Straight From the Source: Your Weekly News Brief That Doesn’t Bore

EDH Opens State Tournament with a Win
The El Dorado Hills 10–11 All‑Star baseball team kicked off the state tournament in Danville with a strong 9–3 victory over Willow Glen. Read more →

Bass Lake Vegetation Fire Broke Out
A rapid response by El Dorado Hills Fire and CAL FIRE halted a brush fire near Bass Lake Road and Highway 50 after it burned just 3 acres. Read more →

Folsom & EDH Restaurants Awarded PG&E Foundation Support
Local eateries—including 36 Handles in El Dorado Hills received $5,000 resilience grants from the PG&E Foundation and California Restaurant Foundation to support equipment, training, and staff retention efforts. Read more →

Twin Lakes Food Bank Launches "Building Hope" Campaign
A capital campaign was launched to fund a new, larger facility behind Mt. Olive Lutheran Church that will double storage capacity and serve up to 60,000 people annually in Folsom, El Dorado Hills, and Granite Bay. Read more →

Blue Shield Cuts 41 Jobs Locally
Blue Shield of California recently announced it will lay off 41 employees across its El Dorado Hills and Rancho Cordova offices, effective September 23. Read more →

EDC Veteran Monument Updated Criteria
The El Dorado County Board of Supervisors recently approved revisions to the Veterans Monument criteria, updating who qualifies for recognition. Read more →

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— by Leo C.

I recently came across a striking finding: Gen Z men ages 22 to 27 who earned college degrees now face unemployment rates on par with peers who didn’t graduate. That means the so‑called “higher education payoff”, the idea that a degree reliably boosts job prospects may no longer apply to young men in today’s labor market. For many, college once offered a clear path forward. Now it feels like the value proposition has shifted significantly.

One aspect that stands out is the growing appeal of skilled trades. As employers blur degree requirements for entry‑level work, many Gen Z men are choosing vocational routes like plumbing, welding, or electrical trades that offer solid wages and resilience to automation. Enrollment in trade programs has surged by around 20% since 2020, underscoring a major rethink in how success and stability are defined today. Some successful entrepreneurs have even advocated vocations as viable, high‑paying alternatives to college.

Gender dynamics add another layer. While male graduate unemployment has climbed toward 7%, rates for female counterparts remain closer to 4%, driven partly by the booming healthcare sector, an area more resistant to technological disruption and growing rapidly in hiring. Women’s greater willingness to accept flexible roles, even when they diverge from ideal career paths versus men holding out for status‑aligned positions may explain part of this discrepancy.

All of this invites the question: in a world where college is no longer a guaranteed ticket to employment, how can young people and society better adapt? Maybe the real lesson is to value skill, adaptability, and clarity in career choices over credentials alone. And perhaps the most innovative move right now is to treat vocational training not as a fallback, but as a deliberate, respected path to stability and fulfillment.

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