There was a time not so long ago when nearly every household in Western Oklahoma echoed the same belief: “You’ve got to go to college.” It was a given—college meant opportunity, success, maybe even a way out. But now, those same conversations sound a little different. The certainty has faded. Instead of declarations, there are questions. Should you go to a university? Stay close and get your basics? Learn a trade and jump straight into the workforce? What does “success” even mean anymore?
These aren’t just questions being whispered around kitchen tables in small towns— they’ve made their way into national conversations, too. Tech mogul Elon Musk has famously shrugged off traditional college, suggesting that unless you’re training to be a doctor or lawyer, just about everything else can be learned on YouTube. He’s called degrees “absurd” as a hiring requirement and once described college as a place to “prove you can do your chores,” not necessarily to learn. Whether you agree with him or not, the message resonates: the old one-size-fits-all model of education is cracking. And here in Western Oklahoma, the cracks aren’t just philosophical— they’re practical.
Dr. Brett Chase, who heads up Engineering Technology at SWOSU, puts it in plain terms: “I can watch videos on things all day long. And then whenever I go to do it, is it the same? Is it as easy as what it looked in that YouTube video? Because it looks pretty easy in that YouTube video, right? In my experience, it never is that easy. So, yeah, getting your hands on things and learning and experiencing it for yourself is different than watching it in a video.”
Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU), with campuses in Weatherford and Sayre, serves more than 4,800 students. It’s a regional powerhouse offering degrees in nursing, education, business, and pharmacy. SWOSU contributes an estimated $361 million annually to Oklahoma’s economy and maintains a graduate job placement rate of around 93%. The average student who borrows graduates with about $14,000 in debt, and many leave with none at all. Median starting salaries hover around $46,000, with steady growth into the $50,000s within five years.
On the other side of the educational ring is Great Plains Technology Center, a CareerTech school offering certifications in welding, HVAC, lineman work, IT, and more. It trains around 1,100 full-time students annually, plus 10,000 through short-term programs. The appeal? Job-ready skills in under a year—and typically with no debt. Graduates often start at $35,000 to $40,000 and are working in months, not years.
As Sarah Hirschman from Western Technology Center points out: “As high school students within our district, tuition is waived… It does not cost them to attend tuition-wise. There may be a small lab fee or uniform, but our cost to attend is $2.50 per clock hour.”
So how do these two paths stack up? SWOSU students take longer and may carry some debt, but they often access higher lifetime earnings. Tech grads move faster and cheaper, with solid local wages and immediate opportunity. Both are vital to Western Oklahoma’s economic fabric. CareerTech programs have generated nearly $960 million in state economic impact. Meanwhile, SWOSU’s nursing and pharmacy programs keep hospitals staffed across the region.
Alyssa Saunders, who chairs the nursing department at SWOSU, says students these days are showing up more prepared than ever: “What we are seeing is more and more high school seniors and really high school students taking concurrent classes while they’re in high school. … We have a bunch of freshmen coming in who already are carrying 18 to 27 hours that they’ve already completed by the time they even enter college.”
When the conversation is college versus vocational school, the numbers tell a different story. Vocational graduates enter the workforce faster, often with little or no debt, and begin earning within months. College graduates may take longer to start but can access broader career paths—sometimes with higher earning potential, but also often with student loans attached. The decision isn’t about better or worse—it’s about what fits each student’s goals, timeline, and finances.
In the end, ‘Back to Class’ doesn’t mean the same thing to every student anymore. In Western Oklahoma, whether you’re welding pipe or prescribing meds, the real question is: which class leads to the life you want?
Take two graduates. One leaves Great Plains Tech with a welding certificate, no debt, and a job in Elk City earning $38,000. The other walks out of SWOSU with a business degree, $12,000 in loans, and a job in Oklahoma City starting at $46,000. Who’s ahead? That depends. If the welder starts working two years earlier and keeps costs low, they may be in better shape shortterm. But if the business grad moves up the ladder, their long-term earnings could pull ahead. It’s not a matter of right or wrong—it’s about what fits each student’s timeline, goals, and resources.
There’s also a cultural shift at play. For decades, college was the unquestioned ideal. But today, CareerTech students and graduates are rewriting the script. They’re showing that success can come in work boots, not just dress shoes. Parents, guidance counselors, and even employers are starting to recognize that a skilled welder, EMT, or HVAC tech can earn a solid living without a four-year degree—and without a lifetime of student loan payments.
In towns like Sayre, Altus, and Weatherford, the local economy needs both: licensed nurses and certified linemen, pharmacy techs and diesel mechanics. These aren’t competing paths—they’re complementary. The real challenge is helping young people see that they have options, and that those options are all valid. Whether it’s through dual- enrollment, partnerships between schools, or simply better communication, the message is clear: there’s more than one way to build a future.
So as Western Oklahoma students head back to class, it’s worth asking—not just where they’re going, but why. Is it for the title? The paycheck? The passion? College and vo-tech each carry weight. Maybe it’s time we stop ranking them, and start recognizing how they both help build the backbone of our communities.
