With a BA in English, I have a news flash for Danny there:
“Keep looking. You’re going to be looking for a long time.”
If he had gone to a trade school or community college, and gotten a AS or certificate in welding, diesel mechanics or machining, he would be so busy he wouldn’t have time to talk to reporters.
Right now, the American Welding Society estimates that there will be upwards of 200K welding jobs open in the US economy in the next couple of years. Companies are scratching the earth, looking for people who can weld, show up for work and put in a full day without whining about how hard the work is. Pay goes up to about $30/hour, with a lot of overtime available in many jobs.
But these jobs mean that you can’t sit in a cubicle and screw off. These jobs also require that a person get dirty.
Of course, there are welding jobs that don’t require getting as dirty - eg, TIG welding. But that takes even more skill.
The jobs are there for the taking. The expense required to get the training is quite modest compared to the tuition for a four-year school. Why aren’t young people pursuing these jobs? Because the media, Congress, their parents, guidance counselors, etc — all have demonized people who get dirty.