A Message from Our CEO – August 2024

“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all”

–Aristotle

We are obsessed with having a college degree in this country. Yes, on average, college graduates earn more than non-college graduates. “On average.”

But the ROI is getting more elusive, especially for boys. 

83% of Gen Zers believe that trade careers do not offer a strong sense of accomplishment. Yet these jobs are perfect for the students that can’t sit still through the droning nonsense of an English Lit professor. Many of these ‘dirty jobs’ provide paid on-the-job training, working with a mentor, health benefits, and a recession-proof career that will pay dividends in the long run. Oh—and you don’t have to wait 4+ years to get a paycheck… you start getting a decent salary at 18 years old. 

And it “feels” like real work. As one young carpenter apprentice said, “It feels good at the end of the day. I’m physically doing something and there’s a sense of completion.”

Hollywood tends to perpetuate a negative stereotype of the blue-collar worker and glorify the tech nerd—the nimble benevolent hacker genius. I’ve never seen a movie where the plumber is the hero (okay, Mario yea). But how about an HVAC technician? Think of the possibilities! Leading a group of U.S. school kids through the ducts to safety from a flame-throwing evil Russian Oligarch.

Hire me, Hollywood. I have more. 

Blue Collar. For the Dollar.

Warren