For Gen Z workers wary of college debt, Walmart offers a road to six figures without a degree

Walmart is betting that, for Gen Z, the road to a six-figure salary may run through its stores—not a college campus. The massive retailer is building paid, debt-free pathways that train frontline associates and place them in higher-paid jobs as truck drivers, skilled technicians, and licensed opticians. The program also addresses a labor shortage in those fields, by matching the training directly to positions it needs to fill.

The flagship Associate to Driver program, launched in 2022, pays eligible associates while they earn a commercial driver’s license and transition into the retailer’s fleet. More than 1,000 employees have moved into driving roles through the program, where first-year drivers can make up to $115,000 annually and more experienced drivers can earn up to $135,000, according to the company.

It’s one major corporation’s answer to a question that hangs over young people across the country as they graduate from high school. Rising college costs and uncertainty about the job market have left many Gen Z students rethinking the path forward. The average total cost of a four-year degree is $108,584, according to a report by the Education Data Initiative. Betsy Mayotte, the President and Founder of The Institute of Student Loan Advisors, told Fortune that the days of education for education’s sake are gone: “It’s just not affordable,” she said. 

For many, though, the question is not simply whether college is worth the cost, but whether an affordable path to a quality education is available at all. Only one in four adults without a college degree believe people can access an affordable, quality education, according to a Gallup and Lumina Foundation report. Students should weigh a degree’s price against their likely earnings after graduation, Mayotte said. “If the return on investment isn’t there, then you need to find another path to get that degree to work in that........

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