Note: The following reflection first appeared in my weekly Top of Mind newsletter, which goes out to subscribers every Thursday. Sign up to receive it directly in your inbox.

This week, I spoke with Maverick Garza, a 22-year-old rig welder in the Houston area who told me he has been financially independent since he was 19.

While nearly half of recent college graduates now live with their parents or other relatives, Garza’s path led him to a lucrative career and spared him from having to move back home. He attended South Texas College, completed a two-year welding program, graduated debt-free, and today earns close to—or, with overtime and per diem, more than—six figures. He’s also using the skills he’s learned in the trades to build his own business on the side.

Last week, I wrote about elite overproduction, the idea that higher education is producing more degree holders than the economy has high-status, high-paying careers to absorb them into. The result is delayed financial independence, as many young graduates struggle to find work that lives up to what their degrees promised. I argued that this frustration carries political consequences, pushing economically disappointed graduates toward radical political position such “democratic socialism.”

Garza’s story isn’t a full-on indictment of higher education, nor is it an argument that everyone should become a welder, but at a time when so many young people are struggling to gain their financial footing, it’s a reminder that the traditional four-year degree is not, and never has been, the only path to a successful and financially independent life. Recognizing that fact would benefit more than the individuals who choose the non-traditional route. Critical industries, including national defense, face persistent shortages of qualified welders, electricians, and other skilled tradesmen. The AUKUS nuclear submarine program, my colleague Chance Layton tells me, has struggled to recruit enough skilled workers despite offering signing bonuses exceeding $80,000 and salaries well into six figures.

If a young person’s primary goal is to build a career, earn a good living, and become independent, there are more options available than our culture often acknowledges. I hope Garza’s story reaches the young people who are right at the point of deciding what path is right for them.

You can read the full essay here.

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