Just this week, I had the honor of walking the commencement stage at Yale Law School with my six and one-year-old—a huge achievement, especially for someone raised in New York City public housing. It felt like a long ride, to be sure. But in some ways, it was not as long as my daily commute from the law school to Lincoln Tech’s 315,000 square-foot facility in East Windsor, Connecticut. While several of my peers at Yale were pursuing joint J.D./M.B.A. degrees, I decided to wed my Doctor of Law degree with a diploma in manufacturing technology and machining from Lincoln Tech, a Connecticut vocational school. I could never have imagined that law school would take me on a separate path of learning CAD/CAM skills or how to operate Haas automation tools.

It was April 2022 when I made that decision to double-up and attend vocational school. As the global economy bounced back from COVID-19 in 2021, demand for manufacturing and goods skyrocketed. Contrary to conventional wisdom, U.S. manufacturing output is now higher than ever. America’s 250,000 manufacturing businesses generate nearly 12% of total economic output - $2.3 trillion in 2019.  In 2018, American manufacturing employed 12.8 million people in good jobs, with average annual compensation of $85,000, 28% higher than the non-farm average.

And yet, a big problem remains:  despite the high pay and improved perception, American manufacturing and industry simply cannot find enough qualified skilled labor. This shortage of qualified talent is not new.  But it’s getting worse, with major long-term implications for America’s economic and human potential. As many as 2.1 million manufacturing jobs will be unfilled through 2030, according to a report by Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute.  This report warns the worker shortage will hurt revenue, production, and potentially cost the US economy up to $1 trillion by 2030.  

Why the nation was experiencing such a labor shortage was beyond me. After all, I happened to be attending law school in a city with a 26 percent poverty rate and a median household income of $42,000. Throughout the greater New Haven area, tens of thousands of skilled jobs remained open, but employers simply could not find enough talent. None of these jobs required a four-year degree and, for workers looking to continue their education, many came with opportunities for tuition reimbursement and on-the-job training.

I enrolled at Lincoln Tech because I was curious and desperate to learn the kinds of skills employers were looking for and, more importantly, because I knew many Americans struggling in the labor market could benefit from good-paying jobs that did not require a four-year degree.  On my first day at Lincoln Tech, however, I confronted a sobering reality: I had just one classmate in my machining class. By comparison, I had more than 50 in Yale Law torts. My graduating class at Yale, it seemed, would produce dozens of “Big Law” attorneys, and Lincoln Tech would graduate just two machinists. Apparently, advanced industry and the skilled trades were no longer an American priority, but products-liability was.

My “Yale-Law-to-Lincoln-Tech '' journey led to another important insight: the skilled trades are not a technological priority, either. To be sure, there is no shortage of technologies intended to automate manufacturing processes and boost productivity. That said, there have been far fewer efforts to develop software that meets the informational and job-search needs of skilled workers, and which also creates an aspirational feeling toward doing great work in the skilled trades. My journey from law school to trade school has given me the courage to be contrarian and to build a company that celebrates the trades and connects all Americans with careers in the skilled trades and advanced industry.

By founding a company dedicated to connecting Americans with lucrative careers in these fields, I aim to address the glaring skills gap and advocate for the value of vocational education. This venture is not just about filling jobs; it’s about restoring dignity and aspiration to the trades, ensuring that all individuals, regardless of their educational background, have access to meaningful, well-paying work. My dual education has equipped me with a unique perspective, one that champions both legal acumen and technical proficiency. It is this blend that will drive my mission forward, creating a future where skilled trades are celebrated and every American has the opportunity to thrive in a dynamic and evolving job market.