For decades, the instructions for success have been the same — do well in school, go to college, get a degree, and start your career. But in today’s economy, it’s becoming more and more difficult to get a job that utilizes your degree, while the cost of college continues to rise. While it’s still a viable choice for many, there are also alternatives, including going to a trade school. Berk Trade and Business School in Long Island City, NY, offers students the chance to learn plumbing or become electricians, all in half the time it takes to earn a bachelor’s degree.

While it’s true that trade school graduates have slightly lower average salaries than university grads, the education itself is both shorter and significantly less expensive. This means you may start out well ahead of university graduates laboring under school debt. Plus, plumbers and electricians are always in demand, meaning it could be easier to find work after graduation.

A trade school also means you can live almost anywhere in the U.S., or even overseas. These are skills with universal applications, and plumbers are just as necessary in California as they are in New York or anywhere else. While regulations and industry standards vary, the skills and principles you’ll learn will serve you no matter where you are located.

The real question is what you want to do with your life and career path moving forward. If you love learning with hands-on experience and enjoy creating useful things, attending a trade school could be an ideal fit for you. It’s an opportunity to build up the world through your work, provide comfort to real people, and learn skills with direct applications in the real world. If that sounds like your kind of challenge, you’re ready to learn a trade!

If you’re interested in applying to a trade school or learning more information, call Berk Trade and Business School at (718) 729-0909, You can also learn more online and on Facebook.