Would You Encourage The Next Generation to Get Into Your Trade?

Being an entrepreneur in today’s world is the only way to get off the hamster wheel. Using your hands, mind, knowledge and creativity can stave off anxiety and depression. So I absolutely have encouraged my kiddos to follow my lead. Find a hole that is missing, help make peoples lives easier, work hard and hustle to get traction. Then working doesn’t feel like a grind when you love and can control what you do. 

Without question I tell every young person to get into a trade. Not only to get into a trade, really take it in and become a master of your craft. Hardworking, quality Tradesmen are always going to be in high demand. If you can find your niche and excel, the sky is the limit.

Hey Julie, great question!

​Industry: Exterior Cleaning & Paint

​Would I recommend it? Absolutely, without hesitation.

​That 67% stat makes total sense to me! If a young person came to me today asking for career advice, I’d tell them to jump into the trades in a heartbeat—not just to pick up a trade, but as a real path toward owning their own business.

​A few reasons why I feel so strongly about it:

• ​AI-Proof Work: You simply can't automate washing or painting a house. As long as folks own property, there’s always going to be work that needs a real person's hands.
• ​Low Debt, Real Control: Skipping massive student loans to start lean and build equity in something you actually own is a massive advantage today.
• ​The Power of Simple Professionalism: You don't have to overcomplicate success. If you show up on time, communicate clearly, and treat people right, you’ll stand out immediately and never run out of work.

​It’s definitely hard work, but for anyone who wants control over their income, their time, and their future, it’s one of the best moves you can make!

I recently (2024) graduated from Arizona State University after a much-prolonged absence from college, having to drop out due to financial concerns in my early 20s. Fortunately, I was able to go onto have a career immediately and be able to retire from that before turning 40. Now I am a business owner, coach, and mentor to many in my younger self's shoes. While I was in college, I had met many a young gen Z adult. A few of them would piggyback off my experience for advice. The one thing I always talked to them about is IF they wanted to become the wealthiest, most successful friend in their friend group what they would do is take their college education, get in a trade, and then apply those items to their own business. I certainly felt like I was just spewing experienced wisdom that would fall on deaf ears. Within a couple years there are a few that decided not to take the path of working for Big Four consulting firms. Instead opting for a skill/trade to grow themselves on based on conversations we had as well as research they did on their own. 

I think the myth of college is the only way to be successful in life has truly been debunked. THE most successful people I know and have met in my life have started their own business from a trade/skill. If I had kids, I would give them that option vs college when helping guide and pay for their first venture away from home. I think a lot of parents and young adults are seeing how crucial the trades are to society. In my opinion, it's been the most reliable position to take care of a family and put bread on the table since World War II.

Thanks for sharing the Blue Collar Report! Have you noticed this in your own experience?


Matt
Kalea Consulting

Honestly - no haha I would encourage them to get in a more specialized trade. Riches are in the niches. Doing handyman or general contracting seems cool but man oh man is it stressful. Do something more specific and get darn good at it. Your day to day will be easier. It's easier to scale. And you won't have to have as many "learning opportunities" on every dang job. haha

Absolutely. I’m in the residential cleaning industry, and I would encourage the next generation to consider it, especially because I think people underestimate where a career in this industry can lead.

I have two daughters, and I’ve tossed the idea of taking over the business into their laps more than once. Right now, I don’t necessarily see either of them heading that direction, but they’re still figuring out what they want to be when they grow up, so who knows!

What I want them to understand is that this industry gave me much more than a job. It gave me the opportunity to build something that eventually didn’t require me to be in daily operations. I’ve been out of the day-to-day for over two years now, and my role has shifted much more toward developing leaders and helping other women grow.

And if my daughters ultimately want nothing to do with it? That’s okay too. I’m not opposed to eventually hiring someone who can replace me as CEO and letting the company become part of my retirement plan.

To me, that’s one of the biggest opportunities in the trades and service industries: you can learn the work, but you can also build something much bigger than the work itself.

I'm in residential design, and I have mixed feelings about this one.

I absolutely love what I do and can't imagine not having creativity and design as part of my life. But would I recommend it to someone younger? Yes, with a very honest conversation first.

You need the mental toughness of a rhinoceros, the love of puzzles, and sometimes the skills of a counselor.

The creative side is incredibly rewarding, but there's so much more to the profession than designing beautiful homes. You're balancing client dreams with budgets, building codes, engineering, site constraints, contractors, permitting, deadlines, and sometimes competing priorities between everyone involved. A large part of the job is actually communication and problem solving.

But then you get to see something that once existed only as an idea become someone's home. That's pretty hard to beat.

So yes, I'd encourage the next generation to consider it. I'd just make sure they understood the whole profession, not only the beautiful finished product. 

I’m in the mobile detailing business, ive always loved dealing with cars and attending car shows.. and absolutely, I’d encourage the next generation to consider it. Detailing teaches you more than just cleaning cars; it teaches customer service, sales, discipline, attention to detail, and how to build something of your own. You can start small, learn the trade, build a customer base, and grow it into a serious business. It’s a great path for someone who wants to work with their hands and eventually be their own boss. 🚗💪