In recent years, there has been a significant focus on traditional four-year college degrees and an emphasis on knowledge work, which has led to the oversight of blue-collar careers. This was exacerbated as school systems cancelled classes like wood and car shop classes. As trades across the spectrum experience labor shortages and the costs of higher education continue to rise, some high schools are reviving trades-based classes in conjunction with industry.
According to BestColleges, the average annual cost of a public university in the United States is $29,900 for in-state students and $49,437 for out-of-state students. Private universities have a much higher tuition, averaging $63,000 per year. College Board typically recommends filling out five to eight applications. Factor in the application fees, campus visits, and ACT and SAT reports; students are spending up to an additional $2,000, CNBC reports.
After considering all of this, it’s easy to see why high-school students seek alternatives. Fortunately, these students don’t have to look too far. Shop classes, pushed to the side years ago in favor of standard courses, are making a comeback. At Phelps ACE High School in Washington, D.C., NBC observed students building sheds for the community, testing HVAC systems, and learning architecture. They say that the number of students enrolled in this program has doubled in the last decade, and has already invested millions of dollars as of May 2025.
This is just one example among many. The EdWeek Research Center released a survey in June 2024 that showed 66% of high schools in the U.S. offer career and technical education, with the rise driven by economic demand. Not only are these high-school students paying less money by not attending a public or private university, but they’re also making more in the long run. Indeed says the average starting salary for college graduates is $55,260. In a recent article by The Wall Street Journal, some high school juniors have already received job offers of $70,000 per year. Employers collaborate with high schools to enable students to earn money and academic credit for their work. This tactic has led to more students taking on blue-collar jobs, such as working at transit systems and submarine manufacturers.
In March 2025, Bill Gates was on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where he predicted that Artificial Intelligence (AI) would replace doctors, teachers, and other professions within the next decade. The Economic Times wrote an article in 2024 detailing that only 1% of blue-collar jobs are at risk of being replaced by AI. While older generations may not have to worry much about AI’s impact on the workforce, it’s something that millennials cannot ignore and will have to adapt to for many years to come. Some fire protection companies see this as an opportunity to find and nurture their next star technician. One example that stands out is VSC’s outreach to high-school students through internship programs. It’s critical that the fire protection community doesn’t take a back seat to the more well-known trades, such as plumbing, HVAC, and welding.
Pursuing a blue-collar route is one of the safest bets students can make for their future, considering job security, earning potential, and the cost versus payout. With continued career and technical education courses, summer camps, and recruitment efforts from local employers, high-school students and multiple blue-collar industries will have a bright future.
