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For years now, the message has been the same: go to college and you’ll land a solid job with a good salary. You’ll be better off than people who opt for blue-collar trade jobs instead. This is the directive that society has grown so used to that pushing any other narrative just feels wrong, even if it may be true in light of recent changes in the job market and education system.

The truth is, college is expensive. And, unlike in the past, there’s really no guarantee that a diploma will get you a job, especially not one that pays better than a trade. Americans are standing at a crossroads where college is still considered important and still encouraged as a strong path to success. However, it’s impossible to ignore the fact that many blue-collar workers are doing better than college graduates.

Most people agree that apprenticeships provide better job security than a college degree.

LaborStrong, an organization that supports unions and union workers, conducted a study to determine how Americans feel about one specific alternative to a college degree — apprenticeships. In partnership with Pollfish, LaborStrong created the 2025 Apprenticeship Perceptions Index. They polled 1,000 workers between the ages of 18 and 64.

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The results may surprise some. 93% of respondents said they thought a union-backed apprenticeship provided better job security than a college degree. Another 43% believed that apprenticeships taught more practical job skills needed in the real world than college does. That isn’t really surprising, considering colleges aren’t known for providing on-the-job training.

Despite this strong confidence in apprenticeships, LaborStrong also noted that college is generally still more respected than apprenticeships are. Sixty-three percent of participants thought that trade apprenticeships deserved more respect than they currently receive. It seems like people want that to change, though. When asked if apprenticeships should receive the same amount of funding and policy attention from the governments that colleges do, 35% strongly agreed and 36% somewhat agreed.

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It does seem like an apprenticeship would be a better investment than college.

According to the Education Data Initiative, annual tuition at an in-state college is $9,750. For an out-of-state college, the tuition is $28,386. Meanwhile, North America’s Building Trades Union (NABTU) estimated that it costs $10,000 per year to train an apprentice. And, of course, it usually takes less than four years for someone to complete an apprenticeship program.

Apprentices also tend to stay with a company for longer and provide a greater return on investment. The NABTU said that 91% of workers who go through apprentice training are still at the same company nine months after they’re hired. They increase productivity and decrease turnover, absences, injuries, and rework.

Plus, when you apply common sense, it’s just logical that an apprenticeship would pay off. When you go to college, you learn a lot about a certain subject or two. However, when you graduate, you still need on-the-job training. Being a marketing major means you know the basics, but the company you’re hired by still has to work with you to get you ready for your new role. When you’re an apprentice, you’re learning how to do the specific job you’ll take on once your training period is over.

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It is important to note that just like college isn’t an option for everyone, apprenticeships aren’t either.

College may not seem like it’s the answer for everyone, but apprenticeships aren’t a cure-all. Some people don’t have the physical ability to perform the trades that apprenticeships prepare you for. A good portion of people need to be able to sit at a desk and do a lower-energy job. There’s nothing wrong with that.

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The lesson we should take away from these statistics is that there is no one right path. College won’t work for everyone, but apprenticeships won’t work for everyone either. And the economy and workforce wouldn’t function properly if people only pursued one and not the other.

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Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.