The cost of a college education — long touted as a requirement for a fulfilling, high-paying job — has soared over the last couple of decades, stoking skepticism among Gen Z about the true value of a four-year degree. 

As the youngest generation in the workforce debates the merits of a college education, more 20-somethings are gravitating to blue-collar careers. 

Salary increases and new technologies in fields from welding to manufacturing are helping blue-collar jobs shed the image of being dirty, menial work as a shortage of skilled tradespeople, brought on as older workers retire, creates opportunities for young adults.