The Trades: Your Ticket to a Future-Proof Career
The Trades: Your Ticket to a Future-Proof Career In a rapidly changing job market, many career paths face uncertainty due to advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and automation. This is a stressful time for both current workers and high school graduates preparing to enter the job market. No matter how much the employment landscape changes, […]
Skipping College
My background as a writer compels me to spend a lot of time on the flip side as a reader. Mornings almost always start out with a two-hour reading session, mostly of news publications. (I’m retired, so I have the time.) More and more, my morning readings come across information detailing the rewards of trade […]
College Gets More Thumbs Down
It skipped my attention for a while, but I recently became aware of a Gallup survey published last July that showed only a little more than a third of Americans expressed confidence in the value of a college education. As recently as 2015, 57% of Americans said they had “a great deal” or “quite a […]
Housing & The Trades
The housing market is one of the most important sectors of the American economy, both in terms of newly built houses and renovation or repair of existing homes. Most estimates place housing at between 15-18% of overall GDP – i.e., Gross Domestic Product, or the total value of all goods and services produced in our […]
College Continues To Lose Luster
A trend that has played out for more than a decade continued last year as the college enrollment rate for U.S. high school graduates fell to 62%, down from 66.2% in 2019 and well below the all-time high of 70.1% in 2009, according to data from the U.S. Labor Department. (Data has not yet been […]
20 Reasons To Explore The Trades
1. More than one in six skilled tradespeople end up owning their own business and another 20% become partners in a business. 2. 30% of small business owners have no more than a high school diploma. 3. Construction is the most popular profession for people who own their own businesses. 4. The average cost to […]
Trade Jobs Are Secure Jobs
Included among my daily reading is a large amount of business and economic news from the Economist, Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and other credible publications. One article from the WSJ a few days ago struck me as relevant to those of you contemplating trade careers. It had to do with a rise in layoffs at […]
A Shortage Is About To Become A Crisis
In writing this blog, I follow a variety of construction news sources. Sometimes I need to read between the lines to develop the full meaning of what’s going on. That’s what happened when I came across a recent news story stating that the construction industry will need to attract nearly 650,000* additional workers on top of […]
The Skilled Labor Shortage By The Numbers
A common theme addressed in this blog is the nationwide shortage of skilled trade workers and the opportunities that spring from it for people who do opt for a career in the trades. Hardly a week passes when I don’t come across some startling information about this shortage. For instance, buried within an article in […]
Why Trades Jobs Are Reliably Secure Professions
There are few jobs that offer more security than those in the trades. The trades offer high-demand, sustainable, and fulfilling work that has been proven to beat recessions and market downturns. Here is why the trades are some of the most secure professions out there, and why you should consider bolstering your career by pursuing […]