Aug 11, 2026 · 10 min · 8 segments
If you're trying to figure out what to do after high school, or you're a parent steering a kid who doesn't know yet, this one's for you. No speech about how the trades are underrated or how college is…
Most people asking this question want someone to just tell them which one is better.
What do you actually want your life to look like? College makes sense if you're going into a field that requires a degree to get in the door, medicine, law, engineering, or if you already know what you want to study and have a clear reason to be there.
Four years in significant debt because you're not sure what else to do is an expensive way to delay the question, not actually answering it.
The trades make sense if you wanna build skills with your hands, you wanna earn while you learn, and you're okay with the reality that the first few years are physically demanding and maybe not as glamorous.
What the trades don't make sense for is someone who thinks there's an easier path.
Most people asking this question want someone to just tell them which one is better.
What do you actually want your life to look like? College makes sense if you're going into a field that requires a degree to get in the door, medicine, law, engineering, or if you already know what you want to study and have a clear reason to be there.
Four years in significant debt because you're not sure what else to do is an expensive way to delay the question, not actually answering it.
The trades make sense if you wanna build skills with your hands, you wanna earn while you learn, and you're okay with the reality that the first few years are physically demanding and maybe not as glamorous.
What the trades don't make sense for is someone who thinks there's an easier path.
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