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If your parents told you that college was the only way to make a living, they weren’t lying — they were just giving advice that expired. A Gen X mom on Reddit recently admitted her generation “screwed up” by pushing kids toward four-year degrees while the real money quietly shifted to the trades.
“We owe our kids an apology,” she wrote in a Reddit post. “Was just listening to an interview about skilled trade work and how many job openings there are for electricians, and it dawned on me that we may have screwed up.”
She explained that her generation grew up believing success required a diploma. “Admittedly we were the generation that were told, ‘no college degree = no job,’ and we ran with that into our own children,” she said.
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Now, she added, their kids are facing the consequences — student debt and jobs that don’t always pay enough to justify it. “If you’ve got a BA in English Lit, you’re looking at $35,000 to $45,000 at a public library,” she wrote. “Everything is going electric — vehicles, home improvement tools, AI centers — and we did our kids a HUGE disservice by pushing them into four-year degrees instead of allowing them to pursue skilled trades.”
Her message to younger generations was blunt but empathetic: “Please look up the potential earnings of welders, pipe fitters and electricians before you send our grandbabies off to a university for a degree that won’t actually translate into earnings. We sincerely wanted better for you but had a blind spot as to how you’d actually be affected by our advice.”
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for electricians is projected to grow 9% between 2024 and 2034, while HVAC mechanics and installers are expected to see 8% growth — both “much faster than average.”
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Meanwhile, wages in these trades have climbed. The median annual pay for electricians was $62,350 in 2024, and HVAC technicians earned $59,810, according to the BLS. Both can rise higher with experience, overtime, or business ownership — and neither requires a four-year degree.
A 2024 McKinsey & Company workforce study found that nearly 70% of U.S. construction and manufacturing firms are struggling to fill trade positions, especially in electrical, HVAC, and welding work. The shortage has forced companies to boost wages, delay projects, and pour money into recruiting and training programs — just to keep the lights on.
Commenters chimed in with their own experiences. One former tradesman who worked his way into management said, “This glorification of the trades has only been going on for the last 10 years. But a degree would have helped me a lot 1990 through 2016.” Another described the physical toll: “Bodies destroyed. Dragging themselves to work each day. Absolute physical agony every workday.”
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Others said the real problem isn’t education itself but how society defines success. “Blue-collar parents weren’t pushing kids to avoid trades because they were self-loathing,” one user wrote. “It’s because they knew these companies will grind your bones to make their bread and wanted better for them.”
Another commenter, whose father worked as a mechanic, said, “He didn’t want me breaking my body for a living — but he also didn’t want me drowning in debt. There has to be balance.”
For the mom who started the conversation, though, the issue isn’t politics or policy — it’s perspective. Her generation pushed degrees as the golden ticket. Now, she’s realizing that ticket came with fine print.
And for a generation that grew up on “get a degree and you’ll be fine,” saying “we owe our kids an apology” might just be the most honest lesson yet.
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This article Gen X Mom Says ‘We Owe Our Kids An Apology’ After Realizing Pushing Them To Get A 4-Year Degree Instead Of Pursuing Skilled Trade Was A ‘HUGE Disservice’ originally appeared on Benzinga.com
