All good parents want their children to grow up, become productive citizens, and enjoy fulfilling, secure, and successful careers.
To many families, that has meant earning college degrees. However, parents are more and more realizing that the trades — electric, plumbing, welding, heating and cooling, carpentry, and auto work — are just as viable as professions.
Encouraging your kids to consider careers in the skilled trades is not about shutting doors to college degrees. Instead, it’s about encouraging them to develop self-sufficiency and entrepreneurship. So, it’s worth keeping as many options on the table as possible.
Consider these four reasons to encourage your children to consider not just college but also trade school for careers that are professionally and financially rewarding.
1. Trades Offer Great Pay and Job Security
Skilled trade workers are in high demand — and many of them are earning as much as, and even more than, university graduates.
Electricians, plumbers, and HVAC technicians, to name a few, are among the well-paying jobs in the trades sector. With certifications and on-the-job experience, however, wages can increase exponentially, especially for those who become independent specialists or niche experts.
So, if you’re wondering whether a job paying $100,000 or more is possible in the trades, the answer is, “Yes.” Your kids might not make that much right after trade school, but they can pave the way toward a six-figure career after graduating and earning on-the-job experience.
There is always demand for tradespeople since houses, roads, cars, and more require ongoing maintenance, repair, and installation work — something that can’t be farmed out or done by machines. Labor market studies show there’s a demand for skilled trades workers, so it’s a career segment your children shouldn’t overlook.
2. Faster, More Affordable Paths to a Career
The cost of university continues to rise, and the majority of graduates are left with huge amounts to repay. It can leave them with heavy debt albatrosses that take decades to eliminate. But learning a trade and taking apprenticeships can be much cheaper and faster — meaning your kids can get into the workforce and start earning faster than their peers who get degrees.
Going to technical schools or vocational schools is often just a two-year commitment — and it’s possible to get online certifications in areas like forklift operator and other trade positions in as little as a day. That can be a good way to build up an arsenal of useful trade skills.
When your kids take advantage of apprenticeships means your kids can earn while they learn on-the-job skills. You’ll feel good knowing that your kids can graduate debt-free, or with a minimal debt load, and be in a position to start making money and saving years before students who earn degrees at colleges.
3. Space for Innovation and Problem-Solving
Some students thrive when they’re able to do things hands-on, learn independently, and feel the tangible reward of their own work. The trades are a good fit for such students.
In professions like carpentry, autobody repair, or refrigeration, no two days are the same. Tradespeople must use their problem-solving skills and think on their feet to complete tasks safely and efficiently.
Practical skills and creativity are the passport to success in the trades. For kids who love to build, fix, and create, a trade career is worth considering.
4. A Future-Proof Career with Purpose
With technology continually changing, many traditional office jobs will be eliminated. That’s not just a made-up scenario, either. Many trade jobs, however, can’t be outsourced to machines or computers. That means trade jobs can future-proof your children’s careers.
Besides stability, employment in the trade sector can also be meaningful. Tradespeople are literally keeping communities together — from delivering safe electricity and clean water to building homes and repairing cars.
That feeling of fulfillment and doing something meaningful is something that can’t always be experienced when working from behind desks in cubicles.
For too long, society has branded university education as the “default” path to success and relegated the trades to second-class status. But all of this is changing.
Introducing your kids to the trades will demonstrate that there are multiple paths to success.
By making them more aware of trade professions and their potential, you can help your kids make well-informed, confident choices about their futures. And if they end up as electricians, mechanics, or contractors, they’ll be entering professions that can lead to meaningful and well-paying careers.
