Generally, apprenticeships range from two to five years, but since you're getting paid while you learn, you won't have to juggle work and school. Instead, your work time will be coordinated with your class time, with each feeding the other. Also, as your work experience increases, so does your pay. For as long as there are buildings to be built, folks to feed and stuff to be sold, there will always be jobs available straight out of high school. Vocational schooling provides employment training in a wide variety of occupations, from truck driving to tax preparation.
Courses combine classroom work as well as work experience.
Like community colleges, vocational and technical schools offer a range of certifications and can prepare you for state licensure or other special certifications. If you attend a state-run vocational school as part of your high school curriculum, it's free. But if you have your high school degree, you can enroll in adult education for a small fee. If you want a fast track to a career in business, trade and industrial fields, consider a private career school. These vocational and technical schools provide intensive, short-term training, as well as job placement in the field you choose.