The biggest reason people attend college is to get a degree. People go to attain a higher cultural and intellectual status, hoping that in those four years some of the knowledge and class will seep into their brains. It’s not the only way, however. Try to wrap your head around this idea: A school that only takes two years to complete, teaches you what you need to know and leaves you with actual job skills.

This may seem like some kind of fairy tale, but it is more fact than fiction. Vocational or trade schools offer students the opportunity to become proficient in specific fields. These fields range from culinary institutes to mechanics and criminal justice. The main focus of these types of schools is to provide people with working, hands-on knowledge. These schools build necessary skills without time-wasting, unnecessary classes.

So why is college perceived as the homecoming king, while the trade school is seen as the awkward geek standing against the wall?

Kristinamarie Scheuneman, senior criminal justice major, thought about going to one but was unsure of the benefit

“I’ve considered it, but I’m scared if it would give me a better shot at getting a job,” Scheuneman said. “I think in a way they are looked down upon because it isn’t a traditional four-year. So I’m kind of torn on it.”

That is the answer, the perception or the idea that a college degree is the be-all and end-all of higher learning. We need that college degree because mom and dad, the public education system and society as a whole tell us we do. But that’s a lie. You know what that degree really is; its four to six years of accrued debt, limited on-the-job skills and a pretty piece of paper with a gold sticker on it.

What we really need is for some people to realize that college is not the right place for them. Either you’re not smart enough to handle the upper-division courses, or you don’t have the staying power to leg it out for four-plus years. It’s not a bad thing, and realizing this may potentially save you a lot of time and money.

Schools like Heald College have associate degree programs that can be earned in as little as 18 months. This school also offers lifetime job placement assistance for graduates. This is great, especially when you come to the stark realization that the current job market is terrible and that there is as much chance of getting hired in your field as there is of getting hired at McDonalds. This doesn’t make sense. It’s not that hard to get hired at McDonald’s. Isn’t his point that it’s hard to get a job in your field?

The point of higher education is to educate. We are supposed to gain a breadth of knowledge and be ready to enter the workforce upon graduation. But for many, this is where traditional college fails. Vocational schools offer smaller classes with more individualized attention given to students. This intimate learning environment can help breed a more committed student and produce a better finished product. This is definitely something the four-year university is lacking.

According to a report by the U.S. Department of Education, between 1992 and 2003, college graduates levels of proficiency in prose, document and quantitative literacy sharply declined. People are graduating, but they have the reading level of a 6-year-old. This isn’t the case for everyone, and traditional college can be a good system for many. For the rest, vocational schools can pick up the slack.

College will always be an attractive route for the youth of America. The promise of a good education, a good job, beer and parties is a winning combination. But soon enough people and companies will start to realize that a degree from a four-year college doesn’t necessarily translate into what they thought it would. We need more opportunities for those college fail and vocational schools are the key.

Matt Rascher can be reached at [email protected]