<p>Going to trade school then business administration. I consider myself a jack of all trades, I can build things, Im good at math, Im good with people, and im willing to learn.</p>
<p>So is auto mechanic school plus a business degree a good thing to have? I may even go for liberal arts instead of business. Im willing to work any job, besides a burger joint or fried food joint (other fast food is fine). So overall is trade school good? </p>
<p>I’m all for trade schools. Learn a trade they can’t send off shore! How far along in high school are you? In our area we have a new tech high school and graduating seniors are ready for apprenticeships. Under an apprenticeship you work and attend community college a couple of nights a week paid for by your employer. My youngest son wants to learn a trade rather than attend college so we’ve really looked into it. He initially wanted to be a mechanic but you can look around the internet to find it is a changing occupation. You must constantly retrain to learn new models of cars. The entire billing system is going to flat rate and apparently a slow mechanic does not earn much money. My son is leaning toward plumbing and welding right now. </p>
<p>One thing I’ve learned is to steer clear of the for profit training schools. The ones that advertise on TV and in car magazines are charging an incredible amount of money to teach skills you can learn at a community college. If you get in to an apprentice program (such as plumbers and fitters union) they pay you a good salary with vacation and benefits and pay for a couple of community college night classes.</p>
<p>You can also look in to the military. A lot of skilled workers got their training there.</p>
<p>If you’re determined to go away to college check out whatever state you are in’s Tech college. Such as Virginia Tech. They have a few majors that are more trade like. For instance they have majors in Landscape Contracting and Building Construction. I love the post graduate salary report they publish so you can see that Building majors average $56k/year after graduation. I’m guessing they probably teach some business management with those majors.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.career.vt.edu/scripts/PostGrad2006/Report/DetailReportSalaries.asp?College=00&Majors=Y&Cohort=2012-2013”>http://www.career.vt.edu/scripts/PostGrad2006/Report/DetailReportSalaries.asp?College=00&Majors=Y&Cohort=2012-2013</a></p>
<p>The idea of learning some business skills is good. Maybe you can own your own company some day.</p>
<p>@ospreyCV22 thanks for the input! i was also looking at construction management as well as civil engineering, does anyone know if these majors are any good?</p>
<p>I wish someone would comment on your civil engineering question. Maybe start a new thread with that specific title. I can only speculate that civil engineering will have value in the years ahead because there’s lots of talk of replacing our nation’s infrastructure and engineers are needed when roads and developments are in their early stages. You can probably find other forums for engineers that will give you advice. Just remember that engineering school is usually harder to get into than a university’s regular programs. </p>
<p>If you’re considering a trade school, please consider the more affordable (and usually more reputable) local community college or county vo-tech adult school, as long as the program is accredited within the industry. It’s best to avoid those private for-profit schools. Their course credits usually do <em>not</em> transfer to other schools (unlike community colleges), anyway, even if they’re regionally accredited as opposed to only nationally accredited.</p>