safer roads and intersections with the Florida Department of Transportation.”
Construction companies are encouraging students to consider the benefits of working in the field and are open to the idea of connecting with young people, as new tradesmen are always needed. “Construction companies are delighted to be able to connect with young people at these events so they can foster interest and build the next generation of their workforce. In Career and Technical Education, our goal is to connect students with high-skill high-wage jobs,” said UHS career specialist Rebeca DeJesus.
