Apprenticeship Is Better Than College Degree
4 Reasons why Apprenticeship Is Better Than College Degree
A long time ago, apprenticeships were necessary for
construction and similar jobs that required learning through practice. With the
increased popularity of college degrees, this type of learning fell in the
shade. Nowadays, a degree seems to be more important than practice.
Apprenticeship is seen as the “second best” alternative to an undergraduate
degree, and it’s usually linked to vocational qualifications.
Here comes the surprise: some of the most successful
entrepreneurs were once apprentices. Laurence Graff (a famous English jeweler
and owner of a multibillion business), popular Chef Jamie Oliver, Sir Ian McKellar,
Stella McCartney… the list can go on. Although apprenticeship is seen as a not-so-good
alternative to a university degree, it still holds tons of benefits.
Here are 4 reasons why it is a good thing to be an
apprentice:
1. Apprentice Gain Experience than People Who Go to University
When you decide to be an apprentice in the industry
of your choice, you start gaining practical experience way earlier than your
friends who carry on with their education. You will become independent and
you’ll get an opportunity for making career progress. Four years from now, the
best students will be graduating. Most of them will take longer. By that point,
you’ll already be further on your career path.
If you’re productive enough, you’ll have enough time
to combine your apprenticeship with actual studies. You can sign up for
part-time studies or an online degree and do the studying in your free time.
Unlike most of the people who go to college or university, you’ll be paying for
your own studies. That’s a huge accomplishment for a young person.
“The only source of knowledge is experience.” –
Albert Einstein
2.
You’ll Be
Learning and Making Money at the Same Time
We already mentioned the money, right? That’s the
greatest advantage of being an apprentice. You’ll be getting fair payments for
your work. You’ll be doing hard work, but you’ll also be learning. Apprentices
are not gaining tons of money however, you’ll be making enough for a living and
you’ll be moving towards an actual job.
You’ll constantly learn new skills and put them
immediately into practice. At university, the students are learning a lot. They
are developing some skills along the way, too. However, they don’t get to
implement those skills, and can’t make any money for studying. As an
apprentice, that’s exactly what you’ll be doing.
3.
Apprenticeship
is great when you’re Not Sure of What You Want
Many people are completely confused when they
graduate from high school. They have no idea what direction they should take.
Most of them pick one of these two options:
They go to college anyway. They assume they could
pick a major after taking several courses and deciding which one they like
best. This method works for some, but others are so indecisive that they pick a
random major just because they have to. You’ll agree, this is an insanely
expensive method of deciding what you want.
They take the year off, hoping they could figure
things out. Then, they are still not sure what they want. They go to college
anyway and do the same thing as the students from the previous example.
An apprenticeship gives you an opportunity to
experiment with different fields and decide what works for you. If you don’t
like it, you’ll just quit with no financial risk involved.
“For young people just starting out in the world of
work, apprenticeship has important advantages. It offers an efficient way to
learn skills, for the training is planned and organized and is not
hit-or-miss.”
4.
You’ll
Learn How to Bear Responsibility
The apprenticeship is not a real job, but it still
comes with real responsibilities. You’ll give your best to get good results.
If, for example, you’re going for a position in the restaurant business, you’ll
be responsible for the outcome of your work. If you’re not good enough, they
will get rid of you. If you’re great, you’ll make progress sooner than
expected.
Taking responsibility for your work will be scary.
You’re young and wild, after all. Sometimes things won’t go as planned.
However, taking responsibility is a huge part of growing up, and you’ll be
learning from mistakes before university students even get to make them.
Remember, you’re free to make your own choices. Just
because society expects everyone to go to college doesn’t mean you should go
with the flow. Now is the right moment for taking responsibility for your
decisions. If you want to become an apprentice, you should stand behind the choice
you make. Now that you’re aware of all benefits you’ll gain, maybe you’re
closer to the decision.
What is your experience with being an apprentice?
Leave your experiences below!
