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Gen Z has a bad reputation for being work-shy<\/a>. But new research shows that couldn\u2019t be further from the truth\u2014the youth of today just don\u2019t want a desk job.<\/p>\n That\u2019s because the youngest generation of workers is shunning college (and with it, the prospect of a corporate career) to take up traditional trades like welding, plumbing, and carpentry.\u00a0<\/p>\n Enrollment in vocational-focused community colleges rose 16% last year to its highest level since the National Student Clearinghouse began tracking such data in 2018.\u00a0<\/p>\n What\u2019s more, the same data shows a 23% surge in students studying construction trades in 2023 compared to the year before and a 7% increase in HVAC and vehicle maintenance and repair programs.<\/p>\n Why the shift? \u201cPeople are starting to pay attention,\u201d Mike Rowe the CEO of MikeRoweWorks Foundation, a charity that challenges stigma and stereotypes against no-degree jobs, told Fox Business.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cParents are kids alike are starting to get the message that trade school is an amazing opportunity with just a fraction of the debt\u2014if any at all\u2014and a clear path to something that looks a lot like prosperity.\u201d<\/p>\n With college setting students back an average of $36,436 per year<\/a>, young people today are questioning the return on investment they\u2019ll get on the qualification.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople are starting to smell a rat,\u201d Rowe quipped, adding that blue-collar jobs \u201care a straight path to a six-figure job\u201d without the burden of debt.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n If you want proof, look no further than the fastest-growing job in the U.S. right now<\/a>\u2014wind turbine service technician\u2014which pays up to $103,000 a year and doesn\u2019t require a college degree.<\/p>\n What\u2019s more, the median pay for new construction hires was $48,089 last year, compared to $39,520 for professional services new hires, according to data from payroll services provider ADP.<\/p>\n \u201cGen Z is just starting to realize they\u2019ve been pushed in a direction that frankly doesn\u2019t lead to a place they want to go,\u201d Rowe said.<\/p>\n It\u2019s no wonder that trust in universities has sunk to an<\/a> all-time low. Meanwhile, millennials (who are the most educated generation in history) feel like they\u2019ve been \u201csold a lie\u201d<\/a> and 24% of Americans with student loan debt say it\u2019s their biggest financial regret.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s sh-tty is, we\u2019re holding up our end of the deal,\u201d 27-year-old Robbie Scott cried in a viral TikTok video that struck a chord with many young people. \u201cWe\u2019re staying in school. We\u2019re going to college. We\u2019ve been working since we were 15, 16 years old\u2026doing everything that y\u2019all told us to do so that we can what? Still be living in our parents\u2019 homes in our late twenties?\u201d<\/p>\n So it\u2019s hardly surprising that Gen Z feels disenfranchised with the American dream of working hard at a soulless desk for the next 50-plus years, after wasting their youth studying for what seems like little gain.<\/p>\n Still, although it may be tempting to \u201cwork hard, play hard\u201d straight out of high school, reams of research show that those who want to earn the big bucks need a ritzy college degree.<\/p>\n Ladders, the career site for six-figure jobs, analyzed the top-paid positions posted on its platform and found that the majority require an advanced degree.<\/a><\/p>\n But don\u2019t be fooled into thinking all degrees are created equally: Although it costs the same to study psychology and liberal arts as it does computer science, some college majors are more likely to result in a lucrative salary than others.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The New York Fed studied the labor market outcomes of college graduates depending on their major and computer engineering grads came out on top<\/a>. Ladders\u2019 data highlighted that those earning over the $200,000 benchmark studied medicine. Meanwhile, accountancy jobs<\/a> are also hot right now\u2014but most openings require a bachelor\u2019s degree.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nStudents were \u2018sold a lie\u2019<\/h2>\n
But if you want to earn top dollar then college is still a safe bet<\/h2>\n
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