Aug 06, 2016 01:58 PM EDT By Staff Reporter, UniversityHerald Reporter

Is traditional college getting overrated? With its extremely high cost and low gains, students are looking for alternatives to going to university.

With the current debate on the college debt crisis, traditional college is slowly losing its popularity. It may be high time to look at several options that are now available in place of accustomed education. SayCampusLife.com shared five alternatives.

1. Online Schools

Technology has paved a lot of opportunities for education to be easily and readily available. Now, several degrees offered by traditional colleges are also being offered by online schools.

Students will no longer need to worry about issues concerning campus life and long commutes. Another obvious advantage is that online schools don't cost as much as traditional colleges because the fees for facilities and classrooms have been cut.

2. Volunteer

This may seem to be counterintuitive to saving money, especially when you'll be the one paying to travel. However, gaining real-life experiences as you do the hard work of helping others around the world can actually secure your employment with nonprofit organizations.

3. Self-learn

Try learning and mastering the skills that are currently in demand such as coding, copywriting, editing and graphic design. Freelancing and remote work are providing stable income for a lot of people nowadays. There are a lot of tutorials and free courses online.

4. Internship

Another traditional college alternative that can get you real-life experiences is internship. This way, you will not only have a chance to climb the career ladder; there is also a big possibility that you'll be hired by the company after you've proven yourself to be a great contributor.

5. Certification

Lastly, you can choose to get a trade certificate. This will take lesser time and money than a full degree. You can also join the workforce sooner with a trade certificate. Students can wrap up their studies through a required amount of hours or a few months, depending on the trade you choose.

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