{"id":16104,"date":"2026-07-02T16:42:27","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T16:42:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=16104"},"modified":"2026-07-02T16:42:27","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T16:42:27","slug":"job-forever-trade-schools-are-all-the-rage-in-the-ai-era","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=16104","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Job forever&#8217;: trade schools are all the rage in the AI era"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <div style=\"display: grid; grid-template-columns: 300px 160px; gap: 2px; width: 460px; background: #eee; padding: 2px;\">\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u6574\u884c\u5bbd\u5e7f\u544a -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876674\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 90px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876676\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u5de6\u4fa7\u7ad6\u6392 -->\r\n  <div style=\"height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876672\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"height: 500px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876680\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u53f3\u4fa7\u6469\u5929\u697c\uff08\u548c\u5de6\u4fa7\u5b8c\u5168\u5bf9\u9f50\uff09 -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-row: 3\/5; height: 750px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876678\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  \r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e6\" data-zoneid=\"5876682\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n<\/div><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-right:0;padding-left:0\">\n<p>Long looked down upon, skilled trades are booming in the United States, especially among young adults drawn by strong demand \u2014 even as artificial intelligence (AI) eats into service-sector jobs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think it\u2019s definitely shifting,\u201d said Nizier Lawrence, in his early twenties.<\/p>\n<p>Prior to the pandemic, \u201cpeople weren\u2019t really talking about going to trade school, vocational schools, stuff like that. It was like: \u2018Go to college, get your four years.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The New Yorker spent three years at Keuka College, a private school upstate, before changing plans. \u201cI wanted a break,\u201d he remembers, partly because he was \u201chomesick\u201d for the city.<\/p>\n<p>He subsequently enrolled at Apex Technical School in Manhattan to train as an electrician and hasn\u2019t looked back.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m learning more in three weeks than I did in college in three years,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 AI and job security \u2013<\/p>\n<p>Students here don\u2019t have much to say about AI, but they quickly turn to job security, reflecting a concern that stands in contrast with the US\u2019s low unemployment rate of roughly four percent.<\/p>\n<p>Among 27- to 39-year-olds who use AI multiple times a week, only 22 percent believe their jobs are \u201csafe from being eliminated,\u201d according to payroll group ADP\u2019s People at Work 2026 report.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think a lot of people should probably pivot towards trade,\u201d said Lawrence. \u201cYou\u2019ll have a job forever, you\u2019re gonna make a lot of money.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019ll always need electricians,\u201d said Anthony Byrd, one of Lawrence\u2019s classmates. \u201cEverything is powered by electricity right now. Without us, the whole world would probably fall apart.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The rise of AI has sparked a boom in data center construction, creating a need for numerous skilled tradespeople \u2014 especially electricians.<\/p>\n<p>Employment of electricians is projected to grow 9 percent from 2024 to 2034, much faster than the average for all occupations, according to a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics released two years ago.<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 \u2018Craving connectedness\u2019 \u2013<\/p>\n<p>The student body has been getting younger, with \u201ca lot more students from the high schools\u201d enrolling at Apex Technical School, said Zelda Cuesta, agency coordinator.<\/p>\n<p>In the past, administrators \u201cfrowned upon trade schools, they wanted to steer everybody to go to college.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Now, \u201cwhen I go to a high school, I\u2019m a rock star,\u201d Cuesta said.<\/p>\n<p>Many students point out that while the cost of training is significant \u2014 totaling around $18,000 \u2014 it is far less than the cost of university, which is estimated at over $38,000 per year in the United States, according to data website Education Data Initiative.<\/p>\n<p>Not to mention that a university degree takes at least four years to complete, whereas Apex trains an electrician in seven months on average.<\/p>\n<p>According to the Department of Labor, the average salary for an electrician surged by 55 percent between 2015 and 2025.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I do the tour and they come in to visit the school, I do reinforce AI is not going to be able to take over our jobs,\u201d Cuesta said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBuildings will still have pipes running through them, they\u2019ll still have wires running through them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Apex also trains plumbers, HVAC technicians, welders and cooks.<\/p>\n<p>An advisor with the culinary program, Amy Quazza, thinks \u201cwe kind of drift back to tradition when things are untethered or feeling untethered,\u201d which explains the renewed appeal of old-economy trades.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond the threat of AI, Cuesta connects this newfound popularity of manual trades to the pandemic and long periods of confinement.<\/p>\n<p>Jaydon Negron, another one of Lawrence\u2019s classmates, remembers \u201cbeing in Covid, and it was so depressing. And when it came to deciding (on higher education), I was like, hands-on work is definitely more my field, because I just can\u2019t stay still.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lawrence praises the opportunity to \u201cmeet a lot of people\u201d and foster connections.<\/p>\n<p>Quazza sees a generation \u201creally craving that connectedness\u2026and that\u2019s what draws many people to the kitchen.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- \u603b\u5bb9\u5668\uff1a\u6700\u5927\u5bbd908px Grid\u7d27\u51d1\u5e03\u5c40 -->\r\n<div style=\"display: grid; grid-template-columns: 728px 160px; gap:2px; width:908px; background:#eee; padding:2px;\">\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u901a\u680f\u9876\u90e8\uff1a\u6700\u5927\u6a2a\u5e45 908x258 \u8de8\u6574\u884c -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column:1\/-1; height:258px; background:#ff6b6b; display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n    <!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114307\" data-width=\"908\" data-height=\"258\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114307});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u7b2c\u4e8c\u901a\u680f\uff1a728\u00d790 \u901a\u680f -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column:1\/-1; 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display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n\t<!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114302\" data-width=\"133\" data-height=\"139\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114302});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n    <div style=\"height:125px; background:#91e7ac; display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n\t\r\n<!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114303\" data-width=\"125\" data-height=\"125\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114303});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u53f3\u4fa7\u7ad6\u680f\uff1a160\u00d7600 \u6574\u5217\u9ad8\u5e7f\u544a -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-row:3\/8; height:600px;  display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n    <!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114301\" data-width=\"160\" data-height=\"600\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114301});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n<\/div><br \/>\n<br \/> &#8216;Job forever&#8217;: trade schools are all the rage in the AI era<br \/>\n<br \/>#Job #trade #schools #rage #era<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Long looked down upon, skilled trades are booming in the United States, especially among young&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16105,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[1816,100,2446,3057,18],"class_list":["post-16104","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","tag-era","tag-job","tag-rage","tag-schools","tag-trade"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/d52916b7780540c11b8193fd93476aa757e75cd4.jpg",768,512,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/d52916b7780540c11b8193fd93476aa757e75cd4-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/d52916b7780540c11b8193fd93476aa757e75cd4-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/d52916b7780540c11b8193fd93476aa757e75cd4.jpg",640,427,false],"large":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/d52916b7780540c11b8193fd93476aa757e75cd4.jpg",640,427,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/d52916b7780540c11b8193fd93476aa757e75cd4.jpg",768,512,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/d52916b7780540c11b8193fd93476aa757e75cd4.jpg",768,512,false],"covernews-slider-full":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/d52916b7780540c11b8193fd93476aa757e75cd4.jpg",768,512,false],"covernews-slider-center":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/d52916b7780540c11b8193fd93476aa757e75cd4-768x500.jpg",768,500,true],"covernews-featured":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/d52916b7780540c11b8193fd93476aa757e75cd4.jpg",768,512,false],"covernews-medium":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/d52916b7780540c11b8193fd93476aa757e75cd4-540x340.jpg",540,340,true],"covernews-medium-square":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/d52916b7780540c11b8193fd93476aa757e75cd4-400x250.jpg",400,250,true]},"author_info":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?author=1"},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?cat=7\" rel=\"category\">Stories<\/a>","tag_info":"Stories","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16104","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16104"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16104\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/16105"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16104"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16104"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16104"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}