Career Colleges and Schools

Options for Life After High School

Do you dream of making movies for a living? Being a pastry chef? Building cars? If you have specific career goals, you may want to consider a college that will train and prepare you in that specific area.

For some professions you may need to attend a specialized college—like film or culinary school. For others, especially more technical jobs, it may be a vocational-technical college. Schools like these, that provide focused training in skill-based careers, are known as career schools or colleges. Career schools' programs generally range from two to four years, depending on the extent of training required.

A Variety of Programs

Some of the occupational fields in which career schools provide programs include:

Computer technology
Radio and television broadcasting
Business administration
Nursing
Culinary arts
Paralegal
Mechanical engineering
Commercial art

From producing movies to producing gourmet meals, you can find a college specializing in just about any career. You can also find career colleges in just about every city and region in this country, with programs in exactly what interests you.

At the North Bennet Street School in Boston, you can study such unique professions as bookbinding, preservation carpentry, and violin making and restoration.

At the Swedish Institute College of Massage Therapy in New York City, aspiring massage therapists participate in two internships during the program, including one that offers treatment to the community in a variety of settings, such as hospitals, clinics, senior centers, hospices, and sporting events.

Highly competitive career schools attract students worldwide. For example, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology specializes in training students in engineering. Artists vie for spots at the Rhode Island School of Design. And, aspiring chefs can get top-notch training at the Culinary Institute of America in New York. These three highly competitive schools are just a few of many options.

Finding the Right One

To find a career school that fits your specific needs and interests, meet with your counselor, and use College Search's. Once you find schools that fit your needs and interests, be sure to consider the following:

Cost: How much does the school cost (including tuition, commuting, books)? What types of scholarships and other financial assistance does the school offer?
Requirements: What kinds of classes, in addition to the hands-on training, will I need to earn a degree? Can any of the classes I took in high school be applied towards these requirements?
Credentials and Quality: Is the school licensed by the state? Is it accredited? If yes, by whom?
Faculty and Student Body: What are the classes like? What teaching approaches do the teachers use? What are their qualifications? How big are the classes? How much hands-on training is there? What are the internship opportunities?

College catalogs and your counselor will be able to answer some of these questions, but to get the full flavor of a school you should make time for a campus visit. While you're there, speak to students and faculty members, and schedule time to sit in on a class.

Consider All Your Options

While career colleges clearly have their benefits, keep in mind that training in a specific field may limit your career options if you decide to change your career down the road. You're also giving up the more general, well-rounded education that a liberal arts program has to offer. So, before you commit to a career college, be sure you're choosing a career that will keep you happy and fulfilled in the years to come.