Most people associate technical colleges with fields like HVAC, automotive repair, cosmetology, and electrical technology. While these are still offered, it's anachronistic to think that's all technical colleges have to offer; nowadays, you can enroll in such diverse curricula as fashion design, culinary arts, web design, business administration, criminal justice, or engineering, and the list goes on. Many schools have state-of-the-art facilities; most offer night courses and job-placement assistance after completion of the program.

Another reason to consider technical college: Time is money, and a technical college won't cost you a lot of either. For more programs, two years is the maximum amount of time you'll be enrolled--some programs require more time; others, less-and some certification programs can be completed in as little as five months. Class schedules are designed to accommodate full-time workers and are more flexible than at a traditional four-year undergraduate school. Tuition at a trade school is generally less than what you'd pay at a private four-year college. Students are eligible for federal loans and grants, and some schools have their own scholarship and loan programs.

Specialized career training is one of the biggest advantages of a technical college. Your program will teach you employable skills and everything you need to know to break into, say, graphic design, real estate, or information technology. Not only that, but technical schools usually keep close ties with area employers, so they have solid connections and job leads. But focused job training can also be a disadvantage. While your program will prepare you to be an awesome dental hygienist, it won't offer you the kind of well-rounded education needed to transition into another career (in case you get sick of sticking your fingers in other people's mouths).

Another potential drawback: While a technical college will put you on a direct career path, it might not earn you more in the end. For example, if you complete a nursing technical program, you'll have more applicable skills to land a nursing job than a biology major from a four-year undergraduate school will have; however, the bio major has the option of going on to medical school and becoming a doctor. You won't have that option, unless you go back to school and complete a bachelor's degree first. This doesn't mean that you can't earn a good salary and get promoted to a supervisory position--it just limits your options a little. Keep in mind, too, that the lifetime earnings of graduates from four-year college are nearly twice as much as those holding high-school degrees--and those holding associate degrees earn somewhere between these two extremes. Over the long term, earning a four-year bachelor's degree is more lucrative on average than earning a two-year associates degree or technical degree.

The upshot: If you've known that you've wanted to be a paralegal ever since you were two, then a technical college is probably the perfect choice for you. If you kind of think you maybe want to be a paralegal because you like Law and Order--but you also like writing and drawing and animals-then you may benefit more from a traditional four-year undergraduate school. There, you'll be able to take pre-law, writing, art, and zoology classes and decide from there. At a four-year college, you'll also be exposed to lots of new things. Maybe you'll discover that you love theater and want to be a director. A four-year undergraduate school gives you the freedom to explore, discover, and decide your career path, albeit at a higher price tag. At a technical school, your goal is to get trained and in the workforce as quickly as possible.