The Trade Gap: Break the Rules. Learn a Skill. Own Your Future.

by Zachary Craig Hanson

Go to college. Find a high-paying job as a knowledge worker. Buy a house in a safe neighborhood and hire good people to maintain it.

This is the carrot Americans have chased since the 1980s. But what if it’s the wrong goal? What if skilled knowledge work no longer unlocks the American Dream we were promised?

A nation of too many thinkers and not enough doers leaves us all vulnerable. Vulnerable to layoffs and economic uncertainty. Vulnerable to crowded job markets. Vulnerable to breakdowns in our homes and our nation’s infrastructure.

Is this really how we want to live?

In The Trade Gap, author Zachary Hanson proposes a balanced approach to education that merges intellectual pursuits with hands-on capabilities. Through self-reliance, deeper skill sets, and a greater emphasis on trade work, we can close the widening skills gap and strengthen our resilience in the process.

The future of America is in your hands. How will you help to build it?

117 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 29, 2025

About the author

Zachary Hanson is an avid hunter and trapper. He is the co-founder and CEO of TheOutfitter.Guide, one of the hunting industry's first true software companies, mixing cutting-edge technological expertise with real-world outdoor experience.

Hanson is an expert in artificial intelligence and machine learning product management, with experience developing AI solutions for Fortune 500 companies including IBM, Brightcove, Capital One, and Wells Fargo. He holds degrees from the College of Charleston and Johns Hopkins University. A backcountry enthusiast committed to sustainable living, he lives with his wife and two children at the base of the Sawtooth Mountains in rural Idaho.

Reviews

[Wayfaring Stranger]

Excellent read about why learning a trade is not only a good idea but it is actually essential to being a well rounded individual and could save you, your family and your financial future. 10/10

[GermanGoingNorth]

'The Trade Gap' is a short but impactfull read. The book is well written and filled with personal anecdotes. For me as a millenial myself I was struck by the bluntness my own faulty mindset was revealed trough reading the pages. It formulates clearly an idea that has been simmering in the back of my head…trade jobs add value and are priceless. I was inspired by the authors step by step towards learning necessary skills and it seemed to me that most of the steps are more than replicable for every reader. Can highly recommend the book! To every knowledge worker: there is still hope, there are still possibilities to learn skills and there is still time…you just need to take the necessary first steps!

[Blake]

My son has expressed some level of interest in potentially going into the trades. I have no experience that's relevant to that path and came across this book through mutual connections with the author. It's an enjoyable read and really served as a primer for me to learn about the trades and have additional discussions with my son. I plan on having him read the book himself this summer. If you or someone you know is curious about the trades, this is a great place to start!