Careers in Construction Pave Way for Economic Mobility
In an article published in The Wall Street Journal July 18, Dakota Blazier shared his story about his decision to forego the traditional university route and take the road that is traveled a little too infrequently. The 18 year old from Indiana started down the path to a career in construction when he first took a basic construction skills course from the Associated Builders and Contractors Indiana/Kentucky chapter his junior year of high school and mapped out his plans to begin training with ABC through Gaylor Electric in the fall. The article quotes:
“‘I discovered a long time ago,’ Blazier explained, ‘I’m not book smart. I don’t like sitting still, and I learn better when the problem is practical.’ But he didn’t feel this limited his options—to the contrary. And he was executing a plan as purposeful as that of any of his high-school peers.”
The article also cites that just 3 in 10 Americans age 25 or older have bachelor’s degrees, 8% are high-school dropouts, and more than 60% are in similar circumstances to Blazier who knew a university wasn’t for him.
To read the full article titled “This Way Up: Mobility in America: Economic mobility is alive and well for Americans who pursue technical or practical training” click here.
Contributor since July 2013
Donna Puglisi works in the Public Affairs department for ABC National
