Trade Schools in Tampa, FL: From Tourism to Technology

Help yourself to a new or enhanced career by enrolling in one of the many trade schools in Tampa, Florida. A booming metropolis with a large number of industries--tourism, information technology, finance, real estate--Tampa also features vocational schools created expressly to provide employees for those industries. Are you drawn to the culinary arts--or computers? Do you want the satisfaction of providing health care--or making sure people have electricity? Depending on your interests, you can participate in a degree, certificate, or diploma program designed to propel you into a promotion, new job, or new career--often within a matter of months. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), in May 2008 the following sectors showed high numbers of employees in Tampa:

• Education and Health Services: 171,900 jobs
• Financial Activities: 97,200 jobs
• Leisure and Hospitality: 125,500 jobs
• Professional and Business Services: 211,100 jobs
• Trade, Transportation, and Utilities: 215,900 jobs

Tampa-St. Petersburg, Florida's Economy and Career Potential

Metro Tampa-St. Petersburg has nearly 2.7 million residents. The city is a popular tourist destination: more than 16 million people visited last year, which means that service industries, retail stores, financial services, and real estate are all thriving job sectors. Professional and business services--including, of course, information technology and data management--are also growing. CNN.com lists the 2008 median family income in Tampa as $52,222; BLS cites the following median hourly wages for key Tampa jobs in May 2008:

• Advertising Sales Agents at $18.73
• Computer Programmers at $32.84
• Cost Estimators at $24.66
• First-line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers at $18.51
• Real Estate Appraisers and Assessors at $31.71

What's your dream job? With the right degree from a Tampa technical school, that job can be yours.