1102: College vs. Trades | Skeptical Sunday

Want to make bank without the bank breaking you? Anglo-Saxon poetry enthusiast Nick Pell weighs trades against degrees on this week's Skeptical Sunday! On This Week's Skeptical Sunday, We Discuss: While college graduates earn more on average ($77,000/year) compared to trade school graduates ($67,000/year) and high school graduates ($47,000/year), this comes with significant student loan debt — averaging $37,000 for a bachelor's degree. There's a severe shortage of skilled trade workers in America, with examples like a deficit of 500,000 plumbers and an anticipated shortage of 1.9 million manufacturing jobs, suggesting strong job security and demand in these fields. Advanced degrees show diminishing returns — a master's degree costs an average of $65,000 and only provides about a 16% salary increase, while a doctorate costs $127,000 for grad school alone with relatively modest income gains. The college versus trade school decision isn't purely financial — it should factor in personal aptitudes, desired lifestyle, and how someone wants to spend roughly one-third of their adult life working. There are multiple paths to success, and you can make informed choices by: taking a "gap year" to work and explore interests, completing general education requirements at more affordable community colleges, researching program costs versus expected salaries, and considering apprenticeships which have doubled since 2013 and offer paid training opportunities. Connect with Jordan on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. If you have something you'd like us to tackle here on Skeptical Sunday, drop Jordan a line at [email protected] and let him know! Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1102 And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally! This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/deals Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course! Subscribe to our once-a-week Wee Bit Wiser newsletter today and start filling your Wednesdays with wisdom! Do you even Reddit, bro? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.