One uncomfortable truth about higher education in the United States is that very few people actually attend universities for a liberal arts education.
In fact, the idea of pursuing knowledge for its own sake is often mocked in our society. Students who study philosophy, history, literature, or other liberal arts fields are frequently told they are wasting their time.
For most people, the real reasons for attending college are much simpler: career advancement and social networking(which are not necessarily bad pursuits).
The goal is not to become more learned. The goal is to get paid.
At the same time, the economic reality of college has changed dramatically. College degrees do not guarantee the salaries they once did, and millions of students graduate carrying large amounts of debt. This debt can take decades to repay and often weighs heavily on their financial futures.
Because of this, trade schools are beginning to look like a much more practical option for many people.
Many skilled trades, such as electricians, mechanics, welders, plumbers, construction specialists, and others, often pay solid wages relatively quickly while also providing hands-on experience. In many cases, people in these professions begin earning money sooner and accumulate far less debt than those who pursue traditional four-year degrees.
Yet these professions are often looked down upon in a culture that tends to equate white-collar work with success and blue-collar work with failure.
That assumption is deeply misguided.
Our society depends on skilled labor just as much as it depends on professionals with university degrees. We need the people who build and maintain our infrastructure. We need the technicians who repair our aircraft and maintain our electrical systems. We need the workers who build roads, maintain water systems, repair engines, and keep cities functioning.
These jobs may not always carry the same social prestige as corporate or professional careers, but they are no less essential.
None of this is an argument against universities themselves. Higher education still plays a vital role in a healthy and thoughtful society, particularly when universities function as places for intellectual exploration, critical thinking, and the exchange of ideas.
The problem is not education. I love education.
The problem is the way education has increasingly been treated as a business model and reduced to a credentialing system designed primarily to produce workers rather than thinkers.
A society that values knowledge should support universities.
But a society that understands how the world actually works should also respect the skilled trades.
Electricians, mechanics, construction workers, and technicians are not somehow lesser contributors to society.
They are essential to it.