With the high price of tuition at four-year colleges and Americans owing nearly $2 billion in student loan debt, some young people are questioning the benefits of a traditional bachelor's degree and opting to work with their hands.

Vocational school enrollment shot up by 16% last year, reaching a record level since the National Student Clearing House began recording such data. Gen Z has even been dubbed "the tool belt generation."

While the majority of workers in trades are men, a growing number of young women are opting to work with their hands. In 2020, 11.6% of those who completed an apprenticeship program in the US were female, according to the Department of Labor.

"It's about time for people to start realizing that you can make more money, have a better career path, have a happier life, have a better family in the long term, by doing stuff with your hands," said Victoria Carl, a 25-year-old Albany woman who owns her own car repair show.