Carolyn’s Story
When I was coming of age in the 1990’s it was understood my K-12 education was leading me to one place: college. That was the expectation for most young people at that time. I enrolled in college right after high school and started working on a graphic design degree. I was also working in construction at the time and quickly realized my wages would be much higher in that field. I dropped out of college and became a full-time laborer. I’m now on a management track, having recently become the first female to graduate from my union’s Laborer’s Superintendent Development Program.
Fast forward to today, when many young people are questioning whether college is the right choice for them. Many have real concerns about their return on investment. They don’t want to start their careers with a mountain of student debt, sky-high rents and a paycheck that doesn’t begin to cover it all. Others see their friends dealing with a boom-bust cycle of hiring and layoffs at major corporations and worry whether a corporate path is sustainable for them.
With construction, I’ve found the best of both worlds – a sustainable career with a good living wage, the promise of a comfortable retirement, and no student debt. I know a trades career is not the choice for everyone, but it’s one young people should consider, and one that schools, as well as industry employers, need to support in addition to careers that require a college degree.
It begins with schools. In my role as a Labor General Foreman with Knutson Construction, I not only have the opportunity to work with apprentices on the job site, I also volunteer to introduce high school students to the possibility of a trades career. It’s especially important for me, as a woman, to provide that representation so students understand construction is not constrained by anything other than a person’s desire to learn and do the job.
While it’s not unusual for high schools to offer a vocational/tech option, I believe these programs need to be more robust to give students the basic training that will make them good candidates for apprentice programs when they graduate from high school. I also believe this type of education can begin much earlier than high school.
STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) skills are often introduced at the elementary level. Basic engineering can be introduced by having children build something with their hands and testing theories. Why not include basic safety techniques when children are around equipment, whether it’s a microscope or a handsaw? Mastering simple skills like these while introducing kids to basic safety standards can help young people understand the world around them and help them gain confidence – useful at any age.
Unions and employers are also key to opening more career pathways for young people interested in the trades. Employers, like Knutson, are working hard to introduce youth to careers in the trades, with the hope of funneling them into their labor apprentice programs. Minnesota has a robust building trades apprentice program, with more than 10,000 participants. Once in an apprentice program, workers can earn good wages, with benefits and stepped-up increases in pay as they progress in their careers. It’s also not unheard of for people to enter an apprenticeship so they can fund a college education if they desire.
For students who are just beginning to explore career options, many construction companies offer internships, where students can learn from industry professionals and work on real construction projects as they consider their career opportunities.
Across industries, employers have an opportunity to create more opportunities for young people and increase their pool of job candidates when they opt for skills-based hiring, rather than weeding out candidates based on whether they have a college degree. A report from Indeed’s Hiring Lab shows this is starting to happen. As of January of 2024, 52% of job postings in the U.S. had no formal education requirement, up from 48% in 2019. The number of job postings requiring a college degree dropped to 17.8% in January of 2024 compared to 20.4% in 2019. Less reliance on a college degree as the basic entry point for a successful career can free young people from a societal bias that points them to college, even when they know it’s not the right path for them.
In my case, I did end up going back to college, at night, to earn my bachelor’s degree in business management. It kept a promise to my father and has become part of my story. It is now a story rich in experience and skills, provided by the career I began as a laborer in a trades industry.
Construction careers can be varied, from laborer, to project manager, virtual design, accounting, HR, marketing, and many more. While some of these jobs do require a college degree, many do not. Construction is a pathway of opportunity, as are other trade industries. I hope it becomes more attractive to young people as they begin to understand they can have a successful career, one that provides for a comfortable lifestyle, an upwardly mobile career path, and a comfortable retirement without investing in an expensive four-year college degree.
