Is It Time for Universities to Welcome the Trades?
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the students who start college full of hope, only to leave before finishing. Maybe they discover the traditional…
Category: Employment Success
Teaching Entrepreneurship in the Trades
Skilled hands can build just about anything—homes, machines, entire systems. But when it comes to building a business? That’s where many tradespeople hit a wall.…
Financial Literacy Is a Skill
When we talk about skills in the trades, we usually mean things you do with your hands: installing wiring, fixing HVAC systems, laying tile, tuning…
Welcome to “The House”
You survived the academy. You earned the badge. Now comes the real test: stepping into your new family. Every shift has its own rhythm. Its…
Why Do So Many Trades Businesses Fail?
They start with promise. A skilled plumber opens their own shop. An HVAC tech builds a client base. A contractor takes on bigger and bigger…
The Hidden Risk in the Trades: Why We Need Stable Skilled Trades Businesses
We often talk about the skilled labor shortage—but there’s a quieter, equally urgent issue hiding in plain sight: the instability of trades businesses themselves. Electricians,…
You’ve Chosen Your Benefits—Now What?
You made it. Whether you read one article or worked your way through the entire onboarding series—congrats on taking a powerful step toward greater financial…
Make Trade Skills Cool Again
In a recent episode of the Level Up Podcast, co-host Addison Wiggin put it simply—and powerfully: “We need to make skills and trades cool again.”…
Voluntary Benefits: What Are They, and Are They Worth It?
Once you’ve picked your major medical health insurance and set your 401(k) contributions, there’s often one more section of your benefits package to consider: voluntary…
Disability Insurance: The Most Overlooked Benefit You Might Desperately Need
It’s easy to fall into the trap of believing, “That won’t happen to me.” But here’s the truth: you’re far more likely to experience a…