Part 3 - If I Had To Start Over, I’d Skip College And Do This Instead

In partnership with

Now that we’ve talked about the opportunity and where it’s happening, the real question is how someone actually gets there.

Because this is where most people get stuck.

They see the headlines, they hear about the money, and then they go right back to doing what they were already doing. Not because the opportunity isn’t real, but because no one ever laid out a clear, honest path.

So here it is.

If I were starting from zero today, I wouldn’t overthink it and I definitely wouldn’t wait until everything felt “safe.”

I’d go straight into electrical.

Not because it’s easy. Not because it’s glamorous. But because it’s one of the most direct paths into a high-income, high-demand field that cannot be automated and is getting stronger because of AI, not weaker.

And this is where I’ll say something most people won’t like.

When it all clicks.

Why does business news feel like it's written for people who already get it?

Morning Brew changes that.

It's a free newsletter that breaks down what's going on in business, finance, and tech — clearly, quickly, and with enough personality to keep things interesting. The result? You don't just skim headlines. You actually understand what's going on.

Try it yourself and join over 4 million professionals reading daily.

Check it out

If you’re 18 to 22 and taking on $80K to $120K in debt for a degree without a clear job outcome attached to it, you’re making a financial decision that will be hard to recover from.

Not impossible. But hard.

Because while you’re sitting in a classroom, someone else is in the field stacking experience, building income, and positioning themselves for opportunities like the ones we’ve been talking about.

This isn’t anti-college. It’s just the best ROI.

Now let’s talk about the actual path.

Step one is getting into the field as fast as possible. That can be through a trade school or an apprenticeship, but the goal isn’t to collect certifications. The goal is to start working. You want exposure, not just information.

From there, I would avoid getting stuck in residential work longer than necessary. It’s a good starting point, but the real leverage is in commercial and industrial environments. That’s where you’re dealing with larger systems, higher stakes, and projects that connect directly to infrastructure like data centers.

Once you’re in that world, everything starts to open up.

You’ll start hearing about larger projects. You’ll meet contractors working on bigger builds. You’ll get visibility into where the real demand is. And that’s when you start positioning yourself closer to data center-related work.States are starting to audit benefit recipients and remove those who aren’t working or in training.

But here’s the part most people won’t do.

You have to be willing to move.

At least early on.

The people making the most money right now are not always the most experienced. They’re the most willing. Willing to travel, willing to work longer hours when the opportunity is there, and willing to go where demand is highest.

That’s how you compress time.

That’s how someone goes from $50K to $100K faster than expected. Not by waiting for the perfect opportunity to show up locally, but by stepping into environments where opportunity already exists.

And this is where the gap really shows up.

Most people want high-income outcomes with low-discomfort paths.

That doesn’t exist.

The electricians hitting $120K, $150K, and beyond are not doing average things. They’re making decisions that most people avoid, especially early in their careers.

Now, if you’re reading this as an operator or school owner, there’s another layer to this.

This is exactly what workforce funding is built for.

Programs like WIOA are not designed to fund random courses. They’re designed to fund pathways into high-demand, high-wage careers. And right now, this is one of the clearest examples of that in the country.

But most schools still get this wrong.

They build programs around what they want to teach instead of what the market is demanding. They focus on curriculum instead of outcomes. They talk about certifications instead of income and employment.

And then they wonder why they struggle to get approved or scale.

The opportunity here is not just to train people.

It’s to align with what’s already happening.

If you can build a program that leads into this ecosystem, connect with employers who are actively hiring, and show a clear path from enrollment to employment, you’re not just creating a school. You’re plugging into a system that is already funded and already in need of solutions.

That’s the difference.

The opportunity isn’t hidden. It’s just uncomfortable.

Because it requires people to rethink what they were told was the “right path.”

And most people won’t do that.

But the ones who do are going to benefit from one of the biggest shifts in the job market we’ve seen in a long time.

Until next time, control what YOU can control, take action on something, and don’t forget to smile. Like what you read?

Here’s how you can help:  Share this newsletter with friends who could use a boost. Sharing is caring! Connect with me on X (formerly Twitter) – let's chat and support each other.

Find me at @Trade Schools Secrets-WIOA Whisperer