KLEARANCE CANNABIS COLLECTION
The Younger Generations Were Pushed into The Idea of College
We Should’ve Been Encouraged to Learn a Trade and Other Valuable Skills
I’m turning 40 this year. This is the oldest of the generation that was born from 1981 to 1996. We are described by some as entitled and lazy, among other negative traits that are regularly mocked in society. Millennials and Gen Z kids these days are financially worse off than their parents were at the same age. We were told by our parents that going to college and getting a degree would help us move up the ladder and become more successful than they were.
This idea was certainly magnified when the oldest of the generation attempted to look for work in their early adult years. Most of the postings I’d seen and the openings for jobs early on were for college graduates. College graduation was being more strongly encouraged than ever at this point. Coincidentally, this was also happening as the cost of the school was skyrocketing.
My parents were both 2-year college students and received at minimum, an associate’s degree. My dad worked for the County of Sacramento. My mom was a certified nurse’s assistant until she could no longer work. Neither one of them made more than $50,000 a year at any given point in their lifetime. In contrast, many specialized skilled workers can make well more than that.
There is a huge shortage of skilled workers in this country right now. The problem will only get worse because the population of people working in a specific trade is getting older. For example, the average age of a metal sheet worker in the United States is 40.8 years old. The median pay in this field is $51,370 a year as of 2020.
Another example is the electrician’s work. The average age of an electrician in the United States is 42 years old. The median pay for an electrician is $53,771 a year. That’s certainly more than your average retail or customer service worker in America.
Where do many of the college degree holders end up today? I know that not all of them end up in a white-collar field. These jobs, even though they’re traditionally seen as blue-collar jobs, pay well and are in high demand, especially for younger workers. So why were the majority of us misguided and directed to go to college when there are so many viable and many times, more lucrative alternatives?
Certainly, we can’t all be in technology. I know that is the field that is still one of the fastest-growing and pays very well but it takes a certain level of technical knowledge and skill that not everyone can possess. Instead, those of us who did go to college, myself included, cannot really apply the coursework to reality. Where would a general science major be able to apply the training in the workforce?
I was a math major but I didn’t finish my four-year Bachelor’s Degree training but I did equal my parents’ level of education. The only places I could end up working at would be as a teacher if I’m ever able to get done or not be able to apply my major at all and just go back to work in corporate America somewhere.
I feel like if I had a skill that I could apply like woodworking, mechanic work, or electrician work, I would always be able to make money. People with these specialized skills can even freelance and work for themselves. I know many people who have these skills who are older and many times they either start their own business or set their schedule by working on jobs only when they’re available.
Learning a specialized skill may not necessarily be easier than working in other fields but the reward seems worth the time and energy. Now that I’m out of work and disabled and pushing 40, I wish I’d learned this sooner and decided to opt-out of the traditional route to success. I almost feel like this narrative that my generation and younger have been pushed was all for greed.
I know that these specialized schools can be expensive but since the entry-level pay for these jobs is higher, it’s easier to pay off the debt from the loans. There are also programs designed to help alleviate or altogether pay off the loans on completion of the training.
I know there are a lot of younger people today that it seems like don’t want to work. The truth is, they just want to be paid fairly and feel valued for their work. I feel like if society deemphasizes the importance of obtaining a degree and focuses on teaching valuable skills to all ages, we can accomplish this much easier. Jobs in retail and customer service, two of the biggest employment sectors, are slowly becoming more automated.
I know technology will probably be the only viable career option going forward. For now, I hope that our generations figure out that we either need to learn to get on board or at least learn a skill that will be hard to replace instead of wasting four years to get a history degree so that we can work at the local Wal-Mart deli.
