While trade schools have their place, some experiences might only be found while pursuing an academic degree.

Education is fundamental. Over the last century, continuing a formal course of study post high school has been the next step for a growing number of American graduates. Enrollment in higher education has increased for both traditional college and trade schools (The Atlantic, March 2019), both checking in at or above 16 million students, as of 2014. College degrees can provide a wider range of academia, leading to almost $18,000 a year more in earnings compared to a non-degree worker (Forbes, May 2023), while trade schools can narrow a focus of study and allow a graduate the ability to enter the workforce earlier with a cheaper cost of entry, (Forbes, February 2022). Each route has its list of pros and cons, but for me, college was about exploration, figuring out who I was, and the journey that made it all worthwhile.

The Starting Line

My younger years were spent trying to fit in among a group of friends, but still feeling fringy. My high school was relatively small, so the thought of attending a large university or college was both exciting and daunting.

I viewed college as an opportunity for reinvention and inclusion.

I had a passion for film studies and an interest in architecture – two fairly unrelated subjects, but I knew in order to understand what suited me best I would need to find a school large enough to allow for a broad array of opportunity. After finding “the” school, university didn’t arrive on my doorstep. I had to work for it.

The Means

I did not come from a family of immense means so figuring out how to make earning a college degree a reality was challenging. Ultimately, the money told me I would live at home and commute to campus, saving a ton of cash. That, combined with a variety of grants and a part-time job, I was able to make the finances work. I would potentially miss out on the other romanticized aspects of dorm life, but that’s a part of the sacrifice. Just being able to attend was enough. I was going to work my way through university and attend classes through the summer, if able. I was determined to make something of myself, whatever that something was going to be.

The Explorer

As those first few semesters ground along while I studied general prerequisites, the explorer in me grew legs. So, to quell my film studies bug, I joined with the local campus television station and worked a boom mic for a student-led production. At the time, that creative process ultimately produced a product I didn’t feel was worthwhile. Similarly, with architecture, the potential thrill of the physical manifestation wasn’t enough to compete with a waning interest of the mathematical application. Neither of my originally anticipated paths was going to progress. I was back to square one, but I was committed. As Joe Dirt says – “Keep on, keepin’ on.”

The Starting Line: Chapter Two

Always a student of feedback, I would often solicit critique about my writing to ensure clarity and focus. After one arduous writing session for a prerequisite English paper, I heard: “This is really good. Have you considered journalism?” The answer was no. I had always enjoyed writing as a hobby, but nothing more. In this moment illuminated before me was a previously unsigned path. Several months of discernment and it was decided – public affairs journalism was my new route, and it fit.

The Focus of the Journey

The task was now the finish line. My explorer mentality left no stone unturned. I took classes from astronomy and theatre to philosophy and economics. Along the way I picked up political science as a second major.

Journalism allowed me to write for and ultimately become a section editor of the university newspaper. Not only did I edit wire stories (publicly available articles written by a variety of journalists from across the country) for my section, but I wrote opinion pieces, took photos that appeared on the front page, and landed a paid job as a teaching assistant in a beginning journalism class.

As a college journalist, I wrote pieces on a multitude of issues. It was an education within an education. I had taken the opportunities presented to me and found what made me happy.

The Point

No two college experiences are the same. Similarly, not all are met with immediate success or inclusion. While some of my friends went on to write for big publications, attend prestigious sporting events, or land jobs in television, I did not. However, my learned skills never ceased to be an important aspect of who I was – who I am.

Writing has helped me in every job I’ve held after graduating. Political science and journalism have helped my service in the public sector, in elected office and on appointed commissions and boards, utilizing the interviewing and researching techniques I learned in college. My degree has without a doubt been a catalyst for my past and current successes.

College might not be in the cards for every single person for a variety of unique reasons, but I will champion its cause as a path worth careful, measured and sincere consideration. Colleges and universities are broad institutions on purpose, and offer a wide variety of academic potential. Trade schools narrow the field of study to focus on a vocation.

The question is this: Do you know what you want? Broad strokes of the brush at least allow you the ability to explore and venture into areas that might not have been known paths of interest.

As with any investment, I look at what it cost me to commit my time, talent, and treasure to those four years. The return on that investment will continue to pay dividends for the rest of my life.

Editor’s Note: In future editions, we’ll explore trade schools in Licking County.