In this industry, the shortage of skilled labor comes up time and again. A contributing factor is that a four-year college pathway continues to often be pushed for as the sole means to a successful career. Young people develop that mindset, and they overlook opportunities in the skilled trades, like plumbing.
Calah Alexander hasn’t allowed herself to become blinded to today’s realities, though. In a recent blog post on Aleteia.org titled “Why you should raise your kids to be plumbers,” she writes:
I’ve been telling my kids since they were old enough to know what college is that they will never, ever go there — not unless they get a full scholarship and manage to graduate with a degree in a lucrative field and zero student debt. Over my dead body will I see my children begin their adult lives saddled with enormous debt and facing dismal employment prospects … I’ve often said that my goal is to raise a plumber, an electrician, a welder, a nurse, and a mechanic.
Check out the blog post in its entirety here. It doesn’t solve the challenge of getting more young people interested in the skilled trades, but it does a good job of capturing the core argument of why they should be interested.
