Said It Here

Trade school vs apprenticeship: which one is actually worth it?

Deciding between committing to a lengthy trade school program and jumping straight into an apprenticeship leaves people questioning the real-world value of classroom training. This uncertainty makes it difficult to commit to enrollment without worrying about wasting time and money.

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

  1. 1
    Looking into union training schools where you get paid while you learn
  2. 2
    Looking at tech schools after high school

In their words

Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.

r/Plumbing1 person · September 2026

“Unfortunately, he did not attend trade school for high school. Those in the field, is he making a good choice if he decides to go this route.”source ↗

Soft-Dependent-8871 · r/Plumbing · 4 upvotes
r/hvacadvice1 person · September 2026

“Am about to start trade school at apex technical school in New York on October 13th and I really wondering if it’s worth it.”source ↗

“am wondering if it’s worth going through the 13 month course or reconsider my enrollment and get an apprenticeship.”source ↗

One-Purpose-7997 · r/hvacadvice · 2 upvotes

Where this came up

People with this problem also raised