Learning a trade after college: an honest guide for degree holders

You can learn a trade after college, and your degree won't hold you back. It just won't help as much as you'd hope. The apprenticeship programs we checked list no maximum age, and in 2021 about 6 in 10 new apprentices were 25 or older. Under Electrical Training Alliance rules, local IBEW programs may accept an associate degree or higher in place of a high school diploma, and one college algebra course meets the math requirement.

The catch is money, in two places. First, year-one pay: a first-year union electrical apprentice in Nashville earns $22.09 an hour, about $44,000 a year. Second, aid: Georgia's HOPE Grant, Tennessee Reconnect and regular Pell Grants all shut out bachelor's holders. Apprenticeships get around both, because you're paid to train and the training is usually covered.

This guide covers Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, using federal data and official program rules.

Start here

• Worried about your loans on an apprentice wage? Read Student loans during an apprenticeship. Short version: about $50–$150 a month in year one on the new RAP plan, depending on last year's income.
• Want school or a certificate, and already have a degree? Read Training aid when you already have a degree. Short version: some doors are shut, but SC aid and Tennessee's TCATs look open to degree holders.
• Think you're too old at 25 or 30? You're not. The median electrician in the US is 39.6, and most new apprentices are past 25. Read Is 25 or 30 too late to learn a trade?
• Ready to apply? Read Applying to a union apprenticeship with a degree: the test, the interview, the ranked list, and what your transcript is worth.
• In metro Atlanta? Read Atlanta apprenticeships: every union program, when it takes applications, and what it pays.

What the trades actually pay

These are national medians from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Pay in GA, NC, SC and TN usually runs 5–20% below them, depending on the trade.

Does your degree help you get in?

A little. It can clear the diploma and algebra requirements, but it rarely moves you up the ranking list much. Here's what your transcript counts for.

This page earns us nothing. Apprenticeships and community college always come first here, and we never take referral fees for them. See how we get paid.

Data as of October 2026. Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. State figures come from wagedex.com and O*NET, which republish BLS data.

Questions

Should I go to trade school after getting a bachelor's degree?

Try an apprenticeship first. You're paid while you train and the training is usually covered, while regular Pell and Georgia's HOPE Grant are closed to bachelor's holders. Trade school makes sense if you're waitlisted or want a short certificate to stand out.

What trades can I learn with a bachelor's degree?

Any of them. Your degree doesn't disqualify you from electrical, plumbing, HVAC, sheet metal, operating engineer, lineman or elevator apprenticeships, and it can clear the education and algebra requirements.

Is going into a trade after college worth it in the Southeast?

Often, if you can live on year-one pay. A first-year union electrical apprentice in Nashville earns about $44,000, rising to about $73,600 as a journeyman, but Southeast pay usually runs 5-20% below national medians.

Which trade pays the most without a degree in the Southeast?

Elevator installers and power-line installers. Line installers earn a median of $80,080 in Georgia and $83,660 in Tennessee (BLS, May 2025).