US: After high school · 5 min read
Trade school or college: which is the better choice?
Trade school against a four-year degree in the US: cost and time, electrician and plumber pay above $60,000, the degree premium, apprenticeships as the third option.
The short answer
Trade school gets you earning in six months to two years for $5,000 to $30,000, into jobs where electricians, plumbers and HVAC technicians earned medians above $60,000 in 2024 with the Bureau of Labor Statistics projecting faster-than-average growth for electricians and HVAC. College takes four years, costs more, and pays more on average over a lifetime: $1,740 a week against $966 for a high school diploma alone. The honest comparison is that a good trade beats a weak degree and a strong degree beats most trades, and that the third option, a registered apprenticeship, pays you to train and often ends in the same license as trade school with no tuition. Choose by the work you'd rather do on a Tuesday, then by the cheapest route to it.
Key takeaways
- Trade school: 6 to 24 months, $5,000 to $30,000, into licensed work. Electricians $62,350, plumbers $62,970, HVAC $59,810 median in 2024.
- College: 4 years, $11,950 a year in-state before aid, median $1,740 a week for bachelor's holders in 2025, with wide variation by major.
- Apprenticeships are the overlooked option: paid from day one, free training, and the same journey-level credential.
- Trades are hard on the body and the hours; degrees are hard on the wallet and the patience. Decide by which cost you'd rather carry.
On this pageThe three routes side by side
The three routes side by side
| Trade school | Registered apprenticeship | Four-year college | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time | 6 months to 2 years | 1 to 5 years | 4 to 6 years |
| Cost to you | $5,000 to $30,000 | Usually none; paid from day one | $11,950 a year in-state tuition before aid |
| Earning while training | No | Yes, rising each year | Rarely more than part time |
| Credential | Certificate, then state license | Journey-level card, often plus license | Bachelor's degree |
| Median pay after | Electrician $62,350; plumber $62,970; HVAC $59,810 (2024) | Same trades, same pay | $1,740 a week, varies widely by major |
| Physical demands | High | High | Low |
| Ceiling | Own business, supervisor, inspector | Same | Depends on field |
What the trades really involve
A trade is a body of knowledge and a license, not just a job. Electricians learn code, circuits and load calculations and pass a state exam. Plumbers learn systems, venting and code. HVAC technicians handle refrigerants under an EPA certification. The work is physical, often outdoors or in crawl spaces, sometimes in heat and cold, and the hours can be long in the busy season. It also offers something most degrees don't: a clear path from apprentice to journey worker to master to owning the company, with each step bringing a raise.
The apprenticeship option
A registered apprenticeship combines paid on-the-job training with classroom instruction, usually one or two evenings a week or in blocks, and ends in a nationally recognized credential. Union programs in electrical, plumbing, sheet metal and ironwork are competitive but pay well and cover all training costs. Non-union contractors and community colleges run programs too. Apprenticeship.gov lists openings by state. For most of the building trades, an apprenticeship is the standard route and trade school is a way to get a head start on the application.
How to choose
- Spend a day with someone in the trade and a day with someone in the degree job. Both are easy to arrange if you ask.
- Look up the actual median pay for the specific trade or major in your state on the Bureau of Labor Statistics site, not the national headline.
- Price the cheapest route to each: community college trade program or apprenticeship on one side, in-state public university on the other.
- Ask yourself honestly about your body at 45 and your patience at 19. Both routes ask something.
- Remember that neither choice is final. Tradespeople get degrees; graduates become electricians.
Illustrative example: the same income, two different Tuesdays
Two friends graduate high school together. One starts a union electrical apprenticeship at $19 an hour, earns about $42,000 the first year, and is a journey-level electrician at 23 earning $78,000 with no debt. The other goes to the state university for mechanical engineering, borrows $24,000, and starts at $76,000 at 22. At 25 they earn about the same. One spends Tuesdays on job sites and the other in a design office, and each thinks the other chose wrong.
Questions people ask
- Do trade jobs pay as much as college jobs?
- Some do. Electricians, plumbers, elevator mechanics, lineworkers and many union construction trades earn medians at or above the median for all bachelor's holders, especially with overtime, and journey-level workers in high-cost states clear six figures. Many other certificate jobs, such as medical assisting or cosmetology, pay well below the degree median. It depends on the trade far more than on the label.
- Is trade school cheaper than college?
- Usually, and shorter. A community college trade program costs around $4,000 a year; private trade schools charge $10,000 to $30,000 for a full program, and some for-profit schools charge more with poor outcomes. A registered apprenticeship is cheaper still because the employer pays you. Check a school's completion and job placement rates before paying anything.
- Can I go to college after trade school?
- Yes. Many tradespeople later earn a degree in construction management, business or engineering technology, often paid for by an employer. Credits from a community college trade program typically transfer; credits from a private trade school often don't. The trade also gives you a way to pay for the degree.
- Are the trades safe from AI?
- Safer than most desk work. Installing, repairing and inspecting physical systems in buildings needs hands and judgment on site, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects steady demand as the workforce ages. AI is changing the office side of the trades, such as estimating and scheduling, more than the work itself.
Exercises are practice, not evidence of career fit or a qualification. How to read our guides and report a correction.
Sources
- Construction and extraction occupations · US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook
- Education pays, 2025 · US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Career Outlook
- Trends in College Pricing and Student Aid 2025 · College Board
- Apprenticeship.gov · US Department of Labor
How this page is written
Sources support the factual background, not a guarantee that an exercise predicts career fit. Fictional practice material is labelled. Dates record content updates; no independent expert review is implied. More about OffLadder.