Maybe We Got It Wrong About College: Why Gen X Parents Are Rethinking Success

I’ll admit it. We might owe our kids an apology.

For years, my generation sold the idea that college was the only ticket to a stable life. We handed out applications like they were golden passes to the good life. But looking around now, I’m not so sure that advice still holds up.

I saw a post online from another Gen X parent that hit me like a gut punch: “We owe our kids an apology.”

It wasn’t bitter, just brutally honest. She’d been listening to a story about the shortage of electricians when it finally clicked. The very parents who grew up hearing “no degree, no future” are the ones who pushed their own kids into debt chasing degrees that don’t always lead to steady work or decent pay.

The Reality Check

This isn’t just internet hand-wringing. The numbers tell the same story.

Electricians, HVAC techs, welders, and other skilled trades are booming. Electricians are pulling in a median of over sixty-two thousand dollars a year as of 2024, and HVAC techs aren’t far behind. Add a little overtime or your own business and those paychecks grow fast.

Meanwhile, nearly 70 percent of construction and manufacturing companies say they can’t find enough skilled workers. They’re raising wages, delaying projects, and even offering paid training just to get people in the door. The demand is real, and it’s paying.

What Changed

Technology, policy, and even the climate conversation are all shifting the economy toward trades.

Electric vehicles need charging stations. Smart homes need wiring. Renewable energy needs technicians who can install and maintain systems that don’t run on a spreadsheet.

Compare that with some four-year degrees where starting salaries can sit in the mid-thirties or forties, even after years of tuition bills and loan payments. It’s not that college is bad, it’s that the return isn’t guaranteed anymore.

What the Trades Are Saying

People in the trades have mixed feelings about all this attention. Some are glad the respect is finally catching up, while others warn it’s not easy money. These are physical jobs, real sweat, real tolls on the body. But they’re also jobs that build things we all rely on, and that’s something to be proud of.

Most of us who pushed college weren’t trying to steer our kids wrong. We just wanted them to have it easier than we did. But “easier” doesn’t always come with a diploma. Sometimes it comes with a certification, an apprenticeship, and a paycheck that starts while you’re still learning.

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer here. College still opens doors in many fields, but so does knowing your way around a breaker box. The real question is: which path leads to independence sooner without burying you in debt?

For some families, the debate comes down to physical strain versus financial strain. A sore back versus student loans. Either way, it’s about being honest about risk and reward.

The Apology We Owe

That online post wasn’t about guilt. It was about humility.

We passed along advice that made sense for our time, but the world moved faster than we realized. The apology isn’t about being wrong, it’s about being willing to adjust and admit that “college or bust” might have been too narrow a message for today’s world.

So What Now?

Start with facts, not tradition.

Look up local wage data, apprenticeship programs, and certification options. A lot of trades pay you while you train, with no student loan bill attached. Community colleges and technical programs can be gateways to solid, respected careers.

Maybe the smartest path is a mix, like a trade certificate paired with a few business or management classes. Maybe it’s working first and studying later. The point is, options exist.

The Real Lesson

We wanted better for our kids. That hasn’t changed.

But the definition of “better” has. The new version includes trades, techs, builders, and creators right alongside doctors and lawyers. Wanting better doesn’t mean sticking to an old map. It means knowing when it’s time to redraw it.