As high school students emerge into the realm of post-secondary education, they are frequently persuaded to identify a four-year degree as the only means to a successful future.
Contrary to the popular myth that a college degree is the main determinate in a successful future, we must adopt the stance in our society that there are plenty of opportunities for those not destined for college.
Success in life is not always dependent on earning a four-year college degree.
Technical and vocational programs have been deemed the “alternative option” for individuals who, for whatever reason, do not pursue a college education.
Rather than downgrade technical learning institutions we should focus on encouraging the general promotion of education at all institutions, not just universities.
Too often do college professors speak poorly of individuals who choose to pursue a technical education rather than a college degree, based upon the assertion that students who enroll in vocational programs have chosen to take the easy way out.
The common perception has been that blue-collared trades offer less status, money and opportunity for advancement.
We need to promote the idea in our society that there are alternative ways to obtain quality education that are just as worthy as attending a university.
Technical programs should be held in equal regard to a four-year college degree and should in no way be considered a way out for the less intuitive individual.
In the last decade, a Bachelor’s degree has become just as significant as a high school diploma was ten years ago.  The four-year college degree is continually declining in value.
The notion that a college degree will guarantee higher paid salaries may not be the case in an economy with a historically high 9.1 percent unemployment rate.
Since Sept. 2010, employment increased .2 percent for individuals with a technical degree or Associates degree, while the market witnessed a decline of .1 percent for college graduates, according to a 2011 study conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
As demand for college graduates declines, there will always be an immediate demand for mechanics, health technicians and computer technicians in the workforce who sought training for a specific skill set.
In late 2010, according to a hiring survey conducted by staffing firm Robert Half, 66 percent of technology executives polled said they found it challenging to locate experienced IT candidates and reiterated the demand only continues to grow for educated technicians.
The median starting salary for students graduating from four-year institutions in 2009 and 2010 was a low $27,000—a ten percent decline from 2006 to 2008 figures, according to a 2011 study by the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development.
The lowest median annual wage of a radiologic technician in 2010-2011 was $35,000, as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.  The majority of two-year, technical institutions also invest in job placement for their graduating students.
It is dangerous to the economic viability of generations of Americans, and therefore our country as a whole, to continue to take this societal stance.
Students continuing their education after high school should be advised that there are other alternatives to the four-year degree that are just as notable.
We are not disputing the fact that college can be a wise investment, we are merely suggesting the promotion of all forms of higher education.
Minimizing those that society deems less significant will harm of us all.