Some technical schools offer two-year programs, while others focus only on the specific skills required to do a particular job. The length of time that you spend at a technical school will be dependent on the type of work you are entering. A traditional college, on the other hand, will require you to spend a minimum of two years. It is important to note, however, that some community colleges offering two-year programs may also offer technical training in specific fields that have a much shorter training time.
Depending on the training that you are seeking, learning at a technical school can be significantly less expensive than learning at a traditional college. You will want to compare the costs of both avenues of education with the schools that you are considering enrolling in to understand the full costs associated with your particular program.
Because technical schools are focused on individuals learning skills and immediately entering the workforce, most programs in technical school classes are set up as though in a real workplace environment. Traditional colleges, on the other hand, may require students to learn about the workplace environment in a classroom without as much of the hands-on training that technical school graduates undergo.
Most technical schools award their students certificates of completion when they have accomplished all of their training. Some technical schools do offer associate degree programs, and some colleges offer technical certificate programs. To obtain a four-year bachelor's degree or higher, however, you will need to enroll in a traditional college.
A technical school should be licensed and recognized as a legitimate training facility by the company or industry you work for. You may want to contact a local business in your work field to ensure that the technical school certificate or degree that you will work toward will be accepted as valid before you begin training. A traditional college should be accredited. If it is not, the college credits you earn may not be recognized by employers or other learning institutions that you may transfer to in the future. You can check a college's accreditation with its admissions office. If the college names an accrediting agency that has approved its curriculum, you should also check with the accrediting agency to make sure that information is legitimate and that the accreditation is up to date, just to be on the safe side.