Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share 1102: College vs. Trades | Skeptical Sunday
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
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.
View all episodes
By Jordan Harbinger
4.8
1178211,782 ratings
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.
More shows like The Jordan Harbinger Show
View all
The Joe Rogan Experience
229,674 Listeners
Adam Carolla Show
37,390 Listeners
We're Alive
9,662 Listeners
FBI Case File Review
2,185 Listeners
The Ben Shapiro Show
153,989 Listeners
The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe
41,393 Listeners
The Art of Manliness
14,296 Listeners
The Adam and Dr. Drew Show
8,760 Listeners
Making Sense with Sam Harris
26,380 Listeners
RHAP: We Know Survivor
1,534 Listeners
SpyCast
1,531 Listeners
Stuff They Don't Want You To Know
10,365 Listeners
LadyGang
11,205 Listeners
Court Junkie
8,539 Listeners
The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast
33,171 Listeners
Off The Vine with Kaitlyn Bristowe
21,739 Listeners
Cold Case Files
8,713 Listeners
Darknet Diaries
8,077 Listeners
TRIGGERnometry
2,275 Listeners
The Charlie Kirk Show
65,964 Listeners
The Shawn Ryan Show
46,368 Listeners
The Team House
1,666 Listeners
The Underworld Podcast
825 Listeners
The Tucker Carlson Show
16,982 Listeners