Financially Speaking: Summer Reflections and Career Directions

By Fred Dunbar

Endless Summer has so many great connotations. To me, it is a state of mind. Perhaps you think of it as a lifestyle of perpetual warmth and sunshine, popularized by the 1974 movie “Endless Summer.” If you’re finishing up your career, it may represent peace, happiness, prosperity, and tranquility, as you now have time to do all the things you’ve always dreamed of doing. If you’ve just graduated from high school, it might mean new opportunities that feel endless.

As we approach Labor Day weekend, many of you may be sad to see the summer go, while others may be quite happy. One of the best lines I’ve heard came from a neighbor watching the long line of traffic leave the island on Labor Day: “Thankfully, we get our island back.” Suddenly, the beaches aren’t as crowded, and getting into your favorite restaurant becomes easier. You may have already noticed fewer lifeguards on the beach and reduced staff at restaurants, as many waitstaff have headed back to college, since most classes start around Aug. 25. Recent high school graduates from the class of 2025 will be leaving a little earlier for freshman orientation. Hopefully, all those heading to college this year will do well and fulfill their parents’ dream of graduating in four years or less. Good luck with that.

Over the past 50 years or so, our country has shifted away from encouraging students to pursue the paths where they may find the most success in life. There is pressure at all levels – federal, state, and local – to prepare students for college at all costs.

“Education World,” founded in 1996 to provide resources for educators, has published some eye-opening data: 70% of high school students attend college, and of those, 40% who begin a four-year program do not complete it. Our obsession with college readiness often leads to broken promises and, for many, enormous debt. In fact, 37% of employed college graduates are doing work that doesn’t require a college degree.

When I attended Monsignor Bonner High School back in the early ’70s, vocational-technical (vo-tech) education was offered to interested students. Back then, as now, some students had an aptitude for the trades. Those in the program spent the first part of the day in regular education classes before heading off to trade school. There are many success stories among those who pursued the trades. Over the years, I’ve discovered that the mechanic who fixes my car, my electrician, plumber, and carpenter all own homes down the shore. Perhaps several of your neighbors, both here and back home, never attended college but are incredibly successful. Increased efforts to recruit high school students into trades like plumbing, electrical work, and welding have helped spark a revitalization of shop classes in many school districts.

Earlier this year, several articles highlighted 2025 high school graduates entering the trades. Te-Ping Chen wrote an excellent piece in The Wall Street Journal in May about high school juniors and graduates landing jobs that pay a living wage. Companies facing skilled labor shortages are turning to shop classes to fill the gap.

Chen specifically mentions Father Judge High School in Philadelphia, where all 24 seniors in the welding program received job offers paying $50,000 or more. A junior in the same program has already secured a $68,000 offer for after graduation. One senior was recruited to become a nuclear submarine welder for a defense contractor in New Jersey, with a starting salary of $75,000. That student was thrilled to land a job with no college debt, while his college-bound friends were astonished to hear how much he could earn without a degree.

With so many baby boomers retiring, there’s a real shortage of skilled labor. Students in shop classes are being courted like star athletes. Constellation, a Baltimore-based energy company that operates nuclear power plants, is offering positions to high school graduates paying as much as six figures with no four-year degree required.

It’s not just employers stepping up. Angie Simon, former CEO of a mechanical contracting firm in California, started a summer program called the “Heavy Metal Summer Experience.” It introduces high school students to careers in the trades, such as plumbing, piping, and welding. The program is free and now hosts 900 students across 51 U.S. locations. It’s run by local contractors, many of whom offer jobs to participants after completing the program.

Chen’s article also mentions an automotive group that brings in several high school students part-time each year. They receive academic credit while gaining hands-on experience, positioning them at the front of the line for full-time employment after graduation. The director of the program noted: “The idea of growing your own talent has gotten more critical in recent years, when fewer and fewer people are going into this industry.”

Just a decade ago, high school administrators often snubbed local skilled-trade employers seeking a table at career fairs. Thankfully, attitudes have changed. Many schools are now committed to providing students with real alternatives to college. Hopefully, we are witnessing a true paradigm shift in secondary education.

One artificial intelligence expert, Ben Goertzel, predicted that the technology could replace up to 80% of jobs “in the next few years.” But Mike Rowe, producer of the television show “Dirty Jobs,” offered a different perspective: “People used to say robots (AI) are going to destroy skilled labor. I haven’t seen any plumbing robots. I haven’t seen any electrician robots. And I don’t think we’re going to see any artificial intelligence in the skilled trades to that degree.”

Whether or not you have a college degree, success is often tied to loving what you do. As the saying often attributed to Mark Twain goes, “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” I’ve always loved that saying – it is so true.

As we head into the spirit of an endless summer, I hope you enjoy the riches of what you’re doing, whether you’re just starting out, winding down, or somewhere in between.

So, welcome September: Head to the beach with your favorite book, chair, and beverage, and enjoy your endless summer.


Fred Dunbar, CLU®, ChFC®, RFC®, AIF®, is the former President of Planning Directions, Inc., a registered investment adviser, and Common Cents Planning, Inc.. Securities are offered through Commonwealth Financial Network®, member FINRA/SIPC. Fred may be contacted at 800-647-0762, by e-mail at freddunbar@commoncentsplanning.com or by mail at 239 Baltimore Pike, Glen Mills, PA, 19342.

This commentary is meant for general informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional financial, tax or legal advice. Investing involves risks including the potential loss of principal. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

Fred Dunbar

Fred Dunbar, who writes our “Financially Speaking” column, is a registered investment adviser and president of Planning Directions, Inc., and Common Cents Planning, Inc. Fred summers in Sea Isle and is always happy to meet with you “down the shore.”

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