Inflation has touched the lives of all and sundry; and in the world we live in today, even the basic amenities come at exorbitant prices. In an attempt to adjust with these adverse economic conditions, people started ‘home schooling’ and ‘vocational training’. Home schooling makes for an entirely different discussion but definitely serves the purpose of solving the problem being discussed here. With colleges and universities charging sky-high admission fees and banks providing loan options at equally high rates of interest to pay these fees, all that people can do is look for cheaper yet effective alternatives.

The answer has been found in vocational training programs. These programs cost less than college/university courses as they teach a particular set of skills to the students and do not carry vast knowledge about the subject. This ‘contained’ knowledge acts as an advantage rather than a drawback. This is because a student has to concentrate only on one thing instead of five, thus, making application of gained knowledge in real life situations easier. With less money being spent on education, there is scope left for good investments in case one decides to set up an enterprise.

There are certainly many advantages when you opt for vocational training but a look at the flip side of the same training is also necessary. When a student goes to a college/university, s/he is able to learn life skills at the same time s/he learns his/her subject. Life skills cannot be taught in classroom; they are often imbibed from the surroundings, for example, dressing according to the occasion, good mannerisms, time management and money management to name a few are important life skills. Courses for building up life skills in students are under development but till that time, if one chooses to go for vocational training instead of traditional college/university courses, it is the responsibility of the parents/guardians to take care that the young minds are made aware of life skills during their training period. The reason for stressing on life skills comes from a general observation that those people who lack these skills often find themselves changing jobs too soon or even tend to get fired.

Therefore, vocational training programs can be taken up to avoid the atrocious college/university fees provided the students are given proper guidance about life skills as well. After all, to be successful in life, you need to possess all the valuable skills that will assist you to achieve your dreams.