This really grinds my gears...

As I was scrolling through TikTok yesterday evening, I came across the page @doughertydozen, a page ran by a mother of 10 kids. The video (with 11 million views) showed the mom asking each of her 10 children, "What do you want to be when you get older?".

Of course, the younger kids said they wanted to be astronauts, professional basketball players, and movie stars.

When the oldest son Alex was asked, he responded, "a plumber", with a big smile on his face.

At first I didn't think anything of it. But as I read through the comment section my blood began to boil. Here was the top liked comment with over 220,000 likes:

"He could've at least lied"?!?

Do you want to know why the skills gap exists? People like Edwin aren't smart enough to do the math, and instead resort to making fun of the people who can.

As Mike Rowe says, “We have 7.3 million open jobs right now, most of which don’t require a four-year degree. They require training, they require skill and they require a willingness to master a trade that’s in demand. At the moment, we (the U.S.) don’t seem to be valuing the pursuit of a useful skill. We just spent 50 years telling basically everybody that the best path for the most people was a four-year degree. The best path for a kid who can’t afford it and whose brain isn’t hardwired to Mideastern Studies or business development, or whatever it is, might not be borrowing $80,000 to learn a skill that’s no longer in demand.”

He's exactly right. Many students who have graduated from American Diesel's 5-week, hands-on, diesel technician program are earning more than college graduates who spent 4 years and $100,000 earning less-than-useful degrees.

Whether your passion is diesel trucks, plumbing, electricity, welding, or any other in-demand career, you can earn significantly more money without a mound of debt and complete those programs in only a fraction of the time.

To quickly sum it up... don't let your friend's parents, a high school counselor, or just a punk on TikTok stop you from pursuing a new skill and a great career.

Do the math and have the last laugh.

(For more information on American Diesel Training Centers 5-Week Program for Diesel Mechanics Click Here.)