Students Turn To Trades For A Future Beyond Degrees

By Angela Kuffour
Editorial

August 28th, 2026

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Students Turn To Trades For A Future Beyond Degrees

Students learning a skill

While a degree or a school has for so many generations been regarded as the traditional path to success, more young Ghanaians are turning towards the trades.

They are into fashion designing, welding, hairdressing, carpentry, nail technics, catering among others.

These are ventures that were once regarded as low income jobs meant for school dropouts.

So, what is fueling the change of minds and the growing desire among young Ghanaians who are schooling yet learning trades alongside?

3Music TV Editorial visited GH Media School in Accra to engage some students who were into trades to find out if the shift is due to lack of jobs, the rising cost of education or the mere realization that a skill can also pay the bill.

One student the team engaged said her trade is the source of fund for her schooling.

“My motivation is to personally build myself and to become self-esteemed. Going to school without trade makes me have difficulty in paying my fees and other stuff. So me trading aside from school helps me to build up in the capitalization method and also allow me also focus in school,” she said.

Another student also spoke on the fact that one cannot depend on one business as anything can fail at anytime.

“Lately you can't depend on one business. Even if you're a corporate person, I think it's advisable to get a skill because you can fetch money from here and fetch money from elsewhere. Even if your job fails, you know you have a side business that you can depend on. So I think having a skill is very important.”

When asked if her certificate wouldn’t secure a job sooner, Janet, a student studying diploma in Journalism responded that earning from both opportunities is her ultimate goal.

“That one is like, in the end, you're working for the government and then you have to wait for the government's pay. This one is your own work you're doing, you're getting your own profit. So while waiting for the government's money, you can end up earning your own money and then add your diploma money to it and you have big money,” Janet said.

Another student also said that although her current trade does not fetch a lot, she hopes it will grow into something bigger one day.

“It's not really sustainable, but for the meantime, it starts from somewhere before you become big. So small, small, we'll get there.”

For young Ghanaians, learning a trade or a skill is no longer about success. It is about freedom, passion and doing what can pay the bills.