Vocational first, college second?

Applying to College
1

<p>I am a high school senior and I would like to know what would be a good way to start an engineering career.</p>

<p>1) Should I go into a vocational school to learn how to be an auto mechanic and then go to
school for engineering. I believe that going to a vocational school could put me ahead of<br>
other students. And also if engineering turns out to be too hard for me at least I have a
back up plan.</p>

<p>2) Should I go straight to college and hope it works out</p>

2

<p>Go to college and study engineering. If that does not work out, drop out and try vocational school. If you spend a couple of years in vocational school, then 4-5 years in an engineering program, you just will have lost those first two years in potential earnings when you are done with the engineering degree. It will not give you any kind of edge in engineering, IMHO.</p>

3

<p>University scholarships are often better for frosh who have not attended any post-secondary school after graduating from high school. This can include vocational schools or community colleges where you may take skilled trade courses. If you are disqualified from applying as a frosh, you may have to take two years at community college and then transfer as a junior to complete your bachelor’s degree.</p>

<p>Examples of scholarships you may be eligible for as a frosh:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-19.html#post16145676[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-19.html#post16145676&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1461983-competitive-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-4.html#post16224918[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1461983-competitive-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-4.html#post16224918&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

4

<p>I know a top manager for Cummins Motors who did something very much like that back in the '70s. Whether it makes sense or is possible now, I don’t know.</p>

5

<p>Basically you are asking if you should spend 6 years training instead of 4 years. You won’t earn any more money as an engineer if you happen to know how to repair cars too. So you can get your first professional paying job in 4 years or in 6 years. Makes sense to me to go the vocational route later if something else doesn’t work out for you. The exception might, and only might, be if you are planning to work in the auto industry, you might have some different perspective to bring.</p>

6

<p>Vocational schools and colleges are basically a consequence of class division in the United States. Traditionally, lower-income students go to technical school, and higher-income students go to college. </p>

<p>So basically, you choose one or the other instead of doing both.</p>

<p>That said, the country is churning out too many college grads with no hands-on experience or skills, so a lot of technical trades are lucrative these days.</p>

<p>A lot of it depends on your interests, choice of lifestyle, and preferred way of learning. What does an ‘engineering career’ mean to you exactly?</p>