Shark Tank star Daniel Lubetzky says college is not the ‘end all, be all’—he tells Gen Z to learn how to be a carpenter or a mechanic instead

Luckily, according to billionaire Daniel Lubetzky, there remains plenty of opportunity for Gen Z—if they look in the right places.

“For those people that have great ideas or great opportunities and don’t want to go to college, I don’t think college is an end all, be all or required thing,” Lubetzky, the newest judge on Shark Tank, tells Fortune. 

Despite making a name for himself in entrepreneurship by selling his snack company KIND to Mars in 2020 for $5 billion, Lubetzky says young people could make a killing going down the skilled trade route. “Vocational training and learning how to be a carpenter or a mechanic or any of those jobs is a huge field with huge opportunities that pays really, really well,” he adds.

Lubetzky is on the money: While jobs like software engineer or graphic designer may be harder to come by in the coming years thanks to AI job replacements, fields in the skilled trade space are thriving in part off an increased demand for data centers. Plus, with often only an apprenticeship or on-the-job training required, it could be an accessible way for professionals to transition their careers and gain six-figure salaries.

While the skilled trade industry isn’t foolproof—and is still plagued with seasonality and safety hazards—job openings remain high. The U.S. construction industry alone had 245,000 job openings in May 2025, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. The manufacturing sector had over 414,000 jobs.

Lessening the skilled trade stigma

While Gen Z may have grown up with aspirations to attend an Ivy League and then land a top Silicon Valley job, that reality may have been a disservice to young people—and many have felt this the hard way. So far this year, over 80,000 tech workers have experienced layoffs. To rub salt in the wound, leaders such as Amazon CEO Andy Jassy have been transparent that AI is making it easier than ever to reduce corporate ranks.

“We’ve made a mistake in society in not sufficiently celebrating builders, not just builders of schools and of KIND bars, but builders of physical bridges and builders of gears,” Lubetzky says.

“We in society need to start celebrating those professionals more.”

The 56-year-old adds that universities have “failed us” over the last 20 to 30 years by neglecting to teach young people how to be critical thinkers and listeners—or in his words, a “builder’s mindset,” meaning prioritizing curiosity, creativity, compassion and courage.

“Having a builder’s mindset is so essential to our society and under curiosity fits critical thinking, critical listening, all of those things,” Lubetzky stresses.

Trade school may be an overhyped compromise

The skilled trade industry has the potential to be a safe haven from AI’s revolution on white-collar work. In fact, many young people have already seen the writing on the wall, with enrollment at trade-focused institutions increasing almost 20% since the spring of 2020, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

However, the career path may not be as lucrative as some promise it to be. 

Trade roles are among the worst entry-level U.S. jobs, according to a new WalletHub study. Welders, automotive mechanics, boilermakers bottomed out on the list, thanks in part to their lack of growth potential and high job hazard.

Trade industries also have high unemployment levels due to their seasonal nature, as well as reportedly lower levels of happiness.

But either way, Lubetzky says trying something out and deciding you don’t like it—or failing—can be critical to advancing through your career.

“Sometimes a failure is more valuable than a success,” he says.