The company’s Youth Career Readiness Outlook research series examines how prepared young people are for life after high school through the lens of parents, counselors, educators and employers. The latest report draws on an online survey of 2,230 parents of middle and high school students.
While parents remain most likely to prefer traditional college for their children, enthusiasm has declined and perceptions of nondegree pathways like career and technical education (CTE), apprenticeships and trade schools are improving. The share of parents who favor traditional college dropped from 74 percent in 2019 to 58 percent in 2025. Support for nondegree options grew by 6 percent in the same time period, indicating more parents are undecided or weighing a mix of possibilities, according to the survey.
The shift comes amidst a changing labor market. Unemployment rates for young college graduates are rising higher than for peers without a degree, research group the Burning Glass Institute reported in 2025, due in part to AI impacts on entry-level positions and post-pandemic shifts in hiring structures.
CTE GAINS GROUND WITH HIGH ACHIEVERS
According to the Britebound report, CTE in the past has been viewed as an alternative option for students who were not academically inclined. This belief is changing, with 35 percent of parents saying CTE is best suited for high-achieving students, up from 13 percent in 2019.
Parents’ familiarity with some of these options is already high. Nearly all respondents said they were at least somewhat familiar with trade schools (95 percent) and apprenticeships or internships (93 percent), but less so with newer models like technical boot camps, with which only 30 percent of respondents said they were familiar.
PARENTS RECOGNIZE BENEFITS
Nearly all parents surveyed (98 percent) said they saw at least one benefit to nondegree pathways. Hands-on learning and strong demand for skilled workers were the most commonly cited advantages.
At the same time, 89 percent of parents identified at least one potential downside. Fewer opportunities, limited career growth and lower income potential were chief among those, each cited by almost a third of respondents.
According to the report, nondegree programs’ shorter history compared to traditional degrees may play a role in these perceptions, underscoring the need for data on student outcomes through both pathways.
Despite differences in preferred routes, parents broadly agree on what they want out of their students’ postsecondary journey. Alignment with student needs and interests was ranked the most important factor by parents who prefer traditional degrees and second-most important by those favoring nondegree pathways.
DIFFERING PERCEPTIONS ON PARENT INVOLVEMENT
Most parents see themselves as active participants in their child’s post-high school planning, and research indicates they can be key drivers in students’ decision-making. Eighty-eight percent of respondents reported having discussed postsecondary plans with their child, and only 5 percent said they did not agree with their child’s chosen path.
However, among teens surveyed in related Britebound research, 19 percent believed their parents did not support their plans for the future, and the perception gap widens when teens are considering nondegree options. While only 8 percent of parents whose kids were pursuing those routes said they disagreed with their child, 30 percent of teens said their parents did not support the decision.
In an online teen community curated by Britebound, some young people cited financial pressure and uncertainty about the future as sources of tension.
“Personally, I have no clue what I want to be or do in the future. My parents, on the other hand, want me to go to college for a degree and get my education,” one 18-year-old from New York said. “I love knowledge and learning, too. Just trying to figure out how to learn without going to a physical classroom and sit there for over an hour.”
