Article contributed by Josh Zolin
When you think of a plumber, or an electrician, or a service technician, what comes to mind? Is it intelligence? Abundance? Wealth? Of course not. It’s a dirty uniform, a wrench, maybe a beard or a belly.
Now picture a college graduate. I bet they’re a little cleaner. Let’s be perfectly clear about something. This is no accident.
For the majority of our country’s storied history, the skilled trades were respected, revered, and even coveted. It was an honor to contribute to the fabric of society by building it with your bare hands. Then, in the 60s & 70s the common perception of the blue collar tradesperson began to shift. Colleges began to be run more like businesses and educators began to push the idea of college being the surest path to success. Students around the country were beginning to drink the Kool-Aid and believe that their only shot at happiness was by getting a degree. Simultaneously, media portrayals of trades people reinforced this narrative by depicting mechanics & skilled workers as lazy, dumb, and genuinely unsuccessful. That’s where your mental image comes from.
Because of this, it didn’t take long for the trades to become something of an inferior profession. An “alternative” to college. Basically, if you’re not smart enough for college, turn a wrench. Eventually the skilled trades were relegated to low-level, low-income, blue collar work. Something that wouldn’t require you to actually think for a living.
50 years later we find ourselves in a major economic paradigm that has resulted in an absence of skilled labor and a $1.5 Trillion dollar student loan debt crisis. Go figure. Here’s the truth of the matter: College doesn’t pay anymore. Not for everybody, or I would argue, not for the majority.
According to the College Board, a moderate college budget (to cover tuition, books, and supplies, as well as living expenses) for an in-state public college for the 2017–2018 academic year averaged $25,290 over four years, that’s a total of $101,160, and more and more students are taking longer than four years to finish. (1) In fact, per the Institute of Education Sciences, the six-year graduation rate for first-time, full- time undergraduate students who started in fall 2010 was only 60 percent. (2)
What’s more, a study found that in 2010 only 62 percent of US college graduates had a job that required a college degree, and just 27 percent of college grads had a job that was closely related to their major. (3)
So, what does all this mean? Well, it means that for the majority of people, a white collar career that requires a college degree is the posterchild of a bad ROI. Yet, it’s peddled as the ultimate measure of success.
Enter the skilled trades.
Plumbers, HVAC, Kitchen Equipment, & Refrigeration Technicians, Electricians, Linemen, etc. The backbone of what makes civilization civilized. And the very services that many commercial facilities & restaurants rely on every day to effectively operate their business. The industry is booming, but the profession is dying.
Because of the perceptions & the infinite wisdom of “those who know best,” these “low-level” careers are being disregarded and written off. Obviously, this has created a severe shortage of talent. So much so that these brilliant minds are now some of the highest paid individuals in the country.
These are just some examples of the types of skilled trades I’m talking about. Not only is this more than the vast majority of college graduates are earning, but it also impacts those who operate commercial facilities, such as restaurants and kitchens, in a big way. You wonder why your service vendor is so expensive? This is why. And buckle up because you haven’t seen anything yet. Hourly rates will continue to rise as the gap widens by the day. Your R&M budget will steadily eat away at your margins until you’re forced to raise the price of your product or service to compensate.
So, by this point I can only hope that you’re wondering what can be done about it. The answer is in how you perceive the skilled trades. Do you truly value what these integral men and women provide? Do you really understand the earning potential that exists doing this kind of blue collar work? The amount of training, skill, and intelligence it takes to successfully perform a single repair?
It’s time we wake up and realize that there is more than one path to success. It starts with one bright young mind at a time. Maybe it’s your kids, nieces & nephews, students, or just the neighbor kid that hangs out down the block.
If we encourage America’s youth to pursue an avenue of education best suited to their needs & abilities instead of unanimously encouraging them to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a path that may not play to their natural strengths, we can:
- Reduce the student loan debt
- Prevent the inflation of skilled labor costs
- Enable future generations to live happy, successful lives in an honorable profession
Let’s face it; Blue Collar doesn’t mean the same thing anymore. By almost all measures, it has surpassed the benefits of white collar work. Yet it still shadows in comparison to the some of the most sought-after careers in the country. And it will, until we do something about it.
Non-Monetary Benefits of the Skilled Trades
Helping People
Younger generations want to help as much as possible. What better way to do it than being in an industry built to serve all of civilization and often the first to be called upon in relief efforts?
Challenge vs Reward
The greater the challenge, the greater the reward. When was this forgotten? Growth comes from physically and mentally pushing your limits, the trades push.
Travel
For training, for a specific project, or for permanent relocation. The demand in the trades often leads to travel all around the globe.
Work-Life Balance
Work while you’re young so you can live when you’re older. As your skills and abilities increase, you can begin to make your own schedule.
No Limits
There are trajectories in the trades that can take you anywhere, give you everything, and compensate you wildly. From turning wrenches, to sales, to management, to entrepreneurship.
Josh Zolin is the CEO of Windy City Equipment Service, a restaurant equipment and HVAC repair company with branches in Phoenix, Tucson, and Houston. From his start as a technician, Josh rose to become CEO, helping to grow the company from 2 to 50+ employees. From 2014 to 2018, Windy City’s annual revenue rose from $1.2 million to $7.5 million, and in 2018 & 2019 the company was named to Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies in America. In May 2019, Josh published his first book, Blue is the New White in hopes of using it as a tool to shatter the perceptions of the trades and encourage kids to live their own version of success through practicality & hard work. Visit www.blueisthenewwhite.com for consistent content on the skilled trades and visit www.wcecommercial.com for all your service needs.
1. “What’s the Price Tag for a College Education?,” CollegeData, accessed December 12, 2018, https://www.collegedata.com/cs/content/content_payarticle_tmpl.jhtml?articleId=10064
2. US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, “Undergraduate Retention and Graduation Rates,” The Condition of Education 2018 (NCES 2018-144), https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_ctr.asp
3. Brad Plumer, “Only 27 Percent of College Grads Have a Job Related to Their Major,” Wonkblog, Washington Post, May 20, 2013, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2013/05/20/only-27-percent-of-college-grads-have-a-job-related-to-their-major
