This year, 105,000 American college students—the highest number ever—graduated with bachelor’s degrees in computer science.
Just a few years ago, such a degree from any four-year institution was considered gold.
But things have changed, say more and more college students.
The once-sure successful career in computer science is no longer as sure as it once was. “Top college” graduates are more likely to be offered internships, followed by full-time jobs that can start with annual salaries at $75,000, according to the Wall Street Journal.
For those whose families could not fully fund their college studies, salaries of $75,000 will be tightly stretched to pay for adulting expenses plus the hundreds of thousands those graduating will owe for their degrees.
The situation has created dread and fear among high schoolers. What are their career choices, and which path is best for them?
College is expensive. The experience produces an education, but the learned skills fail to match viable, current career opportunities. Gen Zers find themselves forced into alternative thinking.
The Emerging Alternative: The Tool Belt Generation
In a survey of high school and college-age people by software company Jobber last year, 75% said they would be interested in vocational schools offering paid, on-the-job training.
In 2022, there was a reported 60% jump in vocational training class enrollment in the U.S. Construction trade training saw a 23% jump, with similar increases in vehicle maintenance and HVAC skill training.
That certainly is true in the case of Brian Burke, who just graduated from the Chicago area’s Technology & Manufacturing Association’s “gold standard” three-year advanced skills training for tool & die making.
Burke told TMANews.com that he chose tool and die-making as a career path because he discovered the importance of creating tools and dies while taking an advanced manufacturing class during his senior year at Hampshire High School. The following fall, he signed up for a computer-integrated manufacturing class at Elgin Community College. After that, OTTO Engineering in Carpentersville approached him for an apprenticeship spot.
“I really enjoyed my apprenticeship,” Burke said. “I worked under some exceptional journeymen… I had a lot of people in front of me and then a lot of people behind me.”
Brian then took advantage of the courses offered at TMA, which prepared him for the journeyman level in tool and diemaking. Apprenticeship made all the difference to him, he said.
“I was meeting young engineers coming right out of college. They were insecure. They understood the subject matter; they could do print reading very well. However, they lacked interpersonal connections with other, more experienced individuals. Without that experience, they seem to have a hard time,” he said.
Apprenticeships Draw Gen Zers’ Attention
So, apprenticeships are growing in popularity as employers place their future workforce leaders on the workshop floor to learn machining skills and practice them while learning to
maneuver the workshop atmosphere.
This process represents a dramatic shift in societal views from the viability of college to the practicality of apprenticeships.
Most Gen Zers say they are interested in paid vocational training. The stigmas about not going to college linger. Still, they are gradually changing as perceptions change and
technology advances, with robotics and online training courses available to those seeking vocational careers.
Kenny Urban, who supervises the tool room at Meyer Tool & Manufacturing in Oak Lawn, Illinois, learned the hard way that college wasn’t for him.
Before deciding to study law, he attended a computer programming institute and studied introductory courses at a local college. He found that working in a tool room with his father at Meyer Tool was where he fit best.
Urban said that option should be more prominent among all high school students, including natural studiers and those who struggle with typical academic coursework.
“I feel like we need to start bringing vocational studies back into high schools and allow those students to know there’s a whole other world out there where they could have a successful career. It’s definitely at their fingertips; they don’t have to spend $1,000,000 on college. They can help produce the greatest stuff that we use,” Urban said.
Indeed, that is part of why the Tool Belt Generation chooses to avoid going into debt to prepare for a career. Instead, they can earn a decent wage while they learn, and their employers often pay for their training.
That’s a massive incentive for many seeking alternative career paths.
Purpose-Driven Work and Entrepreneurial Freedom
In addition, the Gen Z Generation is less focused on salaries and benefits and more interested in “Purpose-Driven Work.” Gen Zers are especially focused on making a difference in the world with their life work. They want to be connected to something meaningful.
For manufacturers, explaining how what they as team members are doing contributes to the betterment of the world and society is crucial and in most cases, easy to do. But just thinking that way and using it as an encouraging point can be awkward and uncomfortable for long timers. Nevertheless, it is necessary to Gen Zers.
According to a recent Chamber of Commerce study, employers are adapting to attract this new generation, blending traditional work practices with modern, flexible environments to meet their preferences and ensure job satisfaction.
Another attraction to vocational careers for the emerging Tool Belt Generation is the ease with which skilled persons can start their own businesses based on in-demand skills such as carpentry, electrical, plumbing, machining, and more.
INC Magazine found that 20% of Gen Zers say they were students before starting a business—much more than Gen Xers and Boomers, who only 3 percent reported being students before starting a business.
Get Ready for Change. It’s Coming.
Times are changing, as the old saying goes.
This quote from a May 2024 McKinsey & Company piece emphasizes the growing optimism about the future for the Tool Belt Generation:
The story of the Tool Belt Generation is still unfolding, marked by innovation and the creation of value. As career paths evolve and passions are rediscovered, the shift in more high school students choosing trade programs instead of a four-year university education will help solve job shortages in industries eager for young talent.
It may take longer for societal attitudes to catch up to the employment trend, but those selecting skilled labor deserve encouragement and recognition for forging a ‘new normal’ for generations to come.
From TMA News Bulletin, Spring 2024
