“The definition of career success is being rewritten in real time,” said Sam Pillar, CEO and co-founder of Jobber, in a press release. “For decades, we treated college as the enlightened path and the trades as a compromise. This year’s research suggests that assumption is breaking down. Families aren’t just asking, ‘What job pays well?’ They’re asking, ‘How can I control my destiny?’ The opportunity in the trades hasn’t changed, but more people are starting to take it seriously, and that’s great.”

Key findings from the report include:

• Among the parents of Gen Alpha children who responded, 52% said the skilled trades offer a better return on investment than a college degree, compared with just 18% who said college offers a better ROI.

• 92% of those parents would encourage their children to pursue a skilled trade career if they were interested.

• 68% of those parents said AI has made them rethink the long-term stability of white-collar careers.

• 76% of Gen Z respondents said it’s important to choose a career that is difficult to automate.

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• 77% of Gen Z respondents said they want to own a business some day.

• Nearly twice as many Gen Z respondents — 46% vs. 24% — said the trades offer a better path to business ownership than said professions for which a college education is needed offer a better path.

• 67% of Gen Z respondents said learning that many trades professionals earn six-figure incomes makes them more interested in pursuing a skilled trades career.

While public attitudes are changing rapidly, schools haven’t kept pace. More than half (55%) of parents surveyed said schools still do not take the trades as seriously as university pathways, and 80% said giving college and the trades equal promotion would encourage more students to consider skilled trades careers.

“As perceptions continue to evolve, the opportunity now lies in making sure students and families have access to all of the information they need before life-changing career decisions are made,” said Scott Shaw, president and CEO at Lincoln Educational Services Corp., a national provider of trades education with campuses in several states. “The future workforce will need college graduates, entrepreneurs, and skilled tradespeople alike, especially as demand for skilled trades continues to outpace supply across many industries. Success has never belonged to a single career path, and it shouldn’t belong to one now. Our skilled trade graduates are finding great personal and professional success. Rather than spending their days behind a desk, skilled trades professionals are out in the world solving problems and making our lives better, which is why they are considered essential workers.”