I recently read an article in The New York Times by Jefferey J. Selingo entitled, “Wanted:  Factory Workers, Degree Required” that speaks to the new reality of joining the workforce after high school graduation.  Selingo states that the high school diploma is not enough to fill jobs that once sustained the working class.  He doesn’t say that everyone must get a four-year college degree however if you don’t, more training will be necessary to compete for increasingly technical factory jobs traditionally defined as “blue collar”.  The idea of graduating from high school and getting a “good factory job” and keeping that job until retirement is now completely obsolete. Today’s future factory workers need more training now and more training in the future as manufacturing technologies continually change.

The good news is that employers are working with community colleges to meet this challenge and for students willing to keep learning after high school the additional time spent gaining valuable skills is well worth it.  Selingo states that over 40% of middle-skill jobs, jobs that require a high school degree and more specific training after graduation, pay $55,000 a year and, 14% of the jobs pay over $80,000 per year.  Additionally, firms are struggling to fill these positions and good job opportunities are out there for those with technical training—no matter what color collar they wear.