Two Thirds Of Gen Z Think Trades Beat College To $100K. Do The Math.

Ask a room of teenagers what the fastest path to a $100,000 salary is, and a lot of them will no longer say college.

A poll of 2,000 Americans ages 16 to 28, commissioned by Wolverine and published through Stacker on September 12, found that two thirds of Gen Z think becoming a tradesperson is a quicker way to $100,000 than going to college. Only 32 percent thought choosing university over an apprenticeship was a good idea. And 76 percent said earning money while learning through an apprenticeship sounded very appealing.

A separate survey, the June 2026 SimplyWise Trades and Technology Index, found that 34 percent of Gen Z picked trade school or an apprenticeship as the most likely path to financial stability by age 30. Only 23 percent picked a four year degree.

This is a big shift in how young people think about work. It is also a great opening for a conversation at home, because the surveys contain a surprise that most families miss.

In the Wolverine poll, respondents were asked how much a skilled tradesperson earns in a typical year. The average guess was about $57,000.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median electrician wage at roughly $60,000 a year, according to the SimplyWise report, and expects electrician jobs to grow 7 percent from 2024 to 2034, more than double the pace for all jobs.

So the guess is close for a typical employed worker. But look at the gap. Teens believe trades are the faster path to $100,000, while also believing a tradesperson earns about $57,000. Both can be true only if something else happens between the paycheck and the six figures.

That something is usually ownership. A wage worker's income tops out around what the job pays. A tradesperson who starts their own shop, hires a helper and takes on more jobs can earn well beyond it, and also carries all the risk. The trade is the skill. The business is the upside.

The surveys point to a few reasons.

Debt. In the Wolverine poll, 36 percent said avoiding student debt was a main benefit of skipping university. Another 37 percent liked earning a salary right away.

AI. In the SimplyWise survey, 46 percent said the trades feel safer than office jobs in an AI future. Among current college students, that rose to 52 percent. Respondents ranked software developers, accountants and graphic designers as most exposed to AI, and HVAC technicians and plumbers as safest.

Respect. Seven in ten said their generation respects the trades more than it did a few years ago. When asked which career path they respect most, skilled trades came first at 30 percent. Owning a small business came second at 22 percent.

Personal experience. More than half, 54 percent, said they know a college graduate who is struggling with money. Among them, 57 percent said they would choose trade school over college.

Those last two findings sit next to each other for a reason. Young people respect the trades and respect small business owners. In the trades, those are often the same person.

This is not only about electricians and plumbers. TechCrunch reported on September 20 that Tristan Walker, who sold his grooming company to Procter and Gamble, is now buying and scaling fine craft trade schools through a company called Heirloom Craft. The first one is a leatherworking school in San Francisco.

Walker told an audience of founders and investors that roughly half of Gen Z and Gen Alpha say they do not want a four year degree. More than half of the students at Heirloom's first school are young tech workers who want a creative outlet that keeps their phones down.

Walker's argument is that the United States stopped passing mastery from expert to apprentice, and that this is starting to reverse. For kids who love making things, that opens doors in leather, wood, metal, sewing, baking and more. Many of those skills can turn into small businesses long before a kid is old enough for a full time job.

This activity takes about 20 minutes and works well for kids around 12 and up. Pick a trade your kid is curious about. Electrician, landscaper, baker, bike mechanic, whatever sparks interest.

1. Find the wage. Look up the typical pay for that job on the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook. Write it down.
2. Price one job. Call or search what a local business charges for a common job, like installing a ceiling fan or mowing a large lawn.
3. Estimate the costs. Materials, gas, tools, insurance, advertising. A rough guess is fine. Ask a local tradesperson if you can.
4. Count the jobs. How many of those jobs could one person do in a week? Multiply by about 48 working weeks.
5. Compare. Revenue minus costs is what the owner keeps. Compare it to the wage from step one.

Most kids are surprised twice. First by how much the business can earn. Then by how many costs the owner pays that a worker never sees. Both lessons are useful.

Some families track this in a notebook. Others plug it into a simple business plan in a tool like Foundra, which walks through pricing, costs and profit step by step.

A teenager does not need a license to start learning the business side of a trade. Plenty of trade adjacent businesses are open to young people with parental help:

• Lawn care and leaf cleanup
• Bike tune ups and flat repairs
• Pressure washing driveways and decks
• Assembling furniture for neighbors
• Painting fences and sheds
• Simple sewing repairs and custom patches

Each one teaches the same skills a future electrician or contractor will need: quoting a price, buying supplies, showing up on time, doing clean work and asking for referrals. Start with one service, one street and one price sheet. When the first ten customers are happy, add a second service or a second neighborhood. Growing slowly keeps mistakes small. Safety and local rules matter, so check what work is allowed for your kid's age in your state and stay involved.

If your teen is interested in a licensed trade, ask local high schools and community colleges about pre apprenticeship programs, and ask tradespeople you already know if your kid can shadow them for a day.

None of this means college is a bad choice. In the SimplyWise survey, 49 percent of Gen Z still said a four year degree is worth the cost, and when asked what they would choose if starting over, young people split almost evenly between college at 26 percent and trade school at 25 percent. Pew Research has tracked the same mixed feelings about whether college pays off.

The best message for kids is not "trades good, college bad." It is: know the real numbers, know what the path costs, and know where the upside comes from. Some of the most successful tradespeople also took business classes. Some college graduates end up running trade companies.

Also note the fine print. The Wolverine survey was commissioned by a work boot company with a program that promotes the trades. The SimplyWise survey used an opt in online panel, and the company sells software to contractors. The findings are still useful, but they are directional, not the final word.

Do most young people really prefer trades to college? Not most, but interest is rising. In the SimplyWise survey, 25 percent would choose trade school if starting over, versus 26 percent for a four year college. Two thirds of the Wolverine poll said trades are the quicker path to $100,000.

How much do tradespeople earn? It depends on the trade and location. The median electrician wage is roughly $60,000 a year according to BLS data cited by SimplyWise. Business owners in the trades can earn more, and also take on more risk.

Are trades safe from AI? Many young people believe so. Hands on work in homes and buildings is harder to automate than office tasks, though tools and software will still change how the work is done.

What can my teen do now? Start a small service business, shadow a tradesperson, and look into pre apprenticeship programs at local high schools or community colleges.

Is this article saying skip college? No. It is saying compare the real costs and outcomes of each path, and understand that owning a business is where much of the trades upside comes from.

1. Survey: Gen Zers see trades as faster route to financial success than college, Stacker via KVIA, September 12, 2026
2. The June 2026 SimplyWise Trades & Technology Index
3. Electricians, Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
4. A small but growing number of founders are betting on bringing people together offline, TechCrunch, September 20, 2026
5. Is College Worth It?, Pew Research Center