TOLEDO (WTOL) - The average student loan debt per borrower is over $32,000.
This is what you could expect to pay for attending traditional college. Many see that number and have decided to move to a more non-traditional way to succeed.
Inside the halls of Toledo Technology Academy, a TPS school, you’ll find kids grade 7 through 12, learning manufacturing trades, mechanical and electrical engineering, all to avoid the rising college debt.
“That’s one of the last things I wanna see; any kid get themselves into a whole lot of debt they’ll never pay off, or spend 15-20 years with debt to pay off an education they didn’t need,” said David Volk, assistant director at TTA.
Not everyone goes to college right away. Some companies like North Star Bluescope Steel, SSOE, GM Powertrain and Promedica hire high school graduates, train them to perform a skill set and then help later with tuition assistance.
“Just going to college, great. Fantastic way to gain more skills and continue to build character and opportunities. But the end game is to be able to find a job and support yourself and your family, so being able to gain those skills to get that job you want to pursue. Do you need to pursue the education? Maybe, maybe not,” Volk said.
Another option out there is if you work part time for Chipotle, Burger King or Chick Fil A, they often award college scholarships to their employees.
Two websites you’ll want to check out are FastWeb and Questbridge. They can match you with scholarships out there.
By the way, TPS has a foundation that gives scholarships for college.
Owens has a great program too.
There’s money out there, you just have to look for it!
