Why More Gen-Zers Are Skipping College for Trades

The relationship between Gen Z and the modern 9-to-5 office job has been a tumultuous one — corporations aren’t too pleased with their young hires, and those young hires aren’t too pleased with corporations. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to know that many are exchanging the perceived cushyness of white collar work for something a little more hands-on.

Trade work stands as an increasingly attractive alternative for a generation anxious to find value and purpose in their work while steering clear of corporate nonsense, student debt, and occupations potentially nullified by AI. 

Here’s a brief look at this generational shift toward trades, and how this might impact your own business’ future hiring practices.

College isn’t for everyone, and honestly that’s fine

While a four-year degree might’ve once represented a relatively secure path to financial stability, Gen-Zers are recognizing it may no longer outweigh the practical benefits of learning a trade.

The rising cost of a university education serves as the most obvious push behind this interest in trades, but it’s far from the only factor — trades are also viewed as a faster entry point into the workforce, and into careers perhaps less vulnerable to being replaced by automation and AI. As you may have guessed, the rising appeal of trades among young adults is likely to affect the entire professional ecosystem.

Trade work’s growing appeal

Trades refer to skilled occupations that prioritize specialized training, certifications, or apprenticeships over a traditional four-year degree. In contrast to the average white collar role, trade careers tend to focus on essential hands-on skill work or craftsmanship.

It’s important to recognize the breadth of so-called blue collar work extends far beyond obvious infrastructure-based roles (like electricians, welders, mechanics, plumbers, virtually anyone in construction) to include a variety of other specialists. Jewelry makers and metalworkers, bakers and barbers, tattoo artists and wind turbine techs (yes it’s a thing) — all are skilled in their respective trades and work in a certified, hands-on capacity.

What’s more, trades have a lot to offer those looking to pivot away from the instability, burnout, and expensive barriers-to-entry often associated with white collar careers:

Trades are desperately needed.

Skilled trades are in high demand virtually across the board. Roles like electricians, welders, HVAC technicians, mechanics will continue to be essential, offering a level of job security that’s increasingly hard to find in other sectors. 

Age is also working against the industry, creating a major workforce gap. According to a PeopleReady study, nearly half of the current trades workforce is over 45 with many of them nearing retirement. Meanwhile, only about 1 in 10 workers entering the field are under 25. That means finding, training, and keeping younger workers is more important than ever. It also means high demand with less competition for those looking to build their own companies.

Trades earn solid pay without a mountain of debt.

Young people are growing increasingly wary of the calculated gamble that is student loan debt. Today’s average college grad owes more than $29,000 in loans, while the nationwide grand total currently hovers near a staggering $1.7 trillion. Trades are a path to jobs that pay well, are consistently in-demand, and don’t require starting off young adulthood with a $30k hole to dig out of.

Even more impressive? High school students learning trades are securing jobs before they graduate. Skilled trade graduates are locking in incomes of as much as $70,000 with a clear path to increase that amount yearly.

Stigma around trade careers is fading. 

Blue collar work has enjoyed something of a renaissance in recent years, and the perceptions of those who work for themselves in stable careers have adapted accordingly.

Hands-on work has its advantages. 

There are practical benefits to developing skills safe from the threat of replacement by AI or automation (impressive as the latest tech and automation tools may be, these still won’t be redoing your kitchen or repairing a transmission anytime soon). Trade workers also report extremely high job satisfaction, and in fact wish more high school graduates were aware of that fact.

Trade workers can build their own business.

Skilled tradespeople gain the flexibility to set their own hours and build something for themselves without corporate interference (the dream). Control over one’s own career has a host of advantages, and thanks to the widespread availability of modern software solutions, growing a business (even with little start-up funds) as an individual is more achievable than ever.

What this means for your business

The foundation is set for Gen Z to enter the workforce en masse in search of roles that offer purpose, flexibility, value (which includes both compensation and opportunities for growth), and a new kind of work-life balance.

Understanding these priorities (as well as where and how your future workforce spends its time and attention) is key to any business’ attempts to recruit and add young talent to their ranks. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• Educating Gen Z (and others) on the positives of pursuing a trade helps them make more informed decisions.
• Recruitment strategies should reflect which channels younger audiences prefer to communicate and seek out opportunities (one Thumbtack study found social media increased interest in trades among 67% of Gen-Zers).
• Recruitment should also recognize the growth potential of women in trades, which remains a largely untapped resource in most blue collar sectors (that same Thumbtack study reports equal interest among both young men and women in trades).
• On-the-job training should set young aspiring trade workers up for success. That includes both developing present skills and showcasing the growth opportunities in a given field.
• In addition to the educational component mentioned above, businesses need to provide workers with the physical tools they need to be successful.

All told, the transition toward more satisfying, less stigmatized tradework opens up a world of possibilities for businesses. The talent pool is improving, as are the optics and overall appeal of blue collar roles — future success depends on equipping Gen-Zers with everything they need to establish themselves in their chosen trade.

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