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Career education is a vital pipeline to high demand jobs in the workforce. Students from all walks of life benefit from the opportunity to pursue their career education goals and find new employment opportunities. Join Dr. Jason Altmire, President and CEO of Career Education Colleges and Universities (CECU), as he discusses the issues and innovations affecting postsecondary career education. Twice monthly, he and his guests discuss politics, business, and current events impacting education and public policy.
Jason Altmire [00:00:00]:
Welcome to Career Education Report. I'm Jason Altmire. We talk quite often on this program about the changing understanding of the importance of trade schools and career and technical education programs. And we have an interesting guest on to talk about that today.
Jason Altmire [00:00:25]:
Her name is Tori Jasuwan and she is. She's a lot of things which we'll talk about, but she's a social media influencer and she had a viral post related to this very topic on going to trade school and some personal experience that she and her family and friends have had. So, Tori, thank you for being with us.
Tori Jasuwan [00:00:46]:
Yeah, thanks for having me.
Jason Altmire [00:00:48]:
Let's start first of all by talking about who you are. You're an accomplished businesswoman. You live in St. Petersburg, Florida. You've been a candidate for public office. You've been on reality television shows. You are a social media influencer. But talk a little bit more about exactly what your background is.
Tori Jasuwan [00:01:05]:
Sure. So I have been in trades pretty much my entire life. I did go to college. I majored in criminology and I actually never ended up using that degree. After school, I was kind of like lost at what to do. I moved to New York City. I actually worked as a millionaire matchmaker and in PR and doing social media. And I did that for a few years and went.
Tori Jasuwan [00:01:29]:
Then when the economy went down around 2008, I realized that career was not going to be something I could continue. I moved back to Florida and I actually went to school to become a hairdresser. So I went to hair school and I got my hairdresser's license. I did that for several years, along with owning some other businesses. And I met my husband, who is a general contractor and who owns one of the largest homelifting companies in the United States. And I started not only working with him on his business, but flipping houses and working in real estate. I went to school, got my real estate license and started working actively in real estate, also a trade, and started working together to kind of build our own businesses and build our trades. And it's something that I'm really passionate about and that I built my own community on TikTok for with women who are interested in becoming in trades or women who work in trades.
Tori Jasuwan [00:02:21]:
We've kind of nicknamed ourselves trade babes.
Jason Altmire [00:02:24]:
You mentioned that you went to school for cosmetology early in your career. What. What school did you go to?
Tori Jasuwan [00:02:30]:
Boca Beauty School at Boca Raton.
Jason Altmire [00:02:33]:
Oh, okay. You were on a reality show, you and your family. What were the circumstances of that? Like a television show?
Tori Jasuwan [00:02:40]:
Yeah, we were On Bravo's Below Deck, we were on four episodes. It was a great experience. We were guests on the show and we actually have something else brewing now. So I don't think that our reality days are over just quite yet.
Jason Altmire [00:02:54]:
I suspect that they are not. You also have a presence on social media, an active following. What is it that you talk about that draws your audience and what is the connection that you have on social media to the trades?
Tori Jasuwan [00:03:11]:
So my whole Instagram social media, as well as TikTok is basically focused on teaching girls and women that trades aren't just for men, they're for women too, and teaching them about different trades. So I actually interview women who are in trades and I talked about how they got into it, how other women can get into it, and I also talk to them about why trades are so important and also about how much money they can make doing trades. Because I think there's a lot of kids who realize early on that college and, you know, getting a degree maybe isn't for them. So rather than wasting all that money, I really push them to look into different trades and go to a trade school.
Jason Altmire [00:03:52]:
When you think about the trades, what is in your mind? What type of professions do you think about?
Tori Jasuwan [00:03:58]:
I mean, I think there's so many varying, different options that are great for women and men. I think welding is huge right now. It's something that we can never hire enough of in our own personal construction business. I also consider cosmetology a trade, being an esthetician a trade, working actively in real estate a trade. I mean, there's so many different trades that anyone can get into, no matter if they're a guy or a girl.
Jason Altmire [00:04:23]:
And one of the posts I saw that you have on TikTok, you had 30,000 interactions with your TikTok and several hundred responses and you were talking about the amount of money that you can make in the trades. And we'll get to that specific post in a second. But what is it about these topics for you as a social media influencer that you feel like generates so much interest? Why do you get such a great response when you talk about these topics?
Tori Jasuwan [00:04:54]:
Well, it's personal. I mean, trades have built my husband and I's businesses. They've given us a really nice life. We've built both of our businesses on our own. No one gave us anything. We worked really hard to get where we are. And I think trades are one thing where anybody can start off working in a trade. And if you learn it well, eventually you're going to be able to have the potential to make six figures.
Tori Jasuwan [00:05:18]:
And I think that's something that everyone can relate to because everybody wants to make good money. There's so many women and men out there who want to become millionaires. They don't know how to do it. They don't want to go to school forever and ever and come out with all this debt. But I think it's a great route for people who aren't really into the traditional college route to be able to become a millionaire and eventually own their own business once they perfect their trade.
Jason Altmire [00:05:41]:
And I do want to say, just as a disclaimer here, that we are not suggesting, at least I'm not suggesting that everyone who goes into the trades is going to become a millionaire or that that type of payoff is a certainty if you pursue those careers, just, you know, so that we're all on the same page with that. But you had a post specifically about that topic where you, you said it was a video and you talked about, and perhaps you've done this more than once. But the one that I saw said statistically, those who become millionaires the fastest out of school are those who become tradesmen or trades women. Where did you get that stat correct?
Tori Jasuwan [00:06:23]:
Well, I actually researched it. I found many articles that backed up the fact that the fastest growing careers that you can make six figures and eventually become a millionaire are in fact trades, electricians, plumbers, other really niche trades that you can learn and make great money on. And I will tell you, even in my husband and I's businesses, I mean, we hire tradesmen and women, if they're good, they're going to come out of school making six figures.
Jason Altmire [00:06:54]:
And when you say come out of school, what type of school do you look for when you're looking for people to hire for your own businesses?
Tori Jasuwan [00:07:02]:
For us, we look for extremely skilled and experienced welders. So that's usually not right out of school. We usually look for welders with several years of experience. But electricians, plumbers, I mean, we hire those kids out of school all the time and they have the potential with making overtime to easily make six figures.
Jason Altmire [00:07:22]:
And it is absolutely true. Again, not saying it's a certainty that you're going to make a certain amount of money or certainly become a millionaire. But it is absolutely true that the fastest growing jobs in the country often are in the trades. You're talking about welding. When you look at truck driving, I would put nursing and the allied health professions in that category. Even auto technicians, aviation technicians. There are huge opportunities because there's a skills gap that exists. And we hear from employers all the time that they're having trouble finding skilled workers, people who can do the jobs that they have vacancies for.
Jason Altmire [00:08:04]:
And one of the things that struck me about your post, the one that I saw, was there were literally hundreds of responses, and a lot of them were from people who completely agreed with you and talked about their own life circumstances. And I wrote down a couple of them. One was someone who said he was 20 years old and he has a property investment business. He now, he Sundays, is making six figures as a result of flipping houses and learning the trades and learning how to rebuild houses. One is a nurse who's married to a truck driver. And they were talking about their shared experiences in their marriage, and they're both doing well. One is someone who said that she was in cosmetology starting in her late teenage years, and she said within two years she opened up her own business and now she's making 150,000 as a business owner and talked about her school experience. Is this the kind of thing that you hear about when you talk about these issues and you travel around and you're engaging people about the traits?
Tori Jasuwan [00:09:10]:
Absolutely. I mean, I've, I've heard so many success stories, I can't even count. I mean, thousands of people who are really thriving doing a trade. And they're not just thriving, but they're doing what they love. And I think so often people equate making money with working and, and everyone doesn't like to go to work every day. But I will say most people that I talk to that are in trades, they really enjoy what they do and they love their work.
Jason Altmire [00:09:36]:
And I don't know how much you've thought about this question, but it comes up all the time when we talk about job growth and vacancies and the skills gap. You know, there's obviously artificial intelligence. And when you think about AI, it seems to be moving much faster, progressing than anyone expected. And you hear about these job losses that are going to happen mostly in white collar jobs in the coming years, or at least allegedly going to happen in the coming years. Where do you think that fits in? When a person, whether it be a student or somebody, an adult in mid career thinking about making a change. Where do you think the onset of AI falls in the changing dynamic in the workforce development?
Tori Jasuwan [00:10:21]:
Well, I think the more that AI takes over, the more important these trades are going to become. Because if, especially if you're working with a trade with your hands, I mean, that's something that is always going to have to be done. We can't replace people, plumbers with AI, we can't replace electricians with AI because it's a job that you have to physically do. So I think any physical based trades are going to continue to grow and I think you're going to see a growth in income because it's irreplaceable.
Jason Altmire [00:10:49]:
When you think about the beauty and wellness industry, where you got your start, what have you seen with regard to growth in those professions? And since you're working with women, you know, a big issue often is women sometimes want to work part time, sometimes they want to take some time off for their family, they want more flexibility. And when people judge the earnings potential for someone who's in these professions, they don't take those things into account. So when you're speaking to women, especially younger women who are interested in pursuing a beauty and wellness career, how do you advise them on that kind of thing?
Tori Jasuwan [00:11:30]:
I mean, I will tell you the reason that I stopped doing hair is because I had two small children and it just wasn't conducive to my schedule anymore. So I think it's really important to think about that. If you go into it knowing, hey, I want to have children and I want to take time off and work part time to raise them, it's completely possible to still work in beauty and wellness. I mean, I have a friend actually who does microblading and eyebrow lip tattooing and she does it part time, but she makes really great money doing it part time and she's still able to spend time with her children. Now is she making six figures like she made before she had kids? No, she's not. So, I mean, I think it's something you definitely have to think about when you think about the amount of money or potential you're going to make. Well, if I'm doing it part time, I'm going to make a part time salary.
Jason Altmire [00:12:16]:
What advice do you have to schools or other people who are interested in this topic of reaching out to potential students, of people who might have an interest in transitioning to a career in the trades? Maybe looking for more information, you know, with social media opportunities that are out there and the ability to use it to get your message out, what advice would you have to a school that maybe isn't quite as good or knowledgeable about that world and how to use it to their advantage?
Tori Jasuwan [00:12:46]:
I mean, I would say to these schools, find students with success stories. Contact your former students and find out. Ask them, how are you doing? Are you still doing what you went to school to do and are you thriving doing it? And if they are, use those stories and share them on your social media and not just on one platform, but on all platforms, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, really show the faces and do videos in work, like in the work environment or the trade environment that these students are thriving in, because their stories will encourage other students to not only go to that school, but also become involved and get excited about doing that trade.
Jason Altmire [00:13:29]:
I've just personally visited over 100 career schools traveling around the country, all different types of trades, and I've noticed a huge uptick in the number of women that are going into the sort of more blue collar trades, the welding, H Vac, auto, aviation technicians, jobs like that. When you talk to young women, have you noticed that there's a greater interest in moving in that direction rather than going in the direction of cosmetology or becoming a teacher or a nurse? I mean, do they feel like now that the world is wide open to them and if they want to go into a blue collar trade, if that's their passion and their skill, that they have the opportunity to do it?
Tori Jasuwan [00:14:14]:
Absolutely. I would say the numbers are increasing exponentially. And I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that these women are seeing that it's possible because they're seeing other women do it and talk about it via social media. So it's opening these doors that used to be so male, only male dominated. And these women are realizing, hey, I can do this job and I can do it just as good as a man. And something I hear from so many business owners is female welders, female pipe fitters are some of the best employees they've ever had because their attention to detail is so high. So I think that, you know, women hearing these stories and seeing the encouraging post from other women in the field is really making them realize, hey, if they can do this and make this great money doing this, I can too.
Jason Altmire [00:14:58]:
It's so funny that you say that because. And of course there's exceptions, as always, on both sides of what I'm about to say, but it is absolutely universally the response I get when I ask that question to, to school faculty and people who teach women and men in the same welding program or H Vac or any of these blue collar programs. They will say exactly what you just said, which is the women students, generally speaking, do better. They, they have better attention to detail. And, and, and I've asked them why, you know, why do you think that that is. And part of the reason is that if you are a woman and you go into that profession, you're doing it because you have an interest and you're doing it because probably you're good at it and it's within your skill set. Whereas not every man fits that category. Some men might go into it because it's something that they want to do or they feel like they, they have an opportunity to do, but they just might not have as much focus on it or pay as much attention to it as they're going through the program.
Jason Altmire [00:16:02]:
But it definitely has come from more than one who I've talked to that women seem to perform better in a lot of these role roles.
Tori Jasuwan [00:16:12]:
Definitely. I've definitely heard that from so many people that women really excel in these trade roles. And I think you're right. I think because it takes a lot of balls and gumption for a women to dive into such a male dominated trade. So I think that most women who are going to go into it are going to do it because number one, they are really interested in it. But number two, they're committed and they're going to prove these boys and men, hey, if you can do it, I can do it better.
Jason Altmire [00:16:37]:
Yep, you said it better than I did, more colorfully and better than I did. So thanks, thanks for saying that. As we wrap up here, what else do you think is good for people to know about your interest in these issues and what you would want people to take away from this interview?
Tori Jasuwan [00:16:55]:
I think that any woman out there can be a tradeswoman. I think that it is one of the best things anyone can do. Don't waste your money on college if you're not committed to, to doing something specific that requires a specific degree. If you want to be an engineer and you know you want to be an engineer, go to college. If you want to be a doctor and you know you want to be a doctor and that's the route you want to go, go to college. But if you're not 100% sure what you want to do, start investigating different trades and really look at all the different trade schools around you and see what they have to offer. Go talk to them. Go meet with an admissions counselor and go talk to other women in the program and see what they say.
Tori Jasuwan [00:17:33]:
I think that's really the best way you can find out if a trade's a good fit for you is talk to some other women who are in the program or women who have graduated from it. See what they're doing. If they Enjoy it and see if that's something you could see yourself doing. But I really think that there's limitless opportunities in the trades for women. And I just want every woman out there to know that it's possible, it's possible to make great money doing a trade, even if it's male dominated. And there's great potential to have a job you love and make great money doing it.
Jason Altmire [00:18:04]:
I know I said that was the last question, but you said something that I wanted to follow up on and that is the role of guidance counselors. Because we find when really any student it's getting better, it is definitely improved. But when any student goes to the guidance counselor, a high school kid, and they're thinking about their future, often the guidance counselor will try to steer them into the four year path. Like that is somehow the preferable way to go. Now we are seeing that change over time and sometimes, especially with women, they will try to redirect them if they talk about going into the trades. Have you found that in when you talk to people about their experience, especially coming out of high school, when they talk to the guidance counselor, what type of advice they're getting on pursuing the trades?
Tori Jasuwan [00:18:55]:
Absolutely. So I actually have women email me all the time who are either in high school or just graduated and they're like, can you give me advice? Because my counselor or my dad or my mom told me I shouldn't be going into construction or I shouldn't be going into this trade. They think I need to do something more female oriented or get a four year degree. They're like, what's your advice on doing what I want to do and how much do you think I could make doing it eventually? Like, is there room for me to grow and if so, can you help me explain that to my guidance counselor or my parents? So I mean, it's definitely something that's still happening. I do think, like you said, I think it's getting better. I think that a lot of the guidance counselors are realizing, hey, women can do the same things men can do and a four year degree isn't exactly the path for every single person that comes through. I think the cookie cutter approach just doesn't work for this generation, especially for women in this generation. But I'm hearing it over and over that there is still a lot of resistance to women going into the non traditional, more male oriented traits.
Jason Altmire [00:19:54]:
Our guest today has been Tori Jasuwan. Tori, if somebody wanted to get in touch with you or follow you on social media to learn more, how would they do it.
Tori Jasuwan [00:20:05]:
You can go on my TikTok @torijosawan or my Instagram @tori TJ and send me a DM.
Jason Altmire [00:20:12]:
Tori Jasuwan, thank you for being with us.
Tori Jasuwan [00:20:15]:
Thank you so much.
Jason Altmire [00:20:19]:
Thanks for joining me for this episode of the Career Education Report. Subscribe and rate us on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, or wherever you listen to the podcasts. For more information, visit our website at career.org and follow us on Twitter @CECUED. That's at C-E-C-U-E-D. Thank you for listening.