DUNEDIN, Fla. — As students graduate from high school in the Tampa Bay area, some grads are showing that the traditional college path isn’t for everyone. Instead, they’re building a career for themselves in the skilled trades.
With tools in hand, 18-year-old Josh Ward is doing exactly what he loves.
"Once I started rolling with it and started to understand it better, I just loved it from there,” said Ward.
Ward is a student in Dunedin High School’s Construction Technology program. His goal is to become an electrician.
The soon-to-be-graduate recently put his knowledge to the test and won SkillsUSA’s gold medal for electrical construction wiring in the state competition.
"They did third and second place, and my heart kind of sank because I didn't think I placed, and then when my name was first, me and just my whole family jumped up and were so excited,” said Ward.
Now, he’s training for the national championships in Atlanta in June.
Brandon Szymanski, the building trades teacher at Dunedin High School, explained that Ward’s dedication to the craft is clear as day.
"Came at lunch, came during extra periods,” said Szymanski. “Every opportunity that he had, he would be here.”
That passion is critical because, as Szymanski pointed out, the skilled trades are very short on workers.
"Everyone kept going, you have to go to college, there's no other option, and everyone knows you come out with massive debt,” said Szymanski. "To have the trades come back, you can make $80,000, $100,000 plus a year doing these trades, and again, we're building the next step in America. We're building houses. We're building businesses. We're building jobs."
Ward said he already has several job offers, proving to other students opportunities are out there if you’re willing to give something different a try.
"Some people, it might be carpentry or masonry or plumbing or whatever it is,” said Ward. “Give it all a shot, and you might find that one of them you absolutely love and that's what you want to do for the rest of your life.”
