Gen Z is building an AI-resistant college backup plan
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Some young workers are swapping laptops for hardhats, betting that a welding torch or a toolbelt could offer more protection from AI disruption.
Why it matters: As artificial intelligence rattles white-collar career paths, more young Americans are looking to the skilled trades for lower debt, stable pay and work that's harder to automate.
- John Zink, vice president at the PHCC Educational Foundation, puts it bluntly: "We have the high demand jobs that AI can't take because AI can't run pipe or install HVAC systems."
What they're saying: Octavius Jackson, 25, spent two years at Prairie View A&M before pivoting to the Aviation Institute of Maintenance for an airframe and powerplant certificate.
- He said choosing a career less vulnerable to AI factored into his decision.
- "You don't want a robot fixing up these planes," and making a mistake that could have deadly consequences, he said.
- His friends and family "100%" supported his decision.
The big picture: The skilled trades are shedding some of the stigma that long led parents and guidance counselors to push students toward four-year degrees. The price tag and questionable payoff of college are also adding to their appeal.
- "We've been pushing everybody into the four-year path and treating the hands-on skilled trade work as somehow substandard," Jason Altmire, CEO of Career Education Colleges and Universities, told Axios.
- "Thankfully, due in part to Gen Z, that stigma is changing," Altmire said.
Between the lines: Gen Z also recognizes the chance to be your own boss. Young skilled-trade professionals are twice as likely to own a business versus those with a four-year degree, according to Angi, a home repair company.
Zoom out: High schools are expanding programs that give students a direct path into skilled work, Altmire says.
Case in point: Philadelphia's Father Judge High School graduated 24 students from its welding course last year — and all got jobs paying $50,000 a year or more, Altmire says.
- Opened in 2024, the state-of-the-art program aims to place every student with a guaranteed job after graduation, and also boasts automotive and HVAC programs.
Reality check: Trades aren't immune from technological disruption. More sophisticated robotics can already handle some construction tasks, including layouts and precision measurements.
- AI is also helping businesses answer phones, dispatch technicians and handle administrative work. But many core trade jobs still require a human touch.
The bottom line: Gen Z is betting that knowing how to build, repair and maintain the physical world may be a better hedge against AI than another desk job.
Go deeper: Trades make a comeback with Gen Z workers
