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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Sarah Boisvert reveals new book, Ditch Degrees! for job seekers in today's new collar economy

Last updated Friday, April 7, 2023 14:56 ET

Sarah Boisvert's new book, Ditch Degrees! is a practical guide on how job seekers can enter the so-called new collar economy, even without a college degree.

Santa Fe, New Mexico, 04/07/2023 / SubmitMyPR /

Author entrepreneur Sarah Boisvert is coming out with her third book, titled Ditch Degrees! which gives readers a practical guide on how people can become part of the “new collar” workforce, which are jobs that require technical and employability skills but not traditional college degrees. These include jobs in 3D printing, repair and maintenance of robots, and cybersecurity.

The e-book version is scheduled to come out in May, with the paperback version to be available in the summer.

Boisvert previously authored The New Collar Workforce, published in 2018, which outlined the skills gap and discussed how these jobs are necessary in today's economy. In 2020, Boisvert released an augmented reality photography book, titled People of the New Collar Workforce, where the photos trigger video interviews with new collar workers about their stories and experiences in this emerging form of work.

Boisvert is the founder of New Collar Network, an alliance of educators, employers, and visionaries who want to reimagine traditional education, allowing people to gain well-paying and engaging jobs without the need for a college degree. She also co-founded a laser manufacturing company that invented several technologies, leading to products used in the medical and electronics fields today.

“Today, we have lots of engineers, but we have no technicians. There's a lack of people qualified to operate CNC machines or fix robots. The modern educational system has convinced everyone they have to go to college, and it has dismantled the vocational-technical training options that we used to have,” she says.

The first part of Ditch Degrees! builds on The New Collar Workforce and lays out the skills needed to succeed in these jobs. According to research for the book, the most important skills in new collar jobs are problem solving and critical thinking. Boisvert discusses the concept of degree creep, where employers used to hire people from vocational-technical schools for roles such as machinists and welders. But later, employers started requiring an associate's degree for these roles. Having been in the manufacturing industry for decades, Boisvert says this is “nonsense”, as the skills needed to operate a CNC machine, for example, do not need a college degree.

Over the past few years, employers have been struggling to find people for new collar jobs, and New Collar Network is working with them to determine what kinds of training can provide an equivalent experience and help them fill those roles, while providing non-college graduates with employment opportunities.


Ditch Degrees! also includes several developments since the publication of the previous book, such as industries' growing acceptance of certificates and micro-certifications, as well as the 2020 White House executive order that directs the federal government to revise its hiring practices to include non-degree-holding candidates, putting more emphasis on an applicant's skills.

The book's second part is a practical guide on how to land a new collar job, and it informs the reader about the various training programs and certifications that are available. These include training in 3D printing, CAD, laser and CNC machining, and cybersecurity, which on average take around 6 weeks and cost between $200 and $1,000. Major universities, community colleges, and tech giants also offer these types of certifications, and the book can provide prospective learners some leads on where to get them.

“I believe there will be a convergence of employers realizing that a degree is not always necessary for some jobs, leading them to rethink their hiring practices. There are so many people dissatisfied after getting a college degree, which left them in debt and unable to adequately support their families. My sincere hope is that, if college is not in the cards for someone, they become aware of other pathways to well-paying, engaging jobs that will allow them to succeed in life,” Boisvert says.



About Sarah Boisvert

Sarah Boisvert is an author entrepreneur, with extensive experience in technologies such as laser machine tools and 3D printing. She is passionate about the future of work, and she founded New Collar Network, a collection of employers, educators, and other individuals who seek to reimagine the educational system and create more non-traditional pathways to meaningful employment.

Media contact

Name: Sarah Boisvert

Email: [email protected]



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