8 Top Alternatives To A Four-Year College

Meta Description: Earning a college degree may seem like the only pathway to landing a quality job. However, plenty of good jobs don’t need a degree. There are various ways to learn and build your career— so it’s worth exploring all your alternative options before you commit to a college. Find out if they are a good fit for your career goals.

Best Alternatives to a Traditional College

The truth is traditional college experience isn’t simply for everyone. With increasing tuition costs and several rewarding careers that don’t require a college degree, most high school graduates seek alternatives to establish themselves professionally.

According to a recent study, 46% of parents now want their children to consider alternatives to a traditional four-year college. From apprenticeships to coding bootcamps, there are plenty of alternative opportunities for students, which can lead to well-paying jobs.

Why Consider Alternatives To College?

There are obviously valid reasons why people opt to go to college. And it’s granted that some graduate within three or four years and head straight into their dream careers or at least what they believe to be their dream job at the time.

However, for many individuals, the transition from higher school education into a full-time job isn’t really that straightforward. Many people find themselves on the other end with extremely costly college certificates but no idea what they want to do professionally or without any practical workplace skills. So they end up with any first jobs they can find. But all too often, these jobs could have been available even without a college degree.

Recent studies by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found that 39% of recent graduates and 32.7% of all graduates are working in jobs that don’t need a college degree. Another recent data analysis of resumes and various job postings shows the number mentioned above is even higher, with an estimated 43% of all college graduates underemployed in their first positions out of college.

There’s a major mismatch between what’s being taught in colleges and what the employment market requires.

According to Tim Cook, Apple CEO, there’s a “mismatch between the skills that are coming out of colleges and what the skills are that we believe we need in the future.” About half of Apple employees don’t hold college degrees. This is just one example of a leading company that doesn’t demand a college degree for certain positions.

Additionally, the cost of obtaining a college degree continues to rise. Although people opt for college alternatives for various reasons, high cost is often the primary consideration.

Over the last decade, the costs of attending both public and private colleges have increased by over 25%. Moreover, the total US student debt hit almost 120% in the same time frame, climbing to over $1.6 trillion in 2020.

Formerly, obtaining a college degree virtually guaranteed a perfect career path and was an easy investment for many professionals. But as college costs have been greatly outpacing wage growth, the investment in such traditional education requires additional consideration. Considering the continually increasing costs, opting for an alternative could save you a good amount of money while helping you build your career.

8 Alternatives To College

No matter your reasons, the following are some effective alternatives to consider if you are looking for other paths besides college.

1. Apprenticeship 

An apprenticeship is an on-the-job training period where you are paid to learn. Most companies offer apprenticeship programs because they allow them to nurture talent to meet specific organizational needs.

You don’t need a college degree for certain jobs, such as becoming a plumber or an electrician. These positions require you to build particular skills and learn how to expertly handle specific tasks to limit the risk of injuries or damage. You can easily gain knowledge as an apprentice with such kinds of jobs. Whether you are looking for plumbing work, electrical, carpentry, masonry, etc., an apprenticeship gives you valuable on-the-job experience. You can get the skills and training necessary under the guidance of a skilled and experienced professional.

Even industry-leading companies now offer formal apprenticeship programs, including IBM, Google, Bosch, and Toyota, except they tend to be highly competitive.

Most apprenticeships take one to six years to complete depending on the skills and knowledge needed for a specific job. The common fields that offer apprenticeships include manufacturing, construction, finance, healthcare, transportation, and telecommunication.

There are currently over 600,000 apprentices in the US, according to the US Labor Department. While this is a small figure compared to the 16.6 million individuals enrolled in universities and colleges in the fall of 2019, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, the programs are gaining traction as a rising number of industries experience skills shortages and employers are willing to invest in their own training programs.

2. Community college 

Community colleges, also known as a two-year college, is a shorter, inexpensive alternative to regular education.

Community colleges are local public schools with two primary paths for students: career training and transfer preparation.

Although you have to pay some money, the fees are much lower. They offer a combination of associate degrees and valuable, ready-to-work technical skills and qualifications. For those who want to enter the job market immediately after graduation, these courses typically teach specific skills you can use on the job.

If you are doubtful about dedicating four years to college, community colleges can be a less expensive path to trying the workforce. Plus, you can always transfer to a four-year college later on.

But a two-year associate degree isn’t the only option at a community college, where other opportunities and credentials abound. Students can also obtain certificates through programs lasting weeks or months. A shorter timeline may make this alternative especially attractive to older learners.

3. Trade or vocational school

Trade and vocational schools provide you with specific, in-depth training for a wide variety of skilled careers or trades. Most of these careers need two years or less to complete training. In an interview with Salary.com, Mike Rowe, who runs a foundation for the skilled trades, said, "America is in the midst of a skilled labor shortage, as hundreds of thousands of available jobs go unfilled because workers lack the necessary training. But even more upsetting is the attitude of many Americans that the trades are merely a last-ditch alternative when college doesn't work out.”

For students who want to get straight into the workforce and learn on the job, trade or vocational education would be a much better option than a regular four-year college.

Trade and technical schools are available in medical, welding, dental, auto mechanics and heating, firefighting, technology, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC). This kind of college alternative offers a more straightforward path to fulfilling your career since you don’t need to take electives or other classes not related to your career path.

Although a trade or technical school isn’t free, they provide a shorter timeline for joining the workforce and are less costly than a traditional college.

4. Online courses

A quality college education doesn’t necessarily require in-person instruction or a full-time college commitment. There are numerous part-time and full-time online college courses available, ranging from introductory to advanced levels.

For instance, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are free online courses that cover many topics, from computer science to architecture to Mandarin. Check EdX for popular courses and resources designed in partnership with leading organizations like Microsoft and Harvard. MOOCs offer quality educational experiences with an affordable and flexible approach to learning new skills and exploring career-related subjects.

Options for online courses continue to increase. Khan Academy, which started as a series of YouTube tutorials, is making online instruction a widely used tool for students who don’t want to learn the traditional way. And if software development is in your area of interest, CodeAcademy has helped millions learn how to code.

Online college can allow you to learn at your own pace and schedule as long as you are self-motivated enough to keep up. It can be an excellent option for parents, full-time employees, and students with disabilities.

5. Freelancing

Thanks to the internet, you can easily make money from your passion or hobby these days. If you enjoy photography, writing, dancing, making music, or filming videos of yourself doing something or any other hobbies, it's possible to make more money online than you possibly think, whether as a side gig or a full-time freelancer.

With the help of YouTube videos and tutorials, you can quickly learn how to create a website, even without the knowledge of coding. And once you learn how to build your own website, your imagination as a freelancer is the limit.

6. Gap year

While gap years are often a dread for parents, not every student is ready for a college experience right after high school. A gap year serves as a break before students join college. Students may choose to defer their admission or plan to apply in the future. Regardless, this could be a perfect time to determine if college is the best path and, if not, what the alternatives are.

Gap years are most productive when students have a plan. They provide new surroundings and a chance to meet and learn new responsibilities, discover new cultures, and learn more about yourself. Gap-year options include traveling and working abroad, taking on a job or internship, volunteering, or an apprenticeship.

Year On, previously known as UnCollege, is a guided program for gap years that aims to educate people on how to build their careers through self-directed learning.

7. Volunteer programs

If you aren’t motivated toward a college education, volunteering for a year or two is another great way not only to learn the value of service and give back but also to build your character.

Several volunteering programs, such as AmeriCorps, do not require a college degree. This is a good option for high school graduates. The National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) program is a great choice for men aged 18-24 looking to serve for about a year. It’s a residential volunteering program that allows you to get a college feel while doing community projects instead of attending college classes.

The AmeriCorps VISTA is another good program. It partners with volunteers with non-profit organizations for a year.  

A few other volunteering programs include:

• Conservation Corps, which is much like AmeriCorps but tends to focus more on outdoors type of work.
• Global Routes – an organization that sends youths to foreign countries for 12 weeks or so for service.
• Catholic Volunteer Network – provides plenty of volunteer opportunities that don’t need a college degree or religious affiliations and has a great searchable database where you can specify what opportunities you’d be looking for.

8. Fellowship programs

Fellowship programs are short-term programs lasting several years but are generally limited to a few months. Unlike internships, fellowship programs typically include paid stipends; in some cases, fellows benefit from housing, healthcare, or student loan repayment programs. But the real benefit is the professional development fellows can receive from the experience.

As a potential fellow, what you will do vary significantly depending on your discipline of choice. Typically, fellowship programs offer support and a development plan for students to follow so that they can advance professionally in a guided environment.

Fellowship program fields can range from research work, funded graduate study in a particular field of work, community-based projects, and social entrepreneurship.

These competitive programs need great commitment from the candidate. Regardless of what type of fellowship program you choose, you should apply for a program you’re genuinely ready to complete.

Echoing Green is one great fellowship program open to people above 18 years who are interested in starting or are already running a social enterprise that operates towards different social causes.

Conclusion

For many, a college education has been the standard and right pathway to success. However, this thinking that it is the only viable one might be short-sighted as many people could benefit from some college alternatives especially given the increasing cost of a regular four-year college degree.

Not everyone is destined to attend college, and it may turn out that a college degree isn’t destined to be an obvious stop along the way of your or your child’s success journey. Education doesn’t necessarily have to be in a traditional university setting. It's acceptable for students to explore other options as their goals might be set on a career that doesn’t require traditional education, or perhaps you are unsure of what you want to do, and the idea of plowing through university feels futile.

With dedication and focus, you can discover yourself, build a strong network of friends and become more valuable. And the best part is that you can have fun while following your own path.