Career Colleges Pros and Cons
December 19th, 2008
Compare a traditional University to a Career college degree and decide which is best for you. Utah Stories conducts a special video investigation into the popularity of career colleges.
by Richard Markosian
previous installment by Rebecca Edwards
The popularity of career education offered at technical schools and trade colleges is soaring, while enrollment numbers at traditional Universities is in decline. Utah Stories is the only local news provider to investigate how and why.
In this special investigation we visit the Vice President of Operations for Eagle Gate College Julie Blake. Then we visit the University of Utah and speak with Career Services Counselor Dana Sowby and ask her what the University of Utah could be doing to place more of their graduates into jobs after they graduate.
Sowby doesn't believe the U is failing in this regard because the majority of their students are employed after graduating. Sowby says many might not find empolyment in their field of study, but they are employed none the less.
We then spoke to Samual Aaron Poff, who graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in Bioengineering and found his best job prospects only paid $12 per hour. Poff is now attending the U to get a doctrate degree in the hope he will have much more opportunity after he graduates.
University of Utah Psychology Professor Jim Rice said, "Universities are pricing themselves out of the market." We compare the criminal justice program at the University with a similar program offered by Eagle Gate College and found a good reason why more students are choosing Eagle Gate over a University: Eagle Gate offers a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice in 48 months, even for part-time students; While the University of Utah's program typically takes 5-6 years with a greater cost over the long run.
Investigation Conclusion
Certainly Universities will not become completely obsolete. Law students, medical students and those who wish to explore academia in a theoretical manner will always be accommodated by traditional Universities. But it's clear that if Universities don't cater their courses and curriculum closer to real-world job market they will continue to decline while career colleges will continue to flourish.
