High-paying jobs that don't need a college degree? Thousands of them sit empty

In 2018, Garret Morgan (center) was training as an ironworker near Seattle. Five years later, he says he made the right career choice: "I'm loving it every day." (Sy Bean/The Hechinger Report)

This is an updated version of a story we originally published in 2018, with new reporting, and data and statistics, that reflect 2023 conditions.

Like most other American high school students, Garret Morgan had it drummed into him constantly: Go to college. Get a bachelor's degree.