Years ago at the age of eighteen, my husband graduated from high school. With no particular skills, he found work picking apples in the orchards of his home state of Washington. Then an aluminum plant opened in the area, and he applied and was hired. This new job allowed him to advance from entry level to levels far beyond the subsistence jobs his family had known.

Then he was drafted into the army. After his basic training, he was able to apply for officer candidate school. He was accepted and emerged from the additional training as an officer in the U.S. army, a professional, the first in his family. Eventually, he applied for more training and became a pilot, finding a career that challenged him and allowed him meaningful service. Along the way, he received a college degree, paid for by the military.

I use these examples, not to push for factory or military careers but as examples of how opportunity can inspire even disadvantaged young people to become useful citizens. The military and to a certain extent the factories of my husband’s day took uneducated youth and offered them training and the hope of advancement. The opportunity to enter a couple of careers where advancement and a living wage were a possibility changed my husband’s life.

Our careers today seem divided into well paying, professional jobs, open only to those few who can first afford an expensive education, and all the rest. Perhaps we need more apprentice type jobs, even in the technical field. Jobs with the promise of training and education, more responsibility, and the chance to advance professionally can fuel hope.