I used to feel embarrassed about graduating from a trade school. But now my career is safe from AI.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Sade Slack, a 38-year-old surgical technician based in California.

It has been edited for length and clarity.

I entered high school with a heavy load of AP and honors classes.

My middle school grades had put me on an accelerated track, and I pushed myself hard to keep up.

I came home from school and slept for hours just to recover.

Then the pressure started affecting how I handled tests.

I got so anxious that I began avoiding them.

Halfway through the semester, I dropped all my classes.

That changed how I thought about success.

I stopped worrying so much about what looked impressive on paper and started asking myself what kind of life I actually wanted.

That’s when I decided a trade school was the better option for me.

My high school had a second path: Seniors who weren’t going to university could meet representatives from trade schools, community colleges, and companies that hire straight out of high school.

Suddenly, I could see options I hadn’t considered before.

I got excited about my future again.

Trade school was also much easier to get into.

No waiting to hear from a first- or second-choice university.

They reviewed my transcript and application and accepted me into an 18-month surgical technology program.

My parents didn’t understand why I would borrow that much money for trade school, and they refused to cosign my student loans, so I took out the loan myself.

Anatomy, physiology, and sociology were built on subjects I had already studied in high school, but now I could actually use what I was learning.

I wasn’t memorizing information just to pass an exam.

I was learning skills I would eventually use in an operating room with real patients.

That matters even more to me now when students can ask AI to explain almost anything in seconds.

AI can be a great learning tool, but in my job, eventually, you have to know the material yourself.

There is no shortcut when a patient is on the table.

While I was in school, I worked at Best Buy for $7.25 an hour to cover my living expenses.

Family issues had me moving between two states after graduation, so it took almost two years to land my first job.

I still remember that first paycheck: about $1,100.

I took my friends out for dinner and drinks.

They were still in their second year of college.

I had already finished school and started earning money.

Even my parents eventually admitted they were glad I hadn’t listened to them.

I have health insurance, a 401(k), and a pension through a major Southern California hospital system.

Some of my friends are still paying off their college loans.

A typical shift is 12 hours, and I might work six surgeries in one day.

Some days, the breaks barely feel like breaks.

As a surgical technician, I prepare instruments, equipment, and supplies.

I also make sure the surgeon has what they need throughout a procedure.

A big part of the job is anticipating what happens next.

I notice when the energy in the operating room shifts.

Sometimes I know what a surgeon needs before they have time to say it.

That’s one reason I’m not convinced AI is coming for my job anytime soon.

AI will probably take over more administrative tasks.

It may become more involved in the operating room, too.

But surgery involves more than completing a checklist.

You have to recognize when a routine moment suddenly becomes serious.

You have to respond before someone explains what they need.

I work alongside doctors with elite degrees.

Some have had children my age attending Ivy League universities.

Saying “trade school” made me feel like I had somehow fallen short.

Not anymore — especially now with the rise of AI.

A four-year degree can be a great investment.

The important thing is knowing what you’re buying.

Eighteen years later, that still makes the decision worth it.