Mike Rowe’s appearance at Washington Policy Center’s Oct. 2 dinner in Bellevue should have left attendees thinking about how we define success in work — and how those definitions shape the opportunities we offer and the way we talk about workers’ contributions.
The “Dirty Jobs” host has spent years showing Americans the people whose skills keep daily life possible. Electricians, plumbers, welders and mechanics solve problems the rest of us depend on them to solve. Their work deserves respect, and the next generation deserves encouragement to consider it.
Rowe’s message, as I heard it, was about needing more balance. College can be a terrific option. So can learning a trade. I would also add that worthwhile careers exist outside either path. In a state that emphasizes inclusivity, we should do better at valuing all the people whose work produces goods, provides services and supports our tax base.
Washington state taxpayers generously help finance higher education at public institutions, while many workers build careers without comparable direct assistance. The state does support some technical training and apprenticeships, too. Part of my college education received taxpayer support, as I attended a public institution. My hairdresser developed his skills, worked for years and eventually opened his own studio. He can now offer jobs to other workers. I have long questioned the fairness of public spending that can make one person’s career preparation seem more worthy of investment than another’s.
Appropriate taxpayer investment should be informed by workforce needs and opportunities available to future workers. State leaders should consider both the employment outcomes their spending supports and how it influences education and training choices. Financial incentives could help students take on less debt through programs that combine necessary classroom instruction with paid, supervised work. Students could learn alongside experienced professionals while helping meet staffing needs in schools, healthcare settings and other workplaces.
Young people are often pushed toward expensive degrees before they know what they want to do. My sons recently graduated from high school. Their elementary school years included chants of “College bound!” Their high school years brought many conversations and presentations about college as the next step. I heard a similar message growing up, and many people in my social circles still repeat it. Young people can easily absorb the idea that college is what they are supposed to want — and that attending college means succeeding. They deserve a broader picture of the opportunities available to them, especially in today’s economy.
Rowe has long told the story of a guidance counselor’s poster contrasting a discouraged blue-collar worker with an optimistic college graduate. Its advice: “Work Smart NOT Hard.” Rowe’s revision — “Work Smart AND Hard” — offers a healthier starting point. Skilled work requires thinking, judgment and problem-solving, yet it is too often treated as inferior.
The opportunities available without a four-year degree are substantial. Washington state’s 2024–2034 occupational projections, published through O*NET, anticipate an average of 2,490 electrician openings, 1,110 openings for plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters, and 860 openings for welders, cutters, solderers and brazers each year. That is 4,460 annual openings across just three trade groups, reflecting both growth and replacement needs.
Nationally, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects about 155,000 annual openings across those same groups over 2025–2035. For a separate snapshot of existing vacancies, employers in the construction industry reported 251,000 job openings in August 2026. That total includes both trade jobs and other roles within construction businesses, but it underscores the scale of hiring opportunity.
State lawmakers, educators, businesses and parents all have a role in making these paths visible and accessible. A state that welcomes businesses and competition gives workers more opportunities to put their skills to use. Respect for workers also means doing away with unnecessary work-entry barriers. For more about my push for universal license recognition in Washington state, see my recent policy paper.
Washington state can benefit from a broader understanding of what it means to support the workforce. Rowe’s visit was a reminder to value work in its many forms.
