By Gavin Boyle
In response to an article that found many Americans are now unsure about attending a four-year college, Mike Rowe shared how there are an abundance of opportunities for those thinking of entering the trade pathway.
“Large numbers of kids have gotten the memo they don’t want the debt that comes with a four-year degree, and their minds are wide open to the possibility of mastering a skill that’s actually in demand,” Rowe said. “But, they’re being firmly discouraged from doing so by their well-intentioned parents who simply don’t understand the facts.”
Because of this, more and more people are dropping out of the workforce during their prime years because they cannot find a career path that works for them.
“The stat that sticks with me and worries me today is 7.2 million able-bodied men today in their prime working years are not only unemployed…[They’re] officially not even looking,” Rowe told the non-profit Moms for America.
“That, to me, is one of the greatest alarm bells going on in the country,” Rowe later added. “We’ve never seen that before, not in peacetime anyway.”
While many Americans are only just waking up to the fact that four-year college is not for everyone, Rowe has been trying to raise awareness about this for over a decade. He created the mikeroweWORKS foundation in 2008 to help those seeking to train in trade skills pay for their education.
“We’re on a mission to help close the skills gap by challenging the stigmas and stereotypes that discourage people from pursuing the millions of available jobs,” the website explains. “We want people to understand the impact of skilled labor on their lives, and we’re convinced that the solution has to start with a new appreciation for hard work.”
Related: Mike Rowe Announces High School Curriculum Focused on Work Ethic
To start, Rowe has toured the country to educate kids on the paths that are available outside of the traditional college pipeline. However, he also realizes that parents need to be educated as well, as they often place pressure on their kids to attend college above anything else.
“We have a whole generation of kids [and parents] today who simply don’t believe they can make six figures working with their hands,” Rowe said. “They have no understanding that an independent electrician or plumber today can make $200,000 a year and set their own schedule.”
With the rising pressure of the job market for college grads, it is encouraging to see Rowe working so hard to offer young Americans another pathway which can offer them a good life without taking on enormous debt.
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