Success without a bachelor’s
J Russel
With the high cost of education today, how can one become successful without a four-year degree?
There are plenty of other employment opportunities that can provide financial security with a certificate from a trade school.
Entrepreneur John L. Brown, owner of Chill Factor A/C Heating, Appliance, & Electrical LLC, attended the Refrigeration School Inc. to learn the skills needed for his profitable business.
“Chill Factor makes a gross profit of $750,000 a year,” Brown said with a smile on his face.
Last summer, Phoenix had an average heat index of 106.8 degrees and set a new record for heat, 11 times, according to the National Weather Service website. With Arizona having a history of record highs, Brown saw an opportunity for his business to excel. “Education (trade school) is great but if I did attend a four-year college I would have liked to learn more about marketing and become computer literate,” Brown said.
According to a study by writer David Quilty for moneycrashers.com, the top three highest paying jobs without a degree are: real estate agents who make $30,144 to $180,434 a year; air traffic controllers take home $158,966 on average; and a construction manager earns $41,562 to $130,845. Also listed as six figure salaries were small business owners, construction managers and pilots.
If any of those jobs or six figure salaries peek your interest, Mesa Community College offers several of the occupational-certificate programs.
Many of the programs take two years or less to receive a certificate such as advanced emergency medical technology (paramedic) or small business and welding. As Quilty’s research shows, a construction manager can make from $41,562 to $130,845.
MCC has seven construction certificate programs that all require 27 course hours or less, which takes two years or less to acquire.
Mehrzad Khorsandi, the architecture & construction director of construction at MCC, would suggest investing in the two-year-degree program in construction.
“ASU students attend MCC first to obtain a two-year degree so they can transfer their credits to a top-five construction school in the nation, the ASU Del Web School of Construction or NAU,” Khorsandi said.
In the program, students will choose from one of three tracks: construction drafting, construction inspection or construction management.
Khorsandi said, “If you are good at drawing and want to learn, MCC has a certificate computer aided design and drafting (CADD) and many others.”
Architecture and construction are formed together under the supervision of Khorsandi.
She also would encourage students interested in the certificate or degree program to contact her.
She is located in the Technology Building, in Room 112.
There are two fliers on the door with information about architecture and construction.
A list of obtainable associate degrees, certificates of completion, and transfer program options can be found at the http://www.mesacc.edu and search “degrees & certificates”.
