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This blog was originally posted on CollegeRecruiter.com.  

For some, the “college experience” is an exciting prospect that starts with trying out subjects that will hopefully lead to a career and ends with the rude awakening of abundant student loans and no job post-graduation to pay them off – or potentially worse, being stuck in a career you’ve discovered just isn’t right. When you need a career path re-evaluation, or when you can’t secure a job (or even an interview) post graduation, use this game plan to determine options.

Not everyone is suited for the typical four-year degree. However, this generation of students typically isn’t known to place a career in the skilled trades at the top of their dream job list as society imposes the stigma that trade jobs are dirty and mundane. Instead, attending technical school has been waylaid by the promise of status and money after graduating from a four-year college. But, that doesn’t mean your skill set isn’t applicable in trade industries.

If you love your degree, but can’t land a job

The trade industries are hiring, and today’s trade jobs entail sophisticated and specialized work. Skilled trades are as much about working with innovative technologies as with your hands. And like other industries, these companies have sales, marketing, logistics and other departments that can align with your area of study. Also, because trade jobs are being driven by increased productivity, Big Data and Internet commerce, the demand for qualified candidates in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) careers rises. Another added benefit – these careers often offer immediate opportunities, growth and job security.

If you need a new career, as well as a job

There is a growing shortage of skilled labor, yet we’re seeing a shift to “attribute-based hiring” where personal character is as much of a hiring decision driver as skills set. This is because employees can learn the skills of the job more easily than a character trait. As a result, companies are opening their doors to those who have strong core attributes with the capacity to learn, and then train them on the job for a specific role.