Bill BrownFounder of ServiceTitan Hacks community (9k+ pros) | INC 5000 Contractor | Helping contractors win with AI & Automation

College vs Trade School: Which is Better?

20 Aug 2025

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A short persuasive piece arguing that trade school is a better alternative to traditional four-year college for many people, highlighting lower costs (about $1,500/year), faster entry into work, paid on-the-job learning, and practical training in trades like electrical, plumbing, and HVAC instead of taking on roughly $100,000 in student debt and spending four years.

Most people think the path is College, take on $100,000 in debt and hope for a cushy marketing job. Or you could skip that debt, save four years and jump into the trades for about $1,500 a year for books, classes, everything you can train in electrical, plumbing or H Vac on real setups. And here's the kicker. Most companies today will even pay you while you learn. So why waste 4 years and 100k in loans when you could be earning, building skills and setting yourself up for life in the trades today?