Headlines say Gen Z cannot find work to support themselves. At the same time, hundreds of thousands of high-paying jobs go unfilled every month. Those two facts exist at the same time, and they point to a deeper issue.
Many argue this is a job market problem. Others say it’s a cost of living problem. But really, an awareness of the opportunities available.
For decades, a single message has shaped how students think about their future: go to college. That message came from a genuine belief that higher education was the most reliable path to stability and opportunity. And for a long time, it meant a higher income.
But the outcomes no longer match the message.
There are two common paths after high school: college and the skilled trades. The first five years on each path look very different, and national labor and education data consistently point to the same pattern.
A student who pursues one of the most common college majors, business, social sciences, or education, will typically spend about five years in school. They graduate with roughly $30,000 in debt and enter the workforce earning around $60,000 per year.
A student who enters one of the most in-demand skilled trades, such as an electrician, plumber, or HVAC technician, follows a different path. They train on the job, take on little to no debt, and begin earning immediately. Many start around $45,000 per year and reach $65,000 or more by year five.
The difference is not just income. It is timing.
By the time the college graduate enters the workforce, the trade worker has already earned well over $200,000.
By year ten, the gap does not disappear. It shifts.
College graduates in those fields are earning between $65,000 and $75,000 per year. Skilled trades workers are earning between $80,000 and $85,000. The annual salaries begin to converge, but the earlier earnings and lack of debt continue to compound.
The skilled trades are not the only alternative worth considering. They simply make the broader point clear.
About 60% of students still enroll in college immediately after graduation. That number has declined, but the expectation has not. In many communities, college is still treated as the only serious option.
That is the problem. For years, college has been pushed as the only respectable pathway.
Utah is changing how students think about their options after high school.
Programs like Catalyst in the Davis School District give students real exposure to skilled trades alongside traditional college preparation. The Utah Legislature recognized its value and funded expansion in 2025, so other districts can build similar programs.
Every school district in Utah should be asking how to offer multiple pathways. Every counselor should present real, individualized options, not just familiar ones.
When we blame Gen Z’s financial struggles on cost of living, we take away their ability to act.
But young people are capable of making sound decisions about their future.
They only need to see their options.
