Search 4 career colleges

In the time you’ve spent looking for an educational opportunity to follow high school, you may have run across a lot of choices – from community colleges to universities. Another option is the career college – sometimes called a technical or vocational college.

The origin of the career college goes back over 100 years. Back then, not many people had a chance to go to a university. And many universities were exclusive to men. A career college offered people of different social classes (including women!) a chance to learn specific business skills that weren’t taught in school.

The first career college, according to many historians, was Foster’s Commercial School of Boston. Founded by Benjamin Franklin Foster in 1832, it was the first established school in the United States to specialize in training for commerce. By the mid-1830s, there were 15-20 private institutions in existence teaching business classes. The oldest private career school in continual operation in the U.S. is Duff’s Mercantile College (now called Everest Institute). Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, it was established in 1841.

A career college focuses on teaching skills that are specifically required for a particular job. Whereas in a college or university you have core classes required for all students (such as freshman composition), career training programs usually include only courses pertaining to your field of study. In the early days, schools focused on business skills, such as accounting. Nowadays, career colleges may target information technology, healthcare, trade skills or culinary arts. Some schools offer a blend of programs, so you can choose what kind of program you want or even a specialization.

When you graduate from a career college program, you may be awarded with a diploma, a certificate or even a degree. The outcome depends on the program itself. Usually, career training is designed to get students into the workforce as quickly as possible. These programs result in a diploma or certificate. A career training program that offers an Associate or Bachelor’s degree usually takes longer but offers a more well-rounded education.

To decide if a career college is the right choice for you, think about the kind of work you hope to do and examine the educational requirements for that job. You’d be surprised at the number of jobs that don’t require a 2- or 4-year degree. If you are not interested in a traditional college education and your career path has training available, a career college might be right for you!