Why the Trades Are the Best Career Path Nobody Talks About

I have watched people spend four years and six figures on a degree they never use while electricians and plumbers half their age were buying houses. I have hired hundreds of tradespeople over the past two decades, built a commercial roofing company from scratch, and now run four markets for a national home improvement company. The skilled trades changed my life. They can change yours too.

This is not a knock on college. It is a statement of fact: the trades are one of the most reliable, high-paying, recession-resistant career paths in America, and almost nobody in a position of influence is telling young people about it.

The numbers tell the story

Here is the reality that guidance counselors are not sharing. The construction industry alone needs to hire an additional 499,000 workers by 2026 according to industry projections. Over 211,000 new skilled trade positions are projected by 2033. The shortage is not slowing down. It is accelerating because an entire generation of tradespeople is hitting retirement age and there are not enough younger workers coming up behind them.

When demand outstrips supply, prices go up. That is Economics 101, and it applies to labor just like anything else. The average skilled trades professional in the United States now earns between $65,000 and $85,000 annually. Licensed electricians, plumbers, HVAC technicians, and linemen routinely match or exceed the median pay of popular bachelor’s degrees. Some experienced tradespeople pull $100,000 to $150,000 depending on specialty and location.

Companies are offering signing bonuses between $5,000 and $15,000 for experienced professionals. That was unheard of ten years ago. The market has shifted, and the people who recognized it early are the ones benefiting.

What I learned building a roofing company

In 2002, I started Penebaker Enterprises, a commercial roofing and sheet metal company in Milwaukee. I started with $1.5 million in revenue and grew it to $15 million over the next nine years with about 50 employees at peak. Later, I helped grow Roofed Right America to over $35 million in revenue with 180 employees.

Here is what I can tell you from the inside: the people who made those companies run were tradespeople. Not MBAs. Not consultants. People who understood EPDM and TPO membrane systems, who could read architectural drawings, who knew ANSI/SPRI standards, who could fabricate sheet metal on site when the specs did not match reality.

I had my OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 certifications. I completed Asbestos Supervisor training. I learned GAF products, JM insulation systems, building envelope science. None of that came from a university. All of it came from the field, from mentors, from manufacturers, and from the daily discipline of showing up and getting better at something tangible.

The best foremen and project managers I ever worked with did not have degrees. They had experience, problem-solving ability, and the kind of credibility you only earn by doing the work. I trusted them with million-dollar projects because they had proven they could deliver. That is what the trades give you: the ability to prove your value through results, not credentials.

The college debt trap

Let me lay out the math. The average four-year college degree now costs over $100,000 when you factor in tuition, room, board, and fees. A trade school program runs $5,000 to $30,000. Apprenticeship programs, which are expanding across the country, let you earn wages while you learn.

The average trade school graduate carries about $10,000 in debt and enters the workforce in under two years. The average college graduate carries significantly more and spends four years (often more) before earning a full-time paycheck.

Run the numbers on a 22-year-old electrician who started an apprenticeship at 18 versus a 22-year-old college graduate with $80,000 in student loans. By the time the college graduate starts their first real job, the electrician has four years of experience, no debt, and is probably earning more. That is not an edge case. That is the norm in many trades.

I am not saying college is a waste. For doctors, lawyers, engineers, and certain technical fields, a degree is non-negotiable. But for the millions of people being told they need a four-year degree to have a good life, the trades offer a faster, cheaper, and often more lucrative path to the same destination: financial stability and career satisfaction.

Why nobody talks about it

In a McKinsey survey of 1,000 young adults aged 18 to 20, 74 percent said trade jobs carried a stigma. That is the problem right there. Somewhere along the way, we decided that working with your hands was less valuable than working at a desk. That the person who installs the electrical system in a hospital is less important than the person who manages the hospital’s social media account.

I have done both office work and field work. I have managed P&Ls in boardrooms and walked commercial rooftops in January in Wisconsin. The physical work was harder. It was also more honest, more immediately rewarding, and more directly connected to something real. When you finish a roof, you can see it. When you wire a building, people can turn on the lights. There is a satisfaction in that kind of work that spreadsheets do not provide.

The stigma is not just cultural. It is institutional. High school counselors push college because that is what the system incentivizes. Trade schools do not send recruiters to career fairs the way universities do. Parents want to tell their friends their kid is going to State, not that their kid is starting a plumbing apprenticeship. None of that changes the economics. The plumber might retire richer.

The home improvement industry is booming

I now run four markets for a national home improvement company covering Chicago, Madison, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis. I see the demand firsthand every single day. The home improvement market is valued at over $930 billion and growing at roughly 4% annually. The “do it for me” segment alone is nearly $575 billion.

That means homeowners are spending more, not less, on professional installation and renovation. Every dollar of that spending creates jobs. Installers. Project managers. Design consultants. Estimators. Branch managers. Regional leaders. I have watched people start as installers and work their way into six-figure management roles within five to seven years. The path exists if you are willing to walk it.

The industry also has a massive talent gap. We are actively hiring across all four of my markets right now. That is not unique to my company. Every home improvement operation I know is looking for people. When supply cannot meet demand, the people who show up and perform get promoted fast.

What a trades career actually looks like

People think “trades” means you are swinging a hammer until you are 65. That is outdated. Here is what a trades career can actually look like:

Years 1-2: Apprenticeship or trade school. You are learning, earning, and building foundational skills. You might start at $35,000 to $45,000 depending on the trade and location.

Years 3-5: Journeyman level. You have your certifications. You are running jobs independently. Income jumps to $55,000 to $75,000. Some specialties go higher.

Years 5-10: You are either becoming a master in your trade, moving into project management, or starting to think about your own business. Income potential: $75,000 to $120,000+.

Years 10+: You are a foreman, superintendent, estimator, branch manager, or business owner. You might be running a crew, managing a region, or building your own company. I started my roofing business in my mid-twenties. Within a decade, it was a $15 million operation.

The ceiling is as high as your ambition. The floor is a stable, well-paying job in an industry that cannot function without you.

Trades build more than buildings

I have written about what running for Congress taught me about business. But the truth is, business taught me more about life than politics ever did. And the trades taught me business.

When you run a roofing crew, you learn project management in real time. When you estimate a job wrong, you learn accountability because the money comes out of your margin, not someone else’s budget. When you have to fire someone for cutting safety corners, you learn that leadership under pressure means protecting your team even when it is uncomfortable.

The trades teach discipline, precision, teamwork, problem-solving, and resilience. Every one of those skills transfers directly to management, entrepreneurship, and executive leadership. The best business operators I know started by building something with their hands.

Who should consider the trades

If you are a high school student who is not excited about sitting in lectures for four more years, the trades might be your path. If you are a mid-career professional who is burned out on office politics and wants work that feels tangible, the trades are hiring. If you are a parent wondering what to tell your kid about career options, tell them the truth: a skilled tradesperson with a strong work ethic will never be unemployed.

Wisconsin is seeing construction apprenticeships rise, but projections show they could grow faster. Nationally, over 451,000 apprentices are active in the construction industry, a 22% increase over the past five years. The infrastructure is there. The demand is there. The money is there. The only thing missing is people willing to show up.

Advice from someone who has been on both sides

I sit in a unique position. I have been the guy on the roof and the guy in the corner office. I have written estimates on the hood of a truck and presented revenue forecasts to a division president. Both sides taught me something, but the field taught me first and it taught me more.

If I were talking to an 18-year-old today, here is what I would say. Forget what people think about blue-collar work. Look at what it actually provides. A career in the trades gives you a skill that cannot be outsourced. You cannot send a roof installation overseas. You cannot automate a plumbing repair with software. The work has to be done by a person, on site, with knowledge and tools. That is job security in its purest form.

For parents, I would say this: do not let your ego determine your child’s career. If your kid likes building things, fixing things, or working with their hands, encourage that. The world needs people who can build and maintain the physical infrastructure we all depend on. Those people are compensated well, respected by the people they work for, and rarely unemployed.

For mid-career professionals thinking about a change, the barrier to entry is lower than you think. Trade school programs run 6 to 24 months. Apprenticeships pay you while you learn. And companies like the one I work for are investing in training because they cannot find enough qualified people. The door is wide open.

I have hired people in their 30s and 40s who switched into the trades from unrelated fields. Many of them told me it was the best career decision they ever made. They went from feeling stuck to feeling essential. That matters more than most people realize.

The bottom line

I have built companies, managed regions, run political campaigns, and served on national boards. The foundation for all of it was laid in the trades. The roofing industry taught me how to read people, manage risk, deliver results under pressure, and build something from nothing.

The trades are not a fallback. They are a launchpad. And if you are willing to work, learn, and stay consistent, they will take you further than you think possible.

If you are interested in what a career in home improvement looks like from the leadership side, visit my experience page. And if you want to understand the mindset that drives success in any industry, explore my writing on leadership and business.

Last updated: March 10, 2026