According to a new Gallup poll, just 36% of American adults have “quite a lot” or “a great deal” of confidence in higher education. This is down from 57% in 2015.

Why? The main factor for this downturn in confidence is the skyrocketing cost of college. Many Americans simply don’t believe that higher education is worth the cost.

The student debt “crisis” is emblematic of this problem. Too many college graduates are finding that employment after college doesn’t pay enough to cover their tens of thousands (or more) in student loan debt. Waiting for Joe Biden’s phony “generosity” isn’t always an option, either.

Another factor is what’s being taught at too many colleges and universities. Many of them have become little other than indoctrination centers for leftist ideology. They are not focused on teaching students how to think but rather what to think. Why would anyone want to go into debt to be indoctrinated in diversity, equity, and inclusion? It’s a recipe for stunting genuine intellectual curiosity, scientific innovation, and personal development.

These are reasons why a growing number of high school graduates are opting for trade schools. “More students are gravitating towards the trades because it’s hands-on and you can make a lucrative career for yourself right out of high school without financing $150,000 of debt to attend a four-year college,” says Vince Gregg, principal of Blue Ridge Technical Center in Front Royal, Virginia. He observes that over the last few years, enrollment in the technical school has been booming.

Down in Clearwater, Florida, Pinellas Technical College has seen similar growth, with annual enrollment having increased by 4% over the last two years. The trade school offers seven apprenticeship programs and 30 certifications. The trade school’s director, Jakub Prokop, noted that this growth is unusual. “Historically, technical colleges experience an enrollment decline in times of low unemployment,” he said, “but we’re seeing the opposite for the first time in at least 30 years.”

The likely reason for this is twofold. The first is financial. Trade school graduates not only make money as they learn, thereby avoiding a mountain of debt, but they also command higher starting salaries: an average of $50,000. Second, there is an opportunity to learn and develop valuable hands-on work skills. Whether a plumber, electrician, HVAC technician, computer technician, or construction worker, to name a few, the opportunities in the trades have never been better.

Our Pop Culture Contrarian Podcast team, of which I am a part, discussed this issue in a recent episode: “Gen Z: The Tool Belt Generation and the Evolving World.”

Since the pandemic, trade schools have seen enrollment numbers jump. From Spring 2023 to Spring 2024, trade school enrollment jumped 4.7%, totaling 4.4 million students. Meanwhile, traditional four-year colleges saw only a 1.7% growth in enrollment over the same period.

The numbers show that a growing number of high school graduates are making a more fiscally wise decision. For many, it’s also a more satisfying one.