"Even with Studying, 'In-Seoul' Is Tough"... The 'Major Twist' of Young People Who Gave Up Four-Year Degrees

○ [Newistory] The Counterattack of Blue-Collar Workers... 2030 Generation Falling in Love with Skilled Labor (Broadcasted on September 19, 2026)

Cho Woo-yi (28) works at an Icheon plant of a domestic memory semiconductor company, which is currently called a dream workplace. Having entered a Meister high school to learn a trade, Woo-yi won the National Skills Competition and joined a large heavy industries company in Ulsan. Afterward, he competed as a national representative in the WorldSkills Competition and even won a gold medal in the plumbing category, leading him to enter his current workplace and establish himself in the field earlier than his peers. Woo-yi, who continues to visit his alma mater every year after graduation to help juniors with their practical training, shared that he feels a shift in how young people view technical jobs. He noted that instead of simply choosing them out of desperation due to difficult job market conditions, they now view them as jobs where they can build their own skills and acquire expertise.

Reported by Lee Jong-hoon | Produced by Kim Da-yeon | Video by Ahn Min-shin | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.