Why We Need to Rethink the Vocational Path
(Posted on Wednesday, July 23, 2025)
We don’t talk enough about how valuable the vocational path can be.
Especially in a world that’s obsessed with degrees, titles, and formal education.
Somehow, we’ve equated career potential with academic credentials, building a cultural hierarchy where a bachelor’s degree is seen as the bare minimum—and a technical certification, apprenticeship, or trade license is a backup plan.
But I’ve seen the opposite play out.
Real-World Responsibility Starts Earlier
I know people who became electricians, machinists, or mechanics right out of high school. No four-year detour. No six-figure debt. Just real work—immediately.
And within just a few years, they were managing jobs, handling clients, and eventually starting their own companies.
Why? Because they started learning responsibility much earlier than their college-bound peers.
They had to show up on time. Learn on the job. Work with their hands. Deliver results. Make decisions that mattered. When you’re on a construction site or in a machine shop, nobody cares where you went to school—they care whether the job gets done.
Meanwhile, Many College Grads Are Still Drifting
Let’s be clear: I’m not knocking college. I’m incredibly thankful for my own education. But I am saying this—very directly:
A degree is not the only indicator of drive or potential. Not by a long shot.
I’ve met folks ten years out of school, still unsure what they want to do with their lives. Meanwhile, the young plumber who started an apprenticeship at 18 is managing a team and running a business by 25.
There’s a story I come back to often. One of the most resourceful, self-made people I ever hired didn’t come from an MBA program. He was a diesel mechanic.
He understood systems—literal and metaphorical. He knew how to solve problems on the fly. He didn’t flinch under pressure. And when it came time to lead, he didn’t need to learn how to be accountable. He already was.
Let’s Look at the Data
This isn’t just anecdotal.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, many skilled trades earn salaries well above the national median. For example:
- Elevator installers and repairers earn a median salary of $99,000/year.
- Power plant operators: $89,000/year.
- Electricians: $60,000/year (with the top 10% earning more than $100,000).
- Many of these roles require only an apprenticeship or a two-year associate degree—not a four-year degree or graduate school.
A 2022 report from Forbes found that some of the fastest-growing small businesses in the U.S. were started by entrepreneurs with technical backgrounds—welders, HVAC technicians, and general contractors who saw a need and built a solution.
And according to NPR, enrollment in trade schools has actually been rising over the past decade, even as some traditional universities are seeing declines. Parents and students are realizing that a different path might actually be the smarter financial and career move.
The Backward Hierarchy
We’ve built this cultural narrative that says: go to college, get a degree, climb the ladder. But here’s the truth:
The ladder looks different for everyone.
And in many cases, the people who build their own ladder—the ones who take on responsibility early and learn to navigate the world without a safety net—are the ones who end up leading, hiring, and owning.
We’ve created this hierarchy where a white-collar job with a fancy title is the goal, and everything else is seen as less-than.
That’s backwards.
Because at the end of the day, success doesn’t come from where you learned. It comes from how you apply what you know. From how you take ownership. From whether you keep showing up when things get hard.
Let’s Redefine “A Good Career Path”
If you, or your kid, or someone you mentor is thinking about skipping the “expected” path and going the vocational route?
Don’t discourage it.
Support it.
Because there are a whole lot of millionaires out there who started with a wrench in their hand—not a diploma on their wall.
And in today’s world of student debt, economic shifts, and AI-driven job loss, we might want to stop asking “where did you go to school?” and start asking:
What can you build? What problems can you solve? And how fast can you learn?