Becoming the ’Toolbelt Generation’

A few years ago, I was watching the NCAA college basketball tournament on TV. During a timeout, there was a commercial for a car rental company. The commercial showed several college athletes who were now working for the company. They all looked bright and enthusiastic, but I wondered, “What, if anything, did they learn in college that ended up helping them in their work at a car rental company?”

I graduated from college many years ago. It was a good experience. But, to be honest, there wasn’t anything in those classes at ECU that prepared me for my 30-year work career with the N.C. Dept. of Revenue. The only benefit was getting the diploma, which was a necessary requirement on the job application.

I grew up at a time when it was thought that if you wanted to get ahead, you had to go to college. In a large part, that attitude continues today. Paying for college back then wasn’t easy. There was hard work on the farm and sacrifices by my parents. But compared to today, the cost was cheap. Now the average total cost of a four year degree is around $150,000. And the average student debt is around $30,000 in student loans after graduation.

But the attitude toward the necessity of a college education among young people is changing. In a recent article in “The Wall Street Journal,” Te-Ping Chen documents the gradual change in “How Gen Z Is Becoming the Toolbelt Generation.”

Chen writes, “Enrollment in vocational training programs is surging as overall enrollment in community colleges and four-year institutions has fallen. The number of students enrolled in vocational-focused community colleges rose 16% last year to its highest level since the National Student Clearinghouse began tracking such data in 2018. The ranks of students studying construction trades rose 23% during that time, while those in programs covering HVAC and vehicle maintenance and repair increased 7%.”

Generation Z is also discovering that these jobs can pay good money. Yes, it is still true that a college graduate will probably make more, as an average, than a non-college graduate. But it also depends on the specific occupation that the college graduate ends up working. Many young people are deciding that there can be a prosperous career path for them that doesn’t include college.

And will that occupation actually be there in a few years for that college graduate? The very same night after seeing this discussed on TV, Jon Stewart did a bit about Artificial Intelligence on “The Daily Show.” In his funny, over the top, and more descriptive than I prefer way, Stewart showed clips from AI innovators praising the promise and potential of AI to make our lives better.

But, as Stewart pointed out, with the promise and potential, comes another benefit for employers. It’s less employees. As one AI promoter stated, “You can get the same work done with fewer people. That’s just the nature of productivity.” Another described AI as “labor replacing tools.”

What types of jobs will AI replace? I’m not certain, but it will be a lot, its effects will be felt sooner than we think, and by many with a college degree. But I’m sure AI will have much less effect on the plumber working under a sink, an electrician wiring a house, or a welder welding on a pipeline.

As I write this I’m thinking about some younger “toolbelt” guys I know. They are hustling, working long, hard hours. But they are getting ahead, and their future looks bright. Of course, there are occupations that a college education is necessary, and we need qualified people in those occupations. But we also need “toolbelt” folks, too. And more and more young people are starting to head in that direction.