The Eroding Promise of College: Trade Schools Surge as Americans Reject Leftist Indoctrination in Higher Education

In a video just out and posted above, economist Peter St. Onge boldly declared that American universities are hurtling toward obsolescence. Sitting in his signature leopard-print shirt, St. Onge highlighted how President Donald Trump’s aggressive actions—suing universities for racial discrimination and redirecting billions in federal funds to trade schools—are accelerating the decline of these once-revered institutions. “The gravy train is ending,” St. Onge stated, pointing to voter distrust, student exodus, and employer skepticism. He noted that universities have morphed into “progressive factories” peddling DEI initiatives, transgender ideology, and climate alarmism, all while the supposed salary premium of a college degree proves largely illusory.

This sentiment captures a growing national awakening: The economic benefits of a four-year degree are diminishing, trade schools are on the rise, and Americans are losing respect for leftist-dominated institutions, particularly in higher learning. For decades, the narrative has been clear: A college degree is the golden ticket to higher earnings and upward mobility. But recent data paints a starkly different picture. According to research cited by St. Onge, the average payback period for a college degree— the time it takes to recoup costs through higher wages—now stretches to 21 years.

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Nearly one in four degrees actually results in a net financial loss, particularly in fields like liberal arts, humanities, communications, psychology, and education, where the salary boost fails to offset loans and opportunity costs. Bryan Caplan, an economist at George Mason University, has calculated that the overwhelming majority of the college salary premium stems not from the education itself but from admissions processes that cherry-pick high-achieving students who would succeed regardless. In essence, colleges are riding on the coattails of innate talent rather than imparting valuable skills. This erosion is backed by broader trends. A Wall Street Journal opinion piece from 2017 warned of “diminishing returns” on college investments, as rising costs outpace wage gains for many graduates.

Making College Admissions Racist Again? – Sarah Cain Vid

By 2020, another WSJ analysis showed that increasing education levels provide a shrinking economic boost, with the college wage premium stabilizing at around 75% but failing to keep pace with inflation and debt burdens. Fast-forward to 2024, and Gallup polls reveal that only 36% of Americans have “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in higher education, down from 57% in 2015. This skepticism is particularly acute among men, with a 2021 WSJ report noting that a generation of American males is giving up on college, feeling “lost” amid soaring costs and uncertain returns. Fox News reported in 2023 that U.S. companies are increasingly dropping degree requirements, projecting 1.4 million jobs opening up to non-graduates as school costs spiral “out of control.”

Employers are leading the charge. Giants like Google, IBM, and Palantir have eliminated degree mandates for many positions, recognizing that aptitude tests—once banned in 1971 by the Supreme Court as “racist”—are better predictors of job performance than GPAs. St. Onge points out that SAT scores correlate twice as strongly with workplace success as college transcripts, suggesting we could replace the $700 billion university system with a $68 test taking just a few hours. Heritage Foundation reports echo this, noting that college graduates increasingly lack workplace skills, inflating costs through federal subsidies while delivering subpar results. As a result, just 27% of graduates work in fields related to their major, and nearly half end up in jobs not requiring a degree at all.

Teen Genius suing for discrimination: 4.4 GPA and 1590 SAT Score—who was hired straight out of high school by Google for a Ph.D level Software Engineer position—was rejected by 16 out of 18 colleges – clip

Forty-four percent regret their major, with humanities grads regretting at a staggering two-thirds rate. Amid this disillusionment, trade schools and vocational programs are experiencing a renaissance. The Federalist has long advocated for trades as a debt-free path to prosperity, asking in 2023: “Why drown in college debt when you could thrive in a trade?” Enrollment data from 2018 already suggested the college bubble was popping, boosting alternatives like apprenticeships that are “immensely cheaper” and more practical. Trump himself has championed this shift, highlighting apprenticeships over college in 2017 to draw workers back into the economy. By 2025, The Federalist reported that college degrees and income aren’t the sole measures of success, with trade certifications offering faster, higher returns.

For instance, a 12-week database bootcamp costs one-eighth of a college degree and boasts 80% higher placement rates. Fox News covered a 2025 “dropout graduation” in San Francisco, celebrating those who skipped college for tech and trades, inspired by success stories bypassing traditional paths. This pivot isn’t just economic—it’s ideological. Americans are increasingly viewing colleges as propaganda mills rather than bastions of learning. St. Onge calls them “the source of so much crazy,” churning out DEI, gender ideology, and environmental extremism. National Review has questioned whether conservatives should defend academic freedom in institutions that have abused it for decades In 2021, NR detailed how leftist wokeness punished professors like Bright Sheng at Michigan for minor perceived offenses.

HOW IS THIS REAL? This social justice DEI activist/racist who thinks everyone is racist because of implicit bias and systematic racism is about to become the President of the University of Florida. He wants to turn students into BLM political activists. He doesn’t belong anywhere near campus

The Daily Wire exposed how “woke interlopers” are transforming even Christian higher education, bowing to left-wing pressures. A 2025 Daily Wire piece on ethnic studies in California schools highlighted how leftist curricula label opposition as “propaganda,” extending the indoctrination from K-12 to college. Trust in these institutions has plummeted. Gallup polls show 60% of independents and 80% of Republicans distrust universities, a sharp reversal from 2015 when most Republicans trusted them. Fox News reported in 2024 that confidence hit an all-time low, with less than one-third of Americans holding high regard for colleges. This extends to broader leftist entities: Media, government agencies, and unions face similar backlash. National Review noted in 2006 that universities produce “unprejudiced” graduates at the expense of citizenship and values.

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The Daily Wire detailed Harvard’s willingness to settle amid the crackdown. These moves signal a cultural shift: No more taxpayer bailouts for indoctrination. As St. Onge concludes, universities have become “parasites on taxpayers, enemies of liberty.” With trade schools offering practical, affordable paths and companies prioritizing skills over sheepskins, the college myth is crumbling. Americans’ waning respect for leftist higher ed isn’t just about economics—it’s a rejection of propaganda masquerading as education. The future belongs to those who build, not those who lecture from ivory towers.

From the people

• This is a necessary correction and is also somewhat sad to see. Modern universities lost their way. Instead of being elite institutions pushing bright people to new intellectual heights, they became profit based indoctrination centers for the masses. We need universities to maintain advantages in certain areas but a massive realignment must take place for that to be realized. – Mike Spicer
• I can’t believe it took this long for people to realize what a massive scam universities are for the vast majority of students. They are an overpriced boarding school to learn how to party, for the awkward. – Thomas Paine Band
• Fantastic insights, as always. Thanks for posting. “Interesting, SAT scores have twice the correlation with job performance as college GPA. As in, you could replace the entire 7 trillion dollar university systems with SAT tests that cost 68 bucks and take 3 hours.” Let that sink in. No more unpayable student loans, no more unlimited left wing college inculcation, and the list goes on. – Mil Traveller
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