The best four years of your life, they say. You’ll hear it a million times before you go, while you’re there, and after you leave: university will be the best four years of your life. But what if it’s not?What if deep down, you know it isn’t for you? University fits into a traditional route to success through hard work and intelligence but there are other paths. As young Americans think about the immense costinvolved in a college education, it may be worthwhile to consider the options available to the Swiss. In Switzerland, even though university education is free, the vast majority of students opt for a vocational training instead. Take Jonathan Bove. This spring, after he completed his three-year business training at an insurance company, the 19-year-old was hired by a telecommunications firm; his job as a customer care representative offers a starting salary of $52,000 a year, a generous annual bonus, and a four-week paid vacation – no small potatoes for the teenager who is still living at home and has no plans to move out. “The idea of university never appealed to me,” he says. “The vocational training is more hands-on and the path to a good job is shorter.” Bove’s situation may be enviable to teens in the United States, but it is not unusual in Switzerland. About two-thirds of 15 and 16 year olds who finish nine years of obligatory schooling choose to continue their education through Vocational Education and Training (VET). Youngsters like Bove, who opt for the vocational education, follow a dual-track approach combining practical training at a host company with a part-time classroom instruction at a VET school.