Have a Great Career with Minimal Student Loan Debt

Over the last several years, the cost to obtain a four-year college degree in the U.S. has skyrocketed. And if you’re seriously considering attending college, getting a bachelor’s degree may seem like your only chance at having a successful, lucrative career.

Hefty tuition costs add up over four+ years, and many students must take out loans to cover the majority of tuition fees, textbook purchases, and rooming expenses. Tack on the interest rate for those loans, and students end up owing a small fortune that will take them decades to pay off.

Luckily, obtaining a bachelor’s degree is not the only, or even the best, option to having a long and fruitful career. Imagine instead attending a technical or trade school that focuses on developing skills for a specific job and earning the degree or certification needed to land that job in two years or less at a fraction of the cost of a bachelor’s degree.

Having a technical degree or certification offers a lot of desirable career options. With the skilled-labor shortage hitting manufacturing companies throughout the U.S., now is the perfect time to get into the industry. The demand for workers has never been higher, and the average median wage for a manufacturing career, with bonuses, is $85,600.

Furthermore, you could offset some of the costs of your technical degree with a scholarship. Since 1990, Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs® (NBT), the foundation of FMA, has awarded over $1 million to students pursuing a manufacturing-focused education. You can check out NBT’s application requirements and apply for a spring 2020 scholarship through September 30, 2019.

When it’s all said and done, it’s not a bachelor’s degree or bust. Students have several options that lead to a bright future. There are many affordable and efficient pathways to exciting careers that are in high-demand.