When something breaks—whether it’s the plumbing or a car—the first call most people make is to a blue-collar worker. That was the lesson he wanted his children to understand.
Clint Crawford is a 55-year-old automotive technician at Midas Auto and Repair Shop in Arkansas. He has a message for parents who are concerned about the shortage of white-collar entry-level work: open their minds to the possibility of a fulfilling career elsewhere.
Like the conversation Ford CEO Jim Farley described having at his own dinner table with his son, Crawford believes it should be a debate—one that needs to happen at dinner tables across the country.
“They need to be introduced to alternatives, and we need to place an equal importance on technical programs,” he asserts.
Crawford has a 22-year-old daughter and a 21-year-old son. Both went to college, but it wasn’t expected of them as the default while growing up, as he worked to emphasize the dignity and stability that comes with blue-collar careers.
“If something happens with the plumbing, the first call is either the landlord or the plumber,” Crawford tells Fortune, adding that when a car breaks down, the first call goes to a repair shop.
“The first call that most people are going to make is to that blue-collar worker.”
Those were the examples he gave his children when counseling them on what career to pursue, believing that such workers are essential to the running of the economy and to the smooth functioning of everyday life.
“That way, they could understand that there are options,” Crawford says.
He also urged his children to be realistic, something many parents can now relate to. While the majority of parents still prefer a four-year college education for their children, a new survey from American Student Assistance found that 35% believe some form of technical education or a blue-collar career may be better suited for their child. In 2019, that figure was 13%.
And it makes sense. Most white-collar entry-level jobs require a college degree, which has become a severe economic burden for younger generations. According to a 2024 report by the Education Data Initiative, the average Gen Zer has $22,948 of student loan debt. In addition, companies have reduced their rates of hiring entry-level employees, in part because of tariff disruptions as well as AI automating some of these early work experiences.
Crawford himself was concerned when his son decided to study data science, having heard—like many others—about struggles in hiring. But he realized that “it’s something that he enjoys, and he’s good at. And so computer science it is.”
Ideally, Crawford believes schools and parents should start these types of conversations early on. For his kids, they decided college was, in fact, right for them. But they had a conversation, which he encourages others to have.
For Crawford’s family, career discussions took place before his kids earned college degrees, and he encouraged his kids to be practical.
“I think a lot of times parents are telling their kids, you know, do what makes you happy.” That’s great, he says, but adds that “the reason we work is to pay bills.” If a worker can’t do that or is underpaid, “it just seems pointless.”
Crawford believes people should consider these jobs as valid options that offer stability—something that seems hard-won these days. Young people should be offered aptitude tests to help determine what kind of work best aligns with their skills. When someone is good at math, he believes they should be encouraged to pursue blue-collar careers that require highly logical and math-heavy processes.
Crawford has found that electricians are “incredibly math-oriented” and that liking math doesn’t mean you have to be a mathematician.
“There are plenty of opportunities out there that require a strong background in math that don’t limit you to teaching math at the high school or college level,” he adds.
