With regard to computer science I doubt many students could tell you the difference between their college curriculum and a trade school, aside from taking extra

With regard to computer science I doubt many students could tell you the difference between their college curriculum and a trade school, aside from taking extra classes outside of compsci. If you go to college hoping to learn how to code or to learn a programming language, imo you are treating college as a trade school. Trade schools teach a skill. Colleges provide an education. Those are not the same. With the proper discipline you can teach yourself a skill, and with programming, unlike many other trades, you often have all the tools you need already at home. * Education - https://www.dictionary.com/browse/education https://www.dictionary.com/browse/education * Skill - https://www.dictionary.com/browse/skill?s=t https://www.dictionary.com/browse/skill?s=t In short a skill teaches you to do something. An education teaches you to make decisions. The number of computer science graduates that cannot make simple decisions about the code they write is stunning, to the point of negligence. I think the confusion comes from why people attend college. If you ask them the common answer is "To get a better job!". College doesn't get you a job. It isn't job placement or vocational training. Trade schools often do provide those. I suspect it is disappointing to graduate college and still have trouble acquiring a better job.