Do trade schools exist anymore?

[tvguy]

A guy I coached Little League with was a high school teacher and used to push his students to go to college, until 2 of his students came back 4 years after graduation. While all the kids he told to go to college were just graduating and starting to look for work, these 2 had 4 years experience as sheetmetal workers and,with overtime make $125,000 a year.

 

[Dallas_Lady]

In many regions, community/junior colleges have replaced the "trade schools." They offer programs and certificates in various lines of work, with the added benefit of the credits being transferrable to a university should the student choose that in the future.

Please be cautious about for-profit career academy type schools (you know, the ones that advertise during day-time TV). They can be horribly expensive and even though they will tout all kinds of accrediations, their certificates usually aren't worth the paper they're printed on.

 

[browneyes106]

I agree with the "for-profit school" warnings. Many of these schools offer gaming and animination design degrees/programs but they are costly and they sometimes don't teach much. I know someone who attended Full Sail in Orlando and he isn't in a good place career wise right now. Art Institute Schools are pretty good and have good reputations and some do offer gaming and animation.

 

[LisaR]

I agree with the "for-profit school" warnings. Many of these schools offer gaming and animination design degrees/programs but they are costly and they sometimes don't teach much. I know someone who attended Full Sail in Orlando and he isn't in a good place career wise right now. Art Institute Schools are pretty good and have good reputations and some do offer gaming and animation.

I don't understand how Full Sail operates. A guy DH works with has a son that is going there and he just raves about it. You end up with a BA but it is only 5 semesters long. How can you get a BA in 2.5 years? It sounds like you don't take any general ed courses. They are all hands-on, specifically designed for your degree type classes. I don't have any problem with that at all but I don't see how that is equal to a bachelor's? It seems like they should come out of that program with a certificate or some type of associate's degree. Maybe I am just missing something or I don't fully understand the program.

EDIT: I take that back. I just looked on their website and you do take some general ed classes (not as many as a regular BA would require, though). There is a comm 1, college math, physics, and public speaking class that are all required.

 

[browneyes106]

I don't understand how Full Sail operates. A guy DH works with has a son that is going there and he just raves about it. You end up with a BA but it is only 5 semesters long. How can you get a BA in 2.5 years? It sounds like you don't take any general ed courses. They are all hands-on, specifically designed for your degree type classes. I don't have any problem with that at all but I don't see how that is equal to a bachelor's? It seems like they should come out of that program with a certificate or some type of associate's degree. Maybe I am just missing something or I don't fully understand the program.

EDIT: I take that back. I just looked on their website and you do take some general ed classes (not as many as a regular BA would require, though). There is a comm 1, college math, physics, and public speaking class that are all required.

The guy that I know only got an associates with Full Sail. He mentioned how the bachelors programs work. The issues he had with Full Sail was that change class meeting times often and sometimes I had classes at 2 a.m. and often everything was so picked tight there were times he felt like pulling his hair out. He's also disabled and in a wheelchair. He has a lot of debt from Full Sail. He said there were things he liked about it but in the end everything was overpriced.

 

[LisaNJ25]

Yes they do, my son is looking into going for HVAC next fall at a local vocational school.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

[chuckle] Obviously you don't live with a serious gamer. Microsoft is not at all the kind of place the average gamer is interested in working.

Blizzard Entertainment would be more relevant. (Blizzard owns World of Warcraft and controls over 50% of the MMORPG market.)

Most of the folks who work full-time in the industry have engineering/design backgrounds. They do want gamers with native talent, but the established companies for the most part also want those people to have degrees and be able to code, because when the work you do is that popular and has so many candidates lined up, well, why not?

It is quite common for people who do this to have a professional day job for several years outside the industry while they work up a game resume that is good enough to merit an interview.

No I don't. But it was just a suggestion for the OP.

 

[Took]

In our area, many of the tech companies do hire out of our CC's "trade" programs. However, most of these programs offer certificates, not degrees. THus, if a student works with our HVAC guy to earn his/her certificate in heating and air conditioninig, then he/she does have more than "test" skills. He/She has been working hands-on with the latest equipment.

And yes, in our area, we have largely taken over the role of the old trade schools as well as offering transfer degrees (the A.A. and A.S.).

To the OP, I checked with our graphics/computer teacher, and he agreed that getting a degree in game designing is not likely to lead to a job. Big companies are most likely to hire out of the big schools (MIT, for example) or to look for the entrepeneurs who create online games or phone apps on their own.

 

[shortbun]

Our school system has four and there are several charter schools who feature occupational training as well.

 

[tvguy]

I think too you have to be careful what trade you pick, some specific trades are going way.
Like a lot of companies found during the recession, often one person can do a job that three used to do.
My neighbor is a insulation supervisor and has been unemployed for a year. Before the recession one guy framed a building, another insulated it, and a third sheet rocked it. Now they have the sheetrocker doing all three jobs.

 

[JLTraveling]

The guy that I know only got an associates with Full Sail. He mentioned how the bachelors programs work. The issues he had with Full Sail was that change class meeting times often and sometimes I had classes at 2 a.m. and often everything was so picked tight there were times he felt like pulling his hair out. He's also disabled and in a wheelchair. He has a lot of debt from Full Sail. He said there were things he liked about it but in the end everything was overpriced.

I guess Full Sail is very much a MMV topic. I know several people who went through the school and are doing extremely well now. It's not particularly expensive for a bachelor's degree (36K-75K depending on major, and that includes EVERYTHING--books, materials, supplies). I think it's the best thing out there for gaming and animation, but again, MMV.

 

[wvdisluv2]

Yes, they exist and are usually sponsored by the unions.

Depending on what trade, you are interested in, you should look up the local union for the trade.

My husband is a union electrician and our local union had a huge trade school and apprenticeship program for aspiring electricians. It's a great deal. In fact, my coworker's son, who is in his second year of college, is making the switch and will start his apprenticeship in the fall of 2011.

The schools operate much like colleges in that there is an application process. For instance, the electrical one has application deadlines of March each year, the selection happens after that, and "school" starts in September.

I would be cautious of attending a "union sponsored" trade or technical school. I work in an industry that hires welders and machinists. I don't think you should have to join a union to learn a trade....but just my opinion