(CNN) – Getting a college degree has long been considered the ticket to a high-paying and stable job.

However, as students return to campus, trade or vocational schooling may now be a faster path to economic success.

Bart Taylor, a lecturer at Texas A&M University, said success should not be measured by the color of the collar.

“With the lack of a skilled labor force and those trade and technical jobs, we see the need and the impact in the economy that we need more of those jobs,” he said.

Over the last five years, enrollment in bachelor’s degree programs fell while enrollment in vocational schools grew, according to the National Student Clearinghouse.

“You won’t have that college debt, you won’t have, you know, those student loans that you normally have with that college education,” Taylor said.

Part of the shift appears to stem from a post-pandemic re-evaluation of and investment in blue collar work.

Steve DeWitt, the deputy executive director for the Association of Career and Technical Education (ACTE), said the government’s actions have prompted the shift.

“Both the federal and state government have invested a lot in infrastructure, so you’re seeing a lot of jobs in those areas of construction,” he said.

As hiring rates for workers in their 20s have risen in recent years for roles requiring a vocational or associate’s degree, some are offering a warning.

“You can get a high paying career, a great wage right out of high school without a college degree. Yes, that is absolutely true,” Taylor said. “But we also need to pair that with leadership skills and leadership education and saying, you know, after a few years, you know, do you really see yourself physically doing that job all the way through retirement?”

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