The skills gap in America didn't happen by accident. It was engineered through decades of educational policies that systematically dismantled vocational training in favor of college preparation. Zachary Hanson, author of The Trade Gap and host of The Okayest Trapper Podcast, joins us to share his remarkable journey from corporate executive to skilled tradesman.
After climbing the corporate ladder in the AI industry, Zach experienced firsthand how precarious white-collar careers can be when he lost his executive position and faced extended unemployment. What saved him financially wasn't his impressive resume but the practical skills he'd developed on the side—trapping, welding, and electrical work. Now he's on a mission to close the trade gap by encouraging both young people and established professionals to develop manual skills as career insurance.
The conversation takes us through the historical decline of shop classes in American schools, the current acceleration of AI replacing knowledge work, and the growing demand for skilled trades in our economy. Zach provides a unique perspective as someone who's thrived in both worlds and offers practical advice for upskilling without abandoning your current career path.
What's particularly compelling is Zach's honesty about the challenges of learning trades later in life. From the emasculating experience of asking someone to change his oil at 29 to the discipline required for night welding school while maintaining a day job, he doesn't sugarcoat the journey. Yet the confidence and security that comes from knowing you have marketable skills beyond your keyboard make the effort worthwhile.
Whether you're a young person weighing educational options, a professional concerned about technological disruption, or a tradesperson looking to better understand the larger economic forces at work, this episode offers valuable insights into building a resilient career in uncertain times.
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More About this Episode
The Trade Gap and the AI Tidal Wave: Why Blue Collar Skills May Be the Smartest Investment in 2025
In a world that's rapidly digitizing and automating, there's an unspoken reality that many professionals, especially in the white collar world, are just starting to reckon with: the career path you were promised no longer exists.
College degrees no longer guarantee high-paying jobs. Stability in corporate America? That’s a myth. And now, with the rise of AI disrupting industries at lightning speed, we’re looking at a future where practical, hands-on skills may be the most reliable and sustainable investment a person can make.
That’s the heart of the conversation I had with Zach Hansen, former corporate executive, AI expert, hunter, trapper, author, and tradesman-in-progress. His journey from the corner office of IBM and Boston-based AI startups to welding school and electrical apprentice programs in Idaho is nothing short of inspiring. But it's also a wake-up call for every white collar professional riding out the last waves of stability in an increasingly automated world.
This isn’t just a feel-good story of reinvention. It’s a serious blueprint for anyone looking to reclaim their agency, their income, and their future in an economy that’s moving faster than ever.
College: The Dream That Became a Debt Trap
Zach’s story isn’t unique, but it is important.
Born in the late '80s and raised in a solidly middle-class household in Georgia, Zach did what every kid was told to do back then: go to college, get a degree, and success would follow. Like most of us raised in the millennial generation, that college-or-bust mentality was pushed on us from the jump. Technical school? That was where the "less capable" kids were sent. Trades? Not even considered a viable path.
But the reality didn’t match the promise.
Zach entered the job market right as the 2008 recession hit. The jobs he was promised weren’t there. Instead, he found himself taking on more student debt for graduate degrees, hoping to stand out. It worked—eventually. He landed a job with IBM, making $40K. Meanwhile, classmates who went straight into the trades were already making $70K+ and had zero debt.
The lesson here is harsh, but critical: the system is broken, and you can’t rely on a 4-year degree alone to secure your future. The trades are no longer a fallback—they are an opportunity.
From AI to Idaho: A High-Stakes Career Pivot
After climbing the corporate ladder, leading AI initiatives, and rubbing elbows with executives in high-rise boardrooms, Zach found himself burned out and disillusioned. That success he worked so hard for felt empty. It didn’t align with the life he wanted to live, or the values he was beginning to rediscover.
So, what did he do?
He moved to Idaho. Bought a cabin. Started hunting. Taught himself skills he’d never been exposed to. He learned to trap wolves, process his own meat, fix broken tools, and work with his hands for the first time in his life. No more watching YouTube videos about elk hunting from a cubicle. He was doing it, learning in the field, failing forward, building self-reliance.
At the same time, he didn’t leave his white collar roots entirely. He kept working in the AI space. But this time, with a totally different perspective. He wasn’t relying on it. He was building a hedge.
As he puts it, “I’m not leaving my day job, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to be left without a skill to fall back on.”
That’s where The Trade Gap, his new book, comes in. It’s part cautionary tale, part roadmap. It breaks down the collapse of vocational education in America and how we got here—from the rise of shop class in the 1960s to its complete erasure by the 2000s.
And it offers a compelling call to action: if you’re a white collar worker, now is the time to start building tangible skills. If you’re a blue-collar worker, now is the time to double down.
AI Is Already Changing the Game—Here’s How
Let’s get real for a second.
AI isn’t coming. It’s here.
Zach’s been in the AI trenches for over a decade. He watched the slow march of machine learning, and now, like the rest of us, he’s watching the explosion of large language models like ChatGPT, Claude, and Grok.
Most people still don’t understand what’s happening.
- Entry-level legal, financial, and administrative jobs are being quietly replaced.
- Coders? Many companies are now using AI-assisted coding tools that make junior developers as productive as seasoned ones.
- Data analysts? Prompt engineers and AI dashboards are doing what used to take teams of professionals.
- Customer service, content writing, project management, everything that was once “safe” is up for grabs.
Companies are already choosing not to replace people after layoffs. Why? Because AI fills the gap faster and cheaper.
And the kicker? These tools are still subsidized. Just like Uber rides were dirt cheap in the early days, AI licenses are artificially low thanks to private equity and VC funding. That won’t last. Prices will go up, and access to these tools will shrink for the average worker.
If you’re betting your career on being the human-in-the-loop for an AI system, you’re in a dangerous position.
Blue Collar Work is AI-Proof (For Now)
Let’s be honest. It’s going to be a long time before AI can:
- Install a water heater in a crawl space.
- Diagnose and fix an electrical panel in a storm.
- Frame a house or lay a sewer line.
- Weld a high-pressure pipe with zero margin for error.
And even when robots can do these things? We’re still going to need humans to inspect, supervise, train, and manage.
There is an enormous gap right now between skilled tradespeople retiring and the number of people stepping in to replace them.
And the barrier to entry? Low.
You can attend night classes while keeping your day job. You can apprentice part-time. You can start with YouTube tutorials, local contractors, or even government programs that want to train people like you.
And the return on investment? Higher than a college degree, with none of the debt.
The Emotional Cost of Starting Over
Let’s not sugarcoat this.
Changing careers is terrifying. Going from a six-figure desk job to welding school or electrical apprenticeships is humbling. It’s hard on your ego. It’s hard on your body. It’s hard on your family.
Zach tells the story of asking a friend to show him how to change his oil for the first time at 29. He talks about hooking arrows into a neighbor’s roof while learning to shoot a bow. It’s funny in hindsight, but it was demoralizing in the moment.
But guess what? He did it anyway. Because that’s what self-reliance looks like.
If you're feeling stuck, it's probably not because you're lazy. It's because the system was never built for you to thrive; it was built for you to comply.
Now that the system is cracking.
The question is: what are you going to do about it?
If You're Feeling the Pull, Listen to It
Whether you’re a burnt-out marketing exec, a laid-off engineer, or just someone who's finally waking up to the fact that the “safe” path doesn’t feel so safe anymore, consider this your sign.
You don’t have to quit your job tomorrow. You don’t have to trade your laptop for a tool belt overnight.
But you do need to start.
- Pick up a wrench.
- Enroll in a night class.
- Spend a summer working with a plumber.
- Take your Saturdays back from Netflix and learn a new skill.
- Let yourself suck at something new.
Build the hedge now, before you need it.
Final Word: The Real “Trade Gap”
The trade gap isn’t just about missing electricians and welders.
It’s about a society that told two generations of kids that working with your hands was beneath them, and now we’re all paying the price.
It’s about the father who thought he was building a company for his son, only to learn the next generation doesn’t want it.
It’s about a system that convinced us that success only came in a suit and tie, when real freedom might come from a hard hat and a wrench.
And it’s about waking up to that reality before it’s too late.
Because, as Zach says, “No one’s coming to save you. But you can save yourself—if you’re willing to learn.”
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