Liz Dwyer:

Of course, apprenticeships require a significant time investment—the average program is four years long. But there are huge financial incentives for sticking with it: The average salary for someone who has completed an apprenticeship is $49,795—more than what some teachers with four-year degrees earn. And cash-strapped students will be attracted to the possibility of coming out of an apprenticeship without any student loans.

This is a great idea. Here’s a big problem with our society — we undervalue technical schooling while holding up a more romantic version of education.

We tell college freshman, “You have plenty of time to figure out what you want to do,” and they major in psychology, religion, or philosophy. Now, it’d be ironic for me to downplay these fields, but the sad truth is that there aren’t many jobs out there for the average B-student with a liberal arts education.

It’s hard to say it, but if I wasn’t going to attend law school, I’d end up working some shitty job, earning little more than I might have had I never paid for college in the first place. I’d have accumulated thousands of dollars in debt, not to mention 4 years of possible income thrown out the window, all for what?

Apprenticeships may be a profitable alternative to college. $49,795 is a good salary, especially without the debt. Furthermore, it seems like apprentices are paid for on-the-job training, thus defraying the opportunity costs of education. The option makes sense for a lot of people out there.