CENTRAL TEXAS — Noah Hernandez is finally putting the finishing touches on his fire pit, after weeks of hard work.
“Really, you just go cut you a couple pieces of metal and start going at it,” Hernandez said.
Noah started welding a year ago, in his AG Class at Moody High School and fell in love with it.
“I’ve always been more of a hands-on learner and with welding everything is just hands-one — you’re always doing something,” he said.
Now, he wants to skip college and go straight to work.
“It starts with getting certified through high school — coming in like another two months, I’ll take a certification test and hopefully enroll in TSTC as soon as possible," Hernandez said.
Noah’s not alone — a recent U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics report shows undergraduate enrollment fell eight percent between 2019 and 2022 — the largest decline on record.
Charley Ayres with Workforce Solutions of Central Texas works with over a dozen local high schools helping students find jobs said he’s seen a rise in students interested in joining the workforce.
“Some of these careers with industry recognized certification students can make a good living and they’re not really required to four years of college to do that,” Ayres said.
Noah says student loans are also a factor.
“I don’t plan to take out any loans — I just want to be self-made,” he said.
Noah's mom and dad didn’t go to college and they both support his decision.
“My mom has been a correctional officer for 22 years now — my dad’s been in the concrete business for about 30," Noah said.
"They’re supportive and they want me to do what I love."
Noah says he plans to continue practicing on his welding skills and is hoping to land a job by the time he graduates.
