Why More Young People in Texas Are Skipping College for Welding and Electrical Careers

For the past 15 years, a smaller share of Texas high school graduates has gone straight to a four-year college with each passing year. In fall 2023, only 47.7% of public high school graduates enrolled in Texas higher education, down from over 56% in 2009. 

That gap reflects a shift in where young Texans see their futures. 

For students weighing trade school vs college in Texas, welding and electrical careers offer a path worth a closer look, and the reasons run deeper than a tight job market.

Fewer Texas High School Graduates Are Heading Straight to College

The Texas enrollment decline tracks a broader national change in how young people weigh their options. The share of teenagers considering trade or vocational school more than doubled between 2018 and 2024, rising from 12% to 30%. That shift shows up in how Gen Z talks about work and careers:

• Nearly 1 in 4 Gen Z members is seriously considering or actively pursuing a trades career
• 75% of Gen Z associates desk jobs with burnout and instability
• Confidence in four-year degrees fell from 57% in 2015 to 36% in 2024
• By November 2025, only 33% of registered voters said a four-year degree was worth the cost, down from 53% in 2013

These aren’t fringe opinions. They represent a broad recalculation of what a good career start looks like, and young Texans are making that recalculation in real numbers.

What Four Years of College Actually Costs in Texas

The average total cost of attendance at a public four-year college in Texas runs $28,802 per year for in-state residents in 2024–25. Over four years, that exceeds $115,000 before accounting for inflation or living cost increases. Students who take longer to graduate push that figure higher, and the completion numbers don’t favor the optimistic timeline:

• 41% of students who start a four-year program don’t finish on time
• Only 43% of community college students earn any credential within six years of enrolling
• About 61% of recent bachelor’s degree graduates took on debt, leaving school with an average balance of $35,639
• The average monthly repayment runs $336, and repayment typically stretches close to 20 years

Four years in school is also four years out of the workforce, and that opportunity cost compounds alongside the debt.

Trade School Runs a Different Timeline

A student who chooses trade school after high school in Texas gets into the workforce on a different schedule. Tulsa Welding School’s (TWS) programs in Texas complete in seven months:

• Professional Welding, available at Houston and Dallas Metro campuses
• Electrical Applications, available at the Houston campus
• Electrical Technologies, available at the Dallas Metro campus

The average trade school certificate program costs significantly less than a single year of Texas public college tuition. A student who enrolls right after high school graduation can be working in their trade before their former classmates finish their freshman year.

Texas Has a Welding and Electrical Shortage That Isn’t Going Away

Demand for welders and electricians in Texas isn’t a short-term spike. The welding workforce gap alone is substantial:

• The American Welding Society (AWS) projects 82,500 welding jobs to open annually between 2025 and 2029
• Roughly 330,000 new professionals are needed by 2028
• The average welder in the U.S. is 55 years old
• For every five retiring, only two are entering the field

The electrical side shows similar pressure. Electrician positions are projected to grow 9.5% through 2034, more than triple the 3.1% average across all occupations. In Texas specifically:

• Construction job postings averaged roughly 16,900 per month in fiscal 2025, up 6.8% year-over-year
• The Texas Construction Association lists electricians and low-voltage technicians among the most in-demand workers in the state
• Austin employers report waits of 30 to 90 days to hire a single qualified electrician

An aging workforce, accelerating infrastructure investment, and a generation that largely bypassed trade training are all hitting at once. Workers who enter these trades now do so in a market that has more open positions than people to fill them.

Why Texas Is One of the Best Places to Build a Welding or Electrical Career

The national demand numbers are significant on their own. Texas adds a second layer.

For welders:

• The oil and gas sector represents 31% of Texas’s private-sector economy
• Pipeline construction added 6,674 jobs year-over-year in Q4 2024, as natural gas infrastructure expanded from the Permian Basin to Gulf Coast markets
• Active projects through 2026 and 2027 include a $1.6 billion natural gas liquids pipeline from the Permian Basin to Mont Belvieu and a $185 million processing facility in Martin County, both requiring skilled welders throughout
• Texas and California employ more welders than any other states in the country, and welding school in Houston, Texas puts students at the center of that demand

For electricians:

• The Dallas–Fort Worth (DFW) metro added roughly 178,000 new residents between July 2023 and July 2024, and every home, apartment, and commercial building that follows needs wiring
• Electrician employment in Texas is projected to grow from 68,930 to 81,440 jobs through 2032
• Texas licenses electricians through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), with an advancement path from apprentice to journeyman to master electrician
• TWS’s Electrical Lineworker program takes 15 weeks and covers power line installation, pole climbing, and bucket rescue

Trade School vs College Texas: A Side-by-Side Look

When comparing trade school vs college in Texas, the differences come down to time, cost, and how quickly a student reaches the work they trained for.

 
Trade programs cover only what employers hire for:

• No general education courses fill the schedule; every class connects directly to the work
• Class sizes are smaller and floor time is higher than in a lecture-hall setting
• Instructors come from the industries students are training to enter
• TWS programs are built with employer feedback, and graduates work across all 50 states

Starting a Welding or Electrical Career in Texas with TWS

Tulsa Welding School operates two Texas campuses with programs designed to move students from enrollment to workforce-ready in under a year. Students weighing welding school in Houston, Texas or a program in the Dallas area can choose from the following:

Houston campus:

• Professional Welding, 7 months
• Electrical Applications, 7 months
• HVAC/Refrigeration, 7 months
• Advanced Industrial Maintenance, 7 months

Dallas Metro campus (Irving):

• Electrical Technologies, 7 months
• Electrical Lineworker, 15 weeks
• Advanced Industrial Maintenance, 7 months

Both campuses are open to a wide range of students:

• Flexible scheduling for recent graduates, adults changing careers, and military students moving into civilian work
• Programs start throughout the year, without waiting for a fall semester
• No high school diploma or General Educational Development (GED) credential required to apply
• Financial aid is available for those who qualify

Students who start a TWS program today can be working in their trade before the next academic year ends. For anyone considering trade school after high school in Texas, there’s no fall semester to wait for.

Request more info or schedule a tour to see what the programs look like up close.