Choosing a Vocational School Over Traditional College For Your LPN
Posted On August 5,2019
For some reason, traditional colleges tend to have a better reputation than vocational schools. Going to a traditional four-year college is seen by many as a bigger accomplishment. This can often be because of how difficult some four-year colleges are to get into; however, that shouldn’t be the standard by which we judge the education that was obtained.
As such, vocational schools may not be as “prestigious” as traditional colleges, but they provide just as good (if not better) educational value. This is especially true if you know exactly what kind of career you want to pursue. An LPN (licensed practical nurse) degree is a good example of this. The following are just four of the benefits of going to a vocational school for your LPN instead of a traditional college:
Learn More about Athena's Nursing Program1. Vocational Schools are Less Expensive
Four-year colleges are incredibly expensive, especially when compared to what vocational schools cost. Students who graduate from four-year colleges carry an average of $33,484 in student loan debt, which means they have to pay around $351 a month for a decade in order to pay it off. If that wasn’t alarming in itself, the tuition and fees of traditional four-year colleges are continuing to rise. In the 2009/2010 school year, four-year colleges raised their tuition and fees by an average of 9.5 percent. While tuition and fees haven’t spiked that much since then, they are still increasing incrementally — and student grant aid and tax benefits are not keeping up, which means that the net prices for full-time students at four-year colleges continues to rise.
2. A Vocational Degree Takes Less Time to Obtain
Not only are traditional colleges financially more expensive, but they are more expensive as a result of it taking longer to obtain your degree. If you want to save money and get started on your career sooner, a vocational school is a better option. Vocational school programs typically only take two or fewer years to complete, whereas traditional colleges generally require four years. While it’s worth noting that you can get your degree in less time if you take more classes at a traditional college, most students actually take longer than four years to get their undergraduate degree. Many students take five or six years to complete their program — and a surprising number don’t finish their degree at all.
3. Vocational Schools are Career-Oriented
When you enroll in a vocational school, you know that you’ll be fo
cused on classes that pertain to your program. With traditional colleges, students are required to take courses that have nothing to do with their major. Not only is this an enormous waste of money, it’s also a waste of time. It’s one of the reasons why vocational programs often take two or fewer years to complete.
4. Vocational Schools Provide More Flexible Class Schedules
Traditional four-year colleges may be fine for students who have just graduated high school and have no real responsibilities in life yet. However, for adults who are going back to school, they may need more flexible schedules as a result of having a family to raise and other obligations like working full-time. Not only do vocational schools offer more flexible class schedules, but you won’t be wasting time and money on classes you don’t need.
As you can see, there are some real advantages to enrolling in a vocational school instead of a traditional college, especially if you’re looking to obtain your LPN degree and you want to start your career as soon as possible. If you’re planning on pursuing a career as an LPN, then be sure to contact us at Athena Career Academy for more information about our LPN program
.