Episode 3: Gen Z & the Trades

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Jake Beudy

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GenShift Transcript: Episode 3—Gen Z & Trades

Katherine: Welcome to GenShift. I'm your host, Katherine Jeffery. Our goal for this podcast is to explore generational perspectives. Today's focus is Gen Z in the skilled trades.

To give some context for today's episode, college used to be the assumed path to success, but that is changing. Many Gen Zs are finding purpose and stability in the trades. There's a growing demand. Over 500,000 skilled trade jobs are currently unfilled in the US Our guest today is Jake Beudy, a Gen Z, who is redefining what success looks like.

Now, to give a little context, a little reminder to all of us of who is Gen Z. Before we jump into our conversation with our amazing guest today, Gen Z was born between 1996 and 2012. They were deeply shaped by the tech revolution, social media, school shootings, economic instability, and of course COVID-19.

They're definitely known for their digital fluency. In fact, 54% of them spend over four hours a day on social media. They're the most racially and ethnically diverse generation in the us, and over 50% of them actually identify as minorities. 16% of them identify as LGBTQ plus, and they have a very strong focus on values, wellbeing, and authenticity.

When it comes to the workplace. Gen Z will make up 27% of the global workforce by the end of this year. 77% of them say work life balance is essential, and I would actually switch that from work life balance to life work. You agree with that, Jake? I do. And, 72% say they would leave a job that does not have any sort of flexibility Now to focus on today's episode, there's a rising interest in the trades and of the Gen Zs that are actually in trade programs, 52% of them said they were actually waitlisted to even get into these programs. 68% of them say they're fully committed to a career in the trades, They're in the training and they are committed. 84% of them expect to be hired immediately, and 67% already had employer interest.

75% of young tradespeople say social media actually inspired their path, and over 50% are interested in making day in the life content. What is day in the life content?

Showing what you're really doing on a day-to-day basis. And that's inspiring other people to enter the traits.

Katherine: Alright. I wanna welcome Jake to the podcast. When I met Jake, I'm like, who is this guy? He's wise, he's articulate, he has a great sense of humor, and already at his age, he's working to create an easier path for those who are coming behind him. And I found him actually quite inspirational in what he had to share.

And so I'm really excited about him bringing this to the podcast today. So Jake, just introduce yourself real quick. Tell us your name, the trade that you're in, where you actually are working right now, and how long you've been there. 

Jake: Thank you for having me. Of course, Katherine. My name is Jake Beudy.

I'm in a masonry trade. I've been doing masonry for, to be going on six years. I've been outta high school for four. I currently work at a company called Old North State Masonry. We're based outta Matthews, North Carolina, just right outside of Charlotte. And it definitely is something that, I enjoy doing and cannot wait to discuss 

Katherine: So what drew you to the trades? Why did you choose this path? 

Jake: So interesting. I was always a big baseball player in my high school, I went to West Stanley High School which is about 30 minutes east of here, and played for my entire life all the way up till my junior year and always noticed that, the people in our masonry class through the school, always had enactments and then also we got word that if you completed like a masonry three, there's a one, two, and three, as you come up through your four years and if you completed a masonry three, it actually counted as one of your math credits.

Katherine: Oh, wow. 

Jake: Yeah. So that was like straight shot. That was what I was after. And so I tried it. I think my sophomore year I was still playing baseball and had a lot of interactment with people actually in the trade. My father has always done it. He's been in the trade for over 25 years and has always tried to talk me out of it.

But it was just one of those things where when I tried it, I felt that I could be successful at it and saw a pathway then all it took was one paycheck. I noticed that baseball wasn't ever gonna make me any money, so this is the path that I took. 

Katherine: Excellent. So it's kind in your blood, right? Like your dad was doing it so you were exposed to it?

Jake: Yes, ma'am.

Katherine: At an early age. Now why was he trying to talk you out of it?

Jake: I guess it'd be same thing I would do for my kid. You go through all the pain and stuff and some of the problems and you have those days where you come home and you're like, stay away from this.

And then also you have those days where you're like, you can be very successful.

Katherine: So originally it hooked you, so you had, it sounds like high school allowed you to take these courses and then they let you get out of math. So that was the first hook, huh?

Jake: That's right. That's all it took.

Katherine: That's pretty awesome. So did you know that you didn't wanna go to college? How did that play into this. 

Jake: My whole plan, as a freshman, sophomore, I was always stressed to go ahead and figure out what I wanted to do.

And it was play baseball, of course. You ask anybody you know, coming up through school and they'll, spit out some dreams and you're like, wow. It was to play baseball. So I put in a lot of work to it. Tried to get, to where I wanted to go into college, but then stepping out and looking at, the trade and as my senior year I started, land brick and stuff like that it really opened it up for me that, hey, college is good, but look at what I have in debt when I finish and, look at what I can learn in four years if I really put my head down and push.

And I had a couple really good mentors. One big one here is Ryan Shaver. He is phenomenal in the masonry world and helping us youth, grow into the trade. And for that, it he just opened it up and was like, you need to just work hard.

And, you gain a lot more respect going through motion after motion and doing everything step by step to get to where you wanna be. And that's the path that I chose. 

Katherine: Yeah. Now how did you meet Ryan? 

Jake: So when I was a junior and senior when I was in the masonry program through school, I actually competed in masonry competitions.

I won several, I won a state competition my junior year. My senior year got interrupted by COVID. I could not compete at all went straight to work. But he is basically I think his title's, over, a North Carolina Masonary Contractors Association. But there again, it's all of the trades sponsored these youth in high school.

That's how I met him. He's such a kind guy and he knows exactly what Gen Z wants to hear coming into the trade. 

Katherine: Okay. Now people are gonna wanna know what that is. What does he, what does that mean? What does he say? How does he approach you? 

Jake: It's just a, big, step.

I know we're gonna get further down into it, but, to take any advice as Gen Z, feel that, I need that man or that woman to come to me like they're my mom or dad and discuss with me how my mom or dad wouldn't, I'm not saying friend to friend, I'm saying, care for me and wanna see me succeed.

He is phenomenal with that any help, anything Saturday he would do side jobs. He'll pay us what? I won't even be making at 50 years old, he would pay me. Oh, wow. Yeah. And it was just, that motivation of, you want to be like him, you want to be in the same ballpark he's in.

That's just kinda what he brought to the table, to all of us. And I feel like the ones that picked up on it love him to death.

Katherine: So he really came alongside of you did.

Jake: Yes, ma'am. 

Katherine: And it's I wanna spend time with this guy, like this guy is helping me be a better person. 

Jake: Correct. . Absolutely. 

Not just in the trade and in anything. And that's that connection that, it's not, hey, you need to do this, you need to do that. It's, how's your day going? How's school? Are you focusing on this stuff? How's your family?

And it is that love connection that you get and then you trust him and that matters. 

Katherine: Yes. That's huge. I talk about that so much. If, you don't care about your employees in today's world, they're not gonna stick around. And care looks like what you just said.

It's not just, I'm your employee, I'm doing this work for you. It's no care about me as a whole person and my family and my friends and what my life looks like. Yeah. 

Jake: Correct.

Katherine: It sounds like we need a lot more Ryans around the country building the kind of relationship that he's built with you.

Jake: I always mess with him and I always say, I know exactly why you're all about the youth and this is why. And I said, because nobody, your generation likes you, so the only way you can get at workers is to make good friends with the new generation. That's not the case.

But he just, he enjoys working with the youth just because he likes to train, he likes to lead. Yeah. And he loves to sit down and tell us about the things that he's done wrong in his path. And that is huge because I use a lot of that. As motivation as, I need to stay away from that side of it and go this way or go that way.

And he's just he's wonderful. It's one of my biggest mentors in the trade. So that's just, that's who he is. 

Katherine: So it sounds like too, he's leading with humility, transparency, authenticity, and then you're able to say no, I can learn. I'm actually learning from your mistakes. I'm taking what you're saying because I trust you.

I'm taking what you're saying very seriously. And I don't wanna make that same mistake. 

Jake: Absolutely. My boss is not gonna sit down with me, in an interview or anytime after he hires me and tell me everything he did wrong. And that's what I learn off of. That's how I learned from my dad, from my mom.

This is what you don't need to do. This is what I did and I messed up. Yeah. And I think that's huge is, the, father son or that mother daughter relationship, that you gotta have and you gotta bring some of it to work. I know that, we're field of feelings and stuff, but it's it's very true. The only way that I learn is to be comfortable. And to be comfortable. You have to gimme a good leader that is eligible to guide me in the way that I understand. 

Katherine: That's really good. So it sounds like in, in terms of not going to college, that just wasn't a big deal to your family perhaps?

Jake: My, family did want me to go to college. 

Katherine: Okay. 

Jake: Now the one thing that my dad coming from in the masonry world wanted me to work my way up because he is the vice president of the company I work for. And, he always tells me that, to be a boss, you have a lot more respect and it's a lot easier to manage when you've been there and you've done it, you've failed at it, and you've succeeded at it.

That brought some motivation to me as well. Even when I was laying brick, I'm like, I need to learn this because one day, and, when I reach my goal and I look back, I'm gonna say, hey, I could lay brick good. You know what I mean? it makes it a lot easier.

Katherine: What is your goal? 

Jake: So honestly, Katherine my goal is to work as hard as I can and to go all out for it. I have no specific ceiling that I'm trying to reach. I just, I know that in today's world with, nothing being stable and everything, moving on a daily basis, the best thing that I can do is just continue to work as hard as I can.

Katherine: What are some of the biggest stereotypes and misconceptions out there that other genzer, might misunderstand or things that you would wanna say that's not true? This is what it's really like to be in the trades? And this is why I'm glad that I'm part of it. 

Jake: One, thing that I can say is I think that there's a huge scare of coming into a workplace full of, you got what Millennials is very thin, but then, you got your Baby Boomers and everything else and it's just, that connection's not there.

So there's a scare of, me being the youngest one, which I am in this company. In the end, you have to build that connection and it's kinda like what your message was on. There has to be a way for that ball to connect. And there is, it's just, it's hard.

Really I think it maybe just the providing for yourself. The stepping out, coming up through high school and, not really knowing how hard it is then starting with a business or starting that trade. The scare of, having to provide for yourself and your family while this whole entire time your parents have walked with you every step of the way.

That's a huge scare. It's not really tied to a trade, but I think that revolves back to everyone in Gen Z. 

Katherine: Yeah. That's really good. Let me build on that. Have you experienced any pressure or stigmas because you joined the trades instead of taking the kind of more traditional college route?

Jake: Definitely, I feel that communication skills, I had to learn a little bit on my own. How to handle problem solving. All of that stuff. I don't really know if that's something that they teach in college. But it's something that, in any trade, especially masonry you don't get taught.

That's one thing that you just have to learn on your own and learn, how to gain that respect, how to show that respect and at the end of the day, how to solve that problem. 

Katherine: That's really good. So how would you say you went about doing that? You're very articulate, you're very easy to have a conversation with.

Jake: I tie myself into a lot of I guess more thoughtful, older, generational people like Ryan. I learned how, just riding around with him back in the day, seeing how he talked to clients, customers, employees learning from people like that. Not learning from the guy who, makes everybody mad or whatever else, the one who is taking care of people and is respected. That's a big way. The other way is unfortunately, I know that all of us as Gen Z are scared to mess up or to fail, but that's the best way to learn. It is. Once you mess up and you do it again the second time you think about the time you messed up.

Katherine: You sure do.

Jake: You do. 

Katherine: So it sounds like hands-on, experiential, like you're just getting out there, observing the people you really respect and trust and admire, that are going to help instill in you the qualities that you want to possess and pass on to other people.

Jake: Correct, absolutely. 

Katherine: He's an old soul. He's very wise.

Tell us now like what's a typical workday like for you? 

Jake: I work a, an eight to five or a seven to four. It's optional here. But I basically get up, come into the office every morning open up my computer and from the get go it's problem solving. That's my job. I'm a project manager here.

And my job is problem solving and protecting the financials for my job. Protecting the financials is problem solving. So they really link together. But I work here I can go out into the field. Actually, I go out into the field on pretty days in labor just to bring back my, where I started.

And I do that, but I love my job. I work till four every day and I think that every night when I go to bed I'm looking forward to waking up and doing it again the next day because I see where I can go and because I see, that, hey, if I put in a little bit more effort, I can be better than the next guy.

I know what it takes and I pay attention to the people that have succeeded and what they've done. And not only do I wanna be as good as them, but be better. That's just, I feel like 2025, that's the way you have to be to stand out. 

Katherine: How many years did you actually lay brick? 

Jake: So it would've been in school for two years and then outta school for two years. 

Katherine: So when you were in high school, your junior, senior year.

And so then did you transition into this position next? 

Jake: There's a position called a Foreman or a Superintendent.

So that's the next step as in, you have a labor and mason, and then you have a foreman who, that's where I learned how to read drawings figure out problems and, just supply for people. I did that for about a year.

I dove into the paperwork side of things other than the hands-on. I knew what the hands-on was like. I didn't know the paperwork side of it, but I wanted to learn more. One day I was out on the job and the owner of our company called and gave me the opportunity. I took it without a doubt, and I knew it was gonna be hard, but I took it.

And I know that, if I passed it up, I'd always shame myself for it. 

Katherine: All right. And now do you have a goal in sight of where you wanna end up? 

Jake: I wanna take the owner's job. 

Katherine: That's what I was wondering. You're learning all the different parts? 

Jake: No, I would eventually one day like to be a vice president. 

I don't want anything handed to me. I wanna work for it. It doesn't even have to be necessarily this company in the trade. I would like to be able to see things from a financial side. The building has to be built and also manage the people.

The way that I've came up so far and taken some of the education that I've learned from others I would like to make a huge difference in managing people. 

Katherine: Now, you just said something that I don't wanna miss here.

A lot of people will say that Gen Z is lazy.

They don't work very hard. That's one of the stereotypes, right? And you just said I don't want anything handed to me. 

Jake: Correct. 

Katherine: Can you talk about that for a minute and talk about where did that value that work ethic, where did that come from for you? 

Jake: I think and I'm speaking for the behalf of my generation, I think that a lot of it, Katherine, is, none of us want anything handed to us.

We just want a goal that is stable. I think you've even mentioned, the older generations, what they saw financially as a goal we see as a need. And that's just as of today. Tomorrow could be different. I think we want to work. We wanna grow, we want to be better than others around us, but just tell us where we need to be and, that guidance is all we need. Is just that, that help with that smile on your face when you're answering and different things.

Just, I think it's critical to our generation. Very critical. 

Katherine: It's so well said. I'm just letting that soak in for a minute. That's really good. All right, so let's shift a little bit. What's it like working with older coworkers for you, because you're, how old are you, Jake?

Jake: I am 23.

Katherine: 23. All right. So you probably have older people who are above you, and older people who are below you, given your position you currently hold. So what is that like for you? 

Jake: It goes both ways. Pros and cons. The pros is the amount that I've learned from the older generations off of experience, the communication and just, the education of craftsmanship.

Different things within the trade. The cons. I think a lot of it is, especially like you just said, older people below me. Gaining respect. Now is very hard. And this is a big topic. It's like you mentioned Katherine. I think you know when you see someone 23 walk in and start telling, people what to do, or try to guide them in the right direction, you immediately look at that guy and say, he plays video games, he is on his phone, he is just gonna go back to the office and scroll on Instagram or Facebook and it's not it's not the case.

I mean it there, there's really so much to talk about with that. 

Katherine:  So how do you work around those stereotypes? How do you get the people on your team who are older than you to actually follow you and listen to what have to say and be motivated by you? 

Jake: That word right there motivated.

Motivated is what you have to have. Especially, I take, those comments or those thoughts from those people and look at it as motivation that I'm gonna prove 'em wrong. I'm gonna prove them that our generation's not that. It's really not. But there again, you have to know what you're talking about to gain that respect.

You have to have that knowledge and you gotta be polite, can't demand orders. It is really just the way you communicate with the older generation. 

Katherine: And you've also put in, you have four years under your belt too. It's not like you walked into this position, and haven't had any experience.

So at a very young age you're able to say, no, I actually know how to do this. I've done it.

Jake: Absolutely. It's like I was saying, it's walking a job, as a project manager, I always think back to when I laid brick and I can look at a mason and say, hey that doesn't look good.

But I know in the back of my head that I can go and grab his trial and show him how it's supposed to look. That goes a long ways. 

Katherine: For sure. Have you had any conversations with them about this particular dynamic? 

Jake: No, I usually stay to myself. Just because, I like to stay as professional as can be and not be too personal.

But we all know that it's a big issue. I'm walking a job talking to four different generations. And each one of 'em are understanding what I have to say differently. 

Katherine: Yes. Do you have any examples of that? 

Jake: I would say that, the older, I guess it would be the Baby Boomers.

The Baby Boomers are probably the hardest for us to work with. Everything in business is a demand and it's so hard for me to feel what they're seeing and what they're feeling versus when I'm telling them, it's like I'm not demanding and, I'm not being a good enough boss or I'm not.

It's just difference in communication. I think that's for the Baby Boomers coming down, Millennials are a little bit easier for me to work with on that communication side of things. And also, you can basically come out and say, that wall looks terrible, we need to take it down.

And then also at the end of it, say, Hey, how's your family? How's your kid? I heard you had a little daughter and everything is just smooth as it can be. Transferring between people in different generations, you have to do that. You have to transfer the way you communicate.

Katherine: Excellent. Now, don't leave Gen X out. Do you remember? It goes Boomers? Yes. Gen X, Millennials. 

Jake: Gen X is where my boss is at Gen X. Yeah. So Gen X is also hard to work with. That would be most of where our parents come from. I would like to say one thing. I hear, Gen X say, the kids these days, the kids these days, and we all sit around and laugh and say, who are the parents?

That's right. And Yeah, exactly. So anyways no with Gen X I don't really have many examples with Gen X, but Gen X is definitely easier than with Baby Boomers, understanding and communicating. Gen X also, I have learned that think the word thank you or the phrase thank you to them is more than anything.

And even I feel I could owe them a hundred dollars and say thank you for what you did, and I don't owe 'em anything anymore. That's huge. And to keep that in your mind of making them feel that, they did succeed and I'm very thankful for what they've done.

Katherine: That you notice their efforts.

Jake: Correct. Yes, ma'am. 

Katherine: Excellent. I talk about that all the time. Sometimes a simple thank you with Gen Xers goes a very long way. 

Jake: My father, he's Gen X and he is that type. He could do something for you.

And, you say, what do I owe you? And as long as you say thank you, you don't owe him anything. That's just, that means more to him than money. 

Katherine: So wise. So wise, okay. What gives your work purpose?

Jake: What gives my work purpose, I'm gonna have to think on this one for a minute.

Katherine: For Boomers and Gen X, it might've been more like, I just need a paycheck. That's right. And if I'm gonna get a paycheck, I'd like a pretty good paycheck. Often Millennials and zrs, they also want a sense of purpose in their work. There's meaning and value behind what I'm doing.

So how do you find that in your trade? 

Jake: So in, in my trade for our generation as in Gen Z, I think the appreciative. I work for that, raise for that next position. And also what keeps me motivated is when my leaders acknowledge what I've done. I guess I would say, I wouldn't say thank me for what I've done because I owe it to them, but I would say that they really just acknowledge it, Katherine, just to acknowledge it and, that's what I think that I wanna see is, my leader acknowledging that I'm given a hundred percent. That I'm here every day on time. And, just that leadership, it's just that leadership that we keep discussing that, that we need.

Yep, 

Katherine: It's helping you get to your next goal. 

Jake: It's all because of it's keeping me motivated and keeping me pushing. Yeah. Yeah. That's good. Wanna work harder for someone like that? 

Katherine: Yeah. Oh, I love that, right? That's so true. Gen Z, if they feel cared for, they're gonna work harder for you.

Jake: Without a doubt. 

Katherine: Yep. That's a huge motivator. And that can be confusing for older generations because when you went to work, you weren't expected to be cared about. Like you were there to do your job. That was it. And so now they have to shift that mindset, and they do actually have to show that they care and that can be sometimes even confusing for older generations.

You're my employee, right? You don't wanna share all this personal stuff, and you're like, no, actually I do. I wanna have conversations with you. I want you to know me as an individual. 

Jake: Absolutely. 

Katherine: Jake, another thing that's really big for Gen Z is this idea of mental health, right?

And wellbeing. How do you care for your mental health in a physically demanding job? Now, granted you're not out laying bricks currently, but how would you frame that in the trade?

Jake: Can I by any chance, talk about it as a whole? 

Katherine: Absolutely. 

Jake: Okay. So mental health for me anyways it's very hard to keep motivated and it's like I was saying, nothing is stable. I have several different, reasons behind why the mental health is hard, but it is, I constantly work for a goal and when I get to that goal or when I, push myself even further past that goal, it's still not enough.

I think that really plays a huge factor. I have anxiety, medicine, I have anxiety issues. And it's all because of the way, and what's all happened, just these last 5, 6, 7 years. It's time perfectly. My senior year was COVID and so on and so forth.

Katherine: So the way you thought life was supposed to happen is canceled.

Jake: Well correct. Yeah, absolutely. It's, I come up through school and it's you need to work hard, and my parents always told me, that, you know the life you live to be able to continue to live the same lifestyle that you were raised living, you're gonna have to work really hard.

And I look back at 'em now and I'm like, how much harder? Yeah. Sometimes I find myself trying to do two or three different jobs and, working every day to where I don't even have time for, my family or my 10 month old or, whatever. And it's like, how much harder.

That's just a unanswered question that I think none of us know. It's depressing. It is. You don't know. And then, you look at some of the people you know, like even within this company, the Baby Boomers, and they're talking how, some of them can't even, retire.

And I'm like, okay, what's gonna happen when I get to that point? Look at what's happened already in my life. What's gonna happen when I'm 50? Am I gonna be able to retire? Am I gonna be able to enjoy life? There's just so much uncertainty that, we deal with and we have dealt with.

That plays a huge factor in mental health. 

Katherine: Yes. You touched on something else in there about how sometimes because of this angst and not knowing where the world's gonna take you that you might work more than one job. 

Jake: Correct. 

Katherine: How common would you say that is with your peers?

Jake: I would say that it's not only in the bad times, it's any time that I want something. And let me back up. What I work for and what I work hard for is my needs. What I want has to be a second income, a third income or anything to adventure out, to go on that vacation, to take my family out.

You're not gonna do it with one job. And it's unfortunate, it's part of it. What do you do? 

Katherine: So you see your day-to-day job as I'm providing, right? I'm offering stability for those people I'm responsible for, but then anything above and beyond that, you gotta work even harder.

Jake: Absolutely. Yeah, a hundred percent. 

Katherine: One of the things I found really cool about you, is I know you are helping create a path or an easier way to the trades with people in your area, in your community. So tell us first like what you do.

Like you go into the high schools, tell us about that, and then what are some of the things you're actually encouraging Gen Zers possibly pursuing the trade to do? 

Jake: Okay, lemme start with this 'cause it relates back to what I strive to do for, the upcoming.

Tradesmen of the upcoming seniors and stuff like that through school. When I was in that junior senior position in Masonry, there was this one to two particular masonry companies that would come into our masonry class and check on us. And it wasn't that they were trying to get more employees or to get us to commit to coming there. It was the part of them making us feel comfortable, them explaining to us what their day-to-day was and that, Hey, look, I know and I'm not saying anything against what your mom and dad are telling you, but to do this, you do not need college.

And you need to do this, you're gonna have to work for it. But it's honest work. So I feel like a lot of decisions that I made was based off of that, because it all relates back to them coming in the school that I'm at, where I feel comfortable and making me feel even more comfortable about stepping out into a trade.

That's what meant everything. So that's what I'm currently doing and trying to do more of, is getting to the high schools and talk to these juniors and seniors. Let 'em know it's okay. And I do notice now that, there's a lot of juniors and seniors, Katherine, that do not know what they want to do, even the day they walk to get their diploma, do not know what they wanna do.

There's so much uncertainty and they need that guidance. The only person they have is their mom and dad, and their mom and dad just want the best for 'em. You have to go to them. You have to, in any trade, I feel working with Gen Z, you have to go to Gen Z and help them into the trade where they wanna be.

They know what they want. They don't know how to get there. 

Katherine: Yes. I've had a lot of Gen Zs talk about they want older generations to help them get there. Help me set my goals, help hold me accountable. And I think part of that, because your parents have been very involved in what you're doing, right?

The Gen Xers. With the Gen Zs.

Jake: Yeah. And it's I don't know the statistic number, you were telling me in our meeting that, a certain percentage brought their parents with them to a job interview. That's a perfect explanation. Yeah, that is so unfortunate. And Baby Boomers and stuff see that and they're like, I'm not hiring that guy. What it defines is they have been led their entire life. They're never gonna succeed being dropped off. And you expected them just to pick it up. They have to be trained. They have to be guided and they have to have a goal that is stable.

Katherine: And the stat you're referring to is that is 20% of companies that are hiring recent college grads are having parents show up at job interviews. Yeah. And so what you're saying is, yeah, because parents have been involved, so don't expect them to just come into the workplace and get how to do it themselves.

You have to. That's right. Actually develop their skills and build them up and be involved and invested. 

Jake: Absolutely. 

Katherine: Yeah. And then Jake's also referring, an advancing leaders group. That's where I met Jake. I was doing a workshop with him and I was like, I gotta get this guy on the podcast. He's amazing. 

Jake: It's funny 'cause I think we were discussing it, we have little pods that meet on the month that we do not have a speaker.

And I had no idea that, what your message was and we heard it and I'm like, oh, I'm gonna be so ready. And it was like the day of I had cold chills walking in. 'Cause that, it is just one of those things that we all feel so much pressure but do not know the answer or a way to escape.

Katherine: Yes. And you mean working across the generation. 

Jake: Absolutely. Yeah. There's no answer of how I need to work better with Baby Boomers. Yes. So there's not a conflict in every conversation. 

Katherine: Yes. 

Jake: That's huge in the workplace right now. 

Katherine: Yes. And I love that.

And you took away the thanking Gen Xers, right? Like we talked about that. Absolutely. I'm glad that's working for you.

Alright, so then this is more of a, like theoretical question, but how do you think Gen Z will shape the future of the trades and of skilled work? 

Jake: Just throwing it up in the air. I think that the future with our generation is gonna bring a lot of technology. You're gonna see. I wouldn't say ai, I wouldn't say that it's gonna overtake these jobs.

I think it'll overtake certain jobs, but I think it's gonna be utilized more as a tool for us in succeeding training different things like that to help just take that load off of our shoulders. But I do feel like that you will see a much happier more enjoyable workforce. And that's, if Katherine, if we can get Gen Z to step into these traits they're like I said, there's so much uncertainty and so much fear that, I look at it and that's like I was saying, I, at some point in time when everybody in this office retires, I have to have somebody to work with.

So that's, that's big for me. But, I really think technology AI's gonna help tremendously. And I have to jump on the bandwagon with ai. If I don't, the bandwagon's gonna leave me. Yes. So it's huge. I think that a lot of your factories and this is, like I said, just throwing it up in there, but I think a lot of your factories will will be ran by robotic AI software.

I think, like even for us we have to estimate jobs, put together numbers, the plans change, but the steps are repetitive and I think that, AI will be in control of all of that before too long. 

Katherine: I agree with you. When you say before too long, three years, five years?

Jake: I would say that it's gonna take a good three to five years to get in the workplace. Good for people to trust it. It's gonna take probably close to 10 would be my guess. 

Katherine: Yeah. I feel like it's just coming so fast.

Jake: It is. It's like I'll blink and here it is, 10 years. 

Katherine: I wanna back up again.

Back to when you go into the high schools, who actually brings you in? Are you going in through an organization? Are you doing this on your own? What does that look like? 

Jake: It's through Ryan Shaver. Through the. North Carolina Masonary Tractors Association. I particularly, am in good communication with my high school that I graduated from just because I feel welcome there.

And I know that when I stand in front and can say that I sat in those exact chairs that those students are sitting in, that brings comfort to them and my guidance. But I know for, for him speaking on the behalf of Ryan it's schools all across North Carolina that he goes into, and any chance that I get, driving down the road and I see there's nothing for me to walk in a principal's office and ask just to offer, and it would be, I guess through the career and technology education, the CTE programs.

Okay. That's really big here. I do know North Carolina is huge in masonry for the youth.

I do not know statistic numbers, but I would say that nearly over half of the schools in North Carolina now have a masonry program. 

Katherine: Wow. If I'm listening to this and I am in the trades and I'm like you, like I need more people. Who's gonna be working alongside of me?

What would you tell me to do? How can I encourage and motivate Gen Zers to come in? And be part of what I'm doing. 

Jake: Do what you feel comfortable with. Always look for the guidance and ask questions. Asking questions is huge for our generation. I would say that just putting forth the effort and working at it, you can come out a blind bat.

And in this day and time, if you work hard, you will succeed. There is hardly anyone around us that is our age right now, in the trade unfortunately. And you just you gotta work hard. You gotta learn. And you have to find that one person that you look at as dad, that guides you to where you want to be.

Katherine: What I hear is a big relational component to recruiting Gen Z into this space, and then a continued kind of building on that, right? Equipping you with different skills, and not just the skills of masonry in this case, but also skills like communication, how to manage people, how to hold people accountable.

 To your point, like you were fired up to come into the session because I gotta understand how to work across the generational divide.

Jake: Absolutely. 

Katherine: And you're hungry to know this. 

Jake: I use this as an example. I actually just put out an application on LinkedIn two weeks ago for an assistant project manager that we're in desperate need of looking for, just someone who has some experience already just because we're busy at the moment.

And I had 80 applicants, one, Gen Z, and my team asked me, they said, why do we only have one Gen Z? And I said, if I take you to the school, we'll come back with 10. That's just how it is. You have to go to them, they're not gonna come looking for you. 

Katherine: That's so good. So did you go to a school. 

Jake: I have not yet.

No, we're actually fulfilling the position. Okay. Just because it's heat of the moment. In the winter, we will probably hire someone to train up. And, I'm excited for it because there again, working with Gen Z I know what they have to have, what they need.

Have to pay attention to it because, the way that I see, myself in the future within, business is I've gotta learn about more of my generation and I have to learn what's happened before my time. 

Katherine: Excellent. Jake, it has been such a pleasure to have you on the podcast. You certainly did not disappoint. So much wisdom and I think you gave a lot of really helpful insights to Gen Z . There's a huge space for Gen Z in the trades.

It is shifting, more are heading in that direction. And you've given a lot of permission for them to go in that direction, right? 

Jake: Absolutely. 

Katherine: That really good things can come from it. 

Jake: It can, it most definitely can. 

Katherine: Gen Z is really helping us rethink the assumptions we have about what success can actually look like.

You all are not afraid to go in different directions and do things that make sense and that are gonna get you where you wanna go. 

Jake: I do want to add one thing that just an example that, I was telling some leaders here at work when they asked about, the anxiety part, the fear you know, they, it just that they don't understand.

There again, when I was a junior, I look forward to turning 18 and being able to graduate and walk across the stage and all that got shut down because of COVID. Also, they moved where you couldn't buy tobacco or anything from 18 to 21, so I did not feel like an adult. Then, I get to 20 and we go through, one of the most political uncertainties that, I think we've ever experienced.

And then I turn 21 and it's here you go out into the workforce and then you have all these price increases, the uncertainty, I watch the news and then run outside and see what bomb's gonna hit us today. And it's just, there's so much going on and it's like I was saying, we look at a goal and then two months later it's that goal's not enough anymore.

It's brings a big frustration, but you have to look past it and keep motivated. 

Katherine: Yeah. So it's like the goalpost moves, right? 

Jake: Yeah, exactly. There you go. Yeah, absolutely. I learned how to kick a 50 yard field goal, and then it's like the field goal is now 60. 

Katherine: Yeah. 

Jake: And it's now I gotta relearn.

Katherine: Yeah. And you're like, I'm just trying to make my way. But it keeps moving. And, you've made it very clear throughout the whole podcast you're very goal oriented, you're very goal driven. You're trying to reach those goals. And so when they keep moving on you and you don't even know why they're gonna move, there's been, you just listed like 10 different reasons why the goalpost has moved in your young life, right? So that feeds into that anxiety. I'm glad you brought that up because a lot of older generations are like why are they so anxious? What's going on? And 'cause as a Gen Xer, we never even knew the word anxiety.

It wasn't something we talked about, and we just, we were taught to suck it up and keep going. And for you all, you are more aware of your mental health at a much younger age, and you do have all these factors coming at you along with having that cell phone, right? I always mention Jonathan Haights book the Anxious Generation, right?

Which really helps explain where a lot of that's come from. So thanks for bringing that up and unpacking that. I think more of us need to hear that and really understand why you all feel the way you do, so that we can help you move through it in a way that's productive and positive and keeps you motivated along the way.

Jake: Yeah, for sure. It, definitely is a big topic and I think answers a lot of questions just on how we were brought up and how, it's so hard for us to gain trust and, to there again, to have that motivation it's for what. What do I need to make a hundred thousand dollars for, two hundred's, not enough.

Like you were saying, you can make a TikTok video. And some of these people are, in my generation, are getting paid 60, $70,000. They're not having to deal with the Baby Boomers, the Gen Xers and the Millennials.

Katherine: They're just on TikTok. Yeah. 

Jake: They're just on TikTok. 

Katherine: So another thing I heard in what you just said even is stability, right? You're looking for stability. And it would feel nice to land somewhere and know what is coming and what is expected and how you can move forward. Just some things that just make sense.

Jake: That's right. Yeah. I bought a house last year and it's I figure out where I need to be financially to support that. Plus, look at groceries, everything else, gas, and it's that's all washed away. It's risen now.

And then you know, I sit in a Vistage class and we have a speaker and he's everybody write down 2030 'cause we're gonna have another great depression. And I'm like that's, that is the things that we have been brought up to is it's just like everything is constantly changing and it's so hard to set that goal or to set that.

And you can't go by others' goals. You have to go by your own and it's gonna move. It is. You just have to move with it. 

Katherine: I hope everyone has listened to the full podcast 'cause I don't want them to miss this. You did such a good job of articulating something that is very difficult often for older generations to understand.

It makes sense. 'cause it's just a different experience, right? I always say it's not about good or bad or right or wrong. It's a different experience and we need to understand what it's like to be your age right now in the world as it currently is.

Thank you Jake, so much.

I just think you're a rockstar and I'm excited to see where life takes you. Appreciate it. 

For all you listening, thanks for tuning in. And if you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe or leave a review and share it with someone who values cross generational connection. Keep listening, keep learning, and keep leading with empathy.