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balance, strong company culture, robust safety protocols, profes-
sional development opportunities, plans for professional advance-
ment, and other aspects of work life have all improved in the skilled
trades in part because of worker shortages and demand. Employers
have had to up their game, and skilled trades professionals have
reaped the benefits. By deciding to join the trades after high school,
you too can enjoy these benefits.
Three
Trade schools, apprenticeships, and learning
pathways
One of the challenges to reshaping the narrative around the skilled
trades is simple lack of awareness. Many people just don’t know
about the (many) opportunities out there for high school graduates
who choose to pursue careers in the trades.
A big reason that many students opt for the traditional college
path—and that many parents push for this path, too—is that there
is a lot of familiarity to it. Everything about the college experience—
from busy college campuses in the fall to football games to dorm
life to classes in big lecture halls, to the social aspects—are so
pervasive in American culture that college has logically become the
“default” post-high-school path. Simply put, people like the things
that they understand.
As such, it’s important for students and their families to become
familiar with skilled trades pathways as well—and to understand
that these pathways are often more accessible than most people
believe. Just as there may be a career-tech center in your school
district offering skilled trades education options right now, it’s also
easier to find a trades pathway right out of high school than you
may think.
Which pathway you consider will depend on your goals, prefer-
ences, career aspirations, and other factors. One path is to start