Why Choose Technical Education?

Today, too many students graduate with big debt but limited career prospects. Career and technical education is different. Graduates from high-quality technical colleges don’t struggle to find jobs in their fields – they’re in high demand.

If you invest your time and money in college,
it needs to pay off.

Too many students graduate from college with big debt and then struggle to find a job doing what they spent all that time and money studying.

Career and technical education is different. Graduates from high-quality technical colleges don’t struggle to find jobs in their fields – they’re in high demand.

There are currently more job openings than workers in most technical careers, and employers recognize the importance of technical education in training the workforce they need.

When employers have to compete for skilled talent, there are huge benefits for technical college graduates:

  • Higher starting salaries
  • More job opportunities to pick from
  • Less lag time from graduation to employment

There’s great long-term potential, because these labor shortages are expected to continue – or even get worse – for at least the next decade. This means that the value of highly skilled workers will only increase.

Between the number of job opportunities, the impressive starting salaries, and the great long-term potential, there’s never been a better time to enter a technical field.

There are jobs available right now, waiting to be filled by professionals with the right skills and training.

In as little as two semesters, that could be you – bringing your professional expertise to a new career and earning up to $40,000, $50,000, or even $60,000 per year, and that’s just a starting salary.

There’s a lot to consider as you plan your future. How long do you want to go to school? How much are you willing to invest in your education? What kind of job do you want to have?

These are big questions, and it really comes down to what’s right for you. Technical education has some big advantages:

  • A faster and more affordable path to a career than four-year schools. Learn more >>
  • More hands-on training and deeper industry expertise than community colleges. Learn more >>
  • Better starting salaries and long-term career prospects than if you skip college. Learn more >>

However, not all career and technical education is created equally. Nonprofit technical college grads have higher job placement rates and better career opportunities — and much lower debt than graduates of for-profit institutions.

Are you thinking, "Nonprofit, for-profit — why should I care?" Find out more about what it means for you — click here.

Major employers and our government recognize the importance of technical education in creating a strong workforce. To make sure students like you can succeed in a technical career field, they offer special programs and incentives to help make it a reality.

Ranken works with many companies to keep our program content and training up-to-date with the latest trends, techniques, and certifications.

We also want to make college affordable, and our financial aid counselors will help you identify potential governmental funding to help pay for career and technical education.

Want to Learn More? Contact Us!

  • Compare Your Options!
  • Program Offerings and Required Classes
  • Cost
  • Job Potential
  • Time Commitment
  • Technical Colleges
  • Technical colleges tend to offer more hands-on learning and require fewer unnecessary classes than four-year colleges. Technical colleges focus on offering the best vocational and technical education possible – it’s all they do.
  • Offers affordable degree programs.
  • Students who earn a technical associate’s degree enter a hotter job market than those with non-technical degrees, and face lower unemployment rates.
  • From two semesters to four years, depending on the degree you want.
  • Community Colleges
  • Community colleges support a wide variety of programs. They often require more general education classes that are unrelated to your field, including more “theory-based” education.
  • Offers affordable degree programs.
  • Students who earn a technical associate’s degree enter a hotter job market than those with non-technical degrees, and face lower unemployment rates.
  • From two semesters to four years, depending on the degree you want.
  • Four-Year Colleges
  • In a four-year college setting, school can be widely theoretical, with lots of classroom time and teacher lectures. The focus is on creating “well-rounded” students, so you’ll likely need to take classes outside of your major, like art, foreign languages and physical education.
  • The average four-year college student graduates with $37,172 in debt.
  • Almost half of four-year college graduates find themselves with limited job prospects after graduation, and are forced to take jobs they don’t want or that don’t pay enough to make up for the cost of that degree.
  • Many students at four-year universities take longer than four years to graduate – and in fact, on average, spend six years earning their degree.
  • Compare Your Options!
  • Program Offerings and Required Classes Technical Colleges: Technical colleges tend to offer more hands-on learning and require fewer unnecessary classes than four-year colleges. Technical colleges focus on offering the best vocational and technical education possible – it’s all they do. Community Colleges: Community colleges support a wide variety of programs. They often require more general education classes that are unrelated to your field, including more “theory-based” education. Four-Year Colleges: In a four-year college setting, school can be widely theoretical, with lots of classroom time and teacher lectures. The focus is on creating “well-rounded” students, so you’ll likely need to take classes outside of your major, like art, foreign languages and physical education.
  • Cost Technical Colleges: Offers affordable degree programs. Community Colleges: Offers affordable degree programs. Four-Year Colleges: The average four-year college student graduates with $37,172 in debt.
  • Job Potential Technical Colleges: Students who earn a technical associate’s degree enter a hotter job market than those with non-technical degrees, and face lower unemployment rates. Community Colleges: Students who earn a technical associate’s degree enter a hotter job market than those with non-technical degrees, and face lower unemployment rates. Four-Year Colleges: Almost half of four-year college graduates find themselves with limited job prospects after graduation, and are forced to take jobs they don’t want or that don’t pay enough to make up for the cost of that degree.
  • Time Commitment Technical Colleges: From two semesters to four years, depending on the degree you want. Community Colleges: From two semesters to four years, depending on the degree you want. Four-Year Colleges: Many students at four-year universities take longer than four years to graduate – and in fact, on average, spend six years earning their degree.