A dire electrician shortage is a ‘life-or-death’ threat to the AI data center boom—and an opportunity for Gen Z

When Nicholas Bowman was in high school, he thought his next steps were already mapped: He’d get a college degree and land a stable, high-paying job—enjoying the kind of economic mobility higher education has long promised.

But as application deadlines loomed, doubt crept in. What was so great about spending four years in classrooms, taking on tens of thousands of dollars in debt, and still facing no guarantee of a solid living?

That’s when a family friend suggested a different route: an electrical apprenticeship.