If You Don’t Want To Go To College, Consider Training Instead Even A Small Amount Of Post-High School Training Can Pay Big Dividends In Today’s Specialized Job Market

So you’re graduating this spring and you’ve decided a four-year degree is not for you.

What then? Do you simply pick up your diploma and head out into the great, big world of jobs or do you get additional training to help you succeed in the career of your choice?

Here’s a tip: Even though you may not be looking forward to more time in class, there’s no question that it would be time well spent.

On average, a little post-high school training could be worth $150 a week to you. That’s the typical differential in pay between jobs that require additional training and those that don’t.

“Training that takes less time and costs less than four years of college can prepare you for a better paying, more highly skilled job with advancement opportunities,” wrote economist Rachel Moskowitz in the Occupational Outlook Quarterly.

Among all workers, those with advanced training enjoyed average weekly earnings of $491 per week, compared with $322 for those with no training beyond high school.

The discrepancy is greatest in such categories as “professional specialty,” where trained workers earn $581 per week and untrained workers make $390.

It’s least in areas such as “technicians and related support,” where a $511-to-$495 differential exists.

Even such quintessentially outdoor careers as farming, forestry and fishing enjoy a substantial differential ($470/251), as do careers in the service industries ($465/250).

Less separates the trained and untrained administrative support personnel ($375/340) or handlers, equipment cleaners and laborers ($398/311).

Of course, even a small amount of weekly pay adds up to serious money over the span of a career.

Many grads have no choice: In 1991, 46 percent of all high school graduates then working said their jobs required additional training.

It seems the handwriting is on the wall - if you want a job worth having, a little investment of your time and effort will pay off in big ways for the rest of your life.

So where do people go to get training? Depends on the job and the person. But the graduates who participated in that 1991 study listed these sources: Postsecondary school courses Formal and informal on-the-job training, including the military Other sources of training, including informal training from a friend or relative

If you’re planning to be a hairdresser or cosmetolotist, registered nurse, nursing aide, orderly, licensed practical nurse, bookkeeper, accounting clerk or barber, you’ll need some formal post-high school training.

Three kinds of institutions will provide the know-how you need - post-secondary vocational programs, private technical schools and the local community colleges.

Vocational programs are focused on exactly those skills you need to master your new job. They teach you what you need to know in a short period of time, and with lots of hands-on experience. Sessions may range from several months to a couple of years. You won’t get a degree or even college credits from a vocational training program but if the school is a good one, you’ll learn from experienced instructors on modern equipment.

When you’re done, you should get some help finding a job.

Costs depend on the complexity and duration of the program in which you enroll and the type of institution. Examples of this kind of school include barber colleges, hairdresser and cosmetologist schools, bookkeeping school and certain health care fields, including nursing.

You’ll pay more at a private, for-profit institution than at a public facility which gets money from the government. If the school is accredited - as it should be - you may be able to receive Federal or State financial aid.

Technical institutes, which award an associate degree or certificate of completion to graduates, tend to offer information of greater depth and comlexity than a postsecondary vocational training center.

Programs generally last from one to three years and may include advanced science and mathematics courses. Graduates tend to be qualified for positions of greater responsibility - and, hence, higher compensation - than those who attend a postsecondary training institution.

Businesses tend to take an interest in these programs and their students, since students are trained to step right into a job upon graduation. Students may also be encouraged to take part in co-op programs or internships which enable them to work in the businesses that someday may hire them.

Washington State offers high school graduates a comprehensive career training program through its community colleges system. Students earn associate in applied science degrees, associate in occupational studies or occupation-specific degrees. They offer fields of study of greater range and depth than technical institutes or postvocational programs.

In Washington, community colleges work hand-in-glove with emplyers to train workers in the specific skills they need. The relationship between Boeing and Spokane Community College is a good example: Potential Boeing hires go through an intensive training program at SCC before they’re considered for employment at Boeing.

Such programs as accounting, advertising, graphic art, tourism and zoology are typically taught in the community college setting and students have the advantage of enrolling in liberal arts classes.

A balanced education is often cited by employers as a valuable quality for new hires. Additionally, many of the credits earned in a community college program can be transferred to a four-year college if the student decides to continue her education. Most programs last for a year or two, and cost depends on the complexity of the curriculum.

Community colleges provide an excellent means for graduating seniors to sharpen their skills and improve their grades in preparation for a four-year school.

Career-bound high school graduates also should not overlook the potential of correspondence courses to give them the training they need. Courses may be taken by mail, computer or television; coursework ranges from fundamental English to electronics.

Insurance sales, electronic equipment repair and industrial machinery repair are typical correspondence course fare. Electrical and electronic technicians, securities and financial services workers and aircraft engine mechanics often receive their training through correspondence courses.

Many professions rely on on-the-job training to teach their new hires the tricks of the trade. Sometimes, it’s just a quick introduction to the business’s equipment and procedures, but often it’s far more involved than that.

Janitors and cleaners, fast-food cooks, stock clerks and wait persons tend to learn on the job, while those who join the military learn it in a more formal way.

Sometimes, a company will send new hires through a formal, sit-down training program. Employees are paid for the time they spend on training sessions outside the workplace. Electricians, insurance sales workers, police officers and detectives, insurance adjusters and securities and financial services sales workers receive their training this way.

In some of the trades, especially the construction trades, new employees serve an apprenticeship, which may combine on-the-job training with classroom work. When the apprenticeship is completed, often at the end of four years, the worker achieves journeyman or -woman status.

The military is a viable source of training for young people. Often, the training received in the military is transferable to civilian life and sometimes may even count toward academic credit at college. Many electricians, computer specialists, police officers, aircraft engine mechanics, elecrical and electronics engineers, airplane pilots and navigators, electric repair personnel, telephone installers and repairers and data processing equipment repair workers are trained by the military.