Written by High School Senior Aaron Girdham

The Dalles, Ore., Oct. 15, 2026—Freshman and Senior year are always just as littered as a teenager’s bedroom or a trash bin full of homework, with the reoccurring thoughts and fears of “what will I do after this?”

Thought after thought goes into the shredder, stale dreams under the mattress, or crumpled ideas out the window while trying to find life’s sweet spot.

Social media becomes an annoying devil-on-the-shoulder, as students walk under the shadow of financial instability and through an ivy paved labyrinth towards the future.

The Columbia River Gorge offers many close-to-home financial routes for the end of school crossroads. Here are some of the best and easiest financial opportunities for graduates of the Gorge.

Education

The best advice to graduates seeking financial help for further education is that the most financial aid they will receive will be directly from the college of their choice through scholarships, tuition negotiations, or tuition discounts, according to Elaine Powrie, local Aspire Coordinator at The Dalles High School.

Aspire is a community counseling program designed to help students navigate their after graduation goals. The program's purpose is to bring in the village to teach the child. Aspire trains community volunteers how to work one-on-one with students and mentor them through the search for school and job openings. Volunteers do not have to have college degrees, and are personally trained by Powrie. It is funded and headed by the state’s Oregon Student Aid.

More Money Options

The second best options are local scholarships, private scholarships and grants. Local scholarships include avenues from the county and the PUD. Private donors of Wasco County are able to award an average of $300,000 each year that cover about 65 scholarships for applicants of the graduating year. The application opens the January of senior year and closes in February; local seniors can contact Katie Garrett to apply. The amount included can range from $1,000 to $20,000 according to the different requirements.

Similarly, the Hood River County Education Foundation scholarships are funded by local organizations. The foundation is able to create 200 different scholarships for students, and raises an average of $500,000 each year. The deadline is February and seniors can contact Sarah Ownby to apply.

The Northern Wasco County PUD offers three separate $10,000 scholarships to students pursuing careers in the utility industry. The scholarship requires that the applicants must reside within the service territory of the PUD and graduate with either a 2.0 GPA or with a completed GED. There is an online enrollment on the Wasco County PUD web page. A written essay from the student and letters of recommendation are also required.

While there are many private scholarships catering to Oregon, Elaine Powrie suggests the easiest one to access is the Ford Family Foundation, which gives on a need-based priority. Available only to Oregon graduates and graduates from Siskiyou County, CA, there is no minimum GPA requirement to apply. It pays up to $40,000 in tuition per year of an undergraduate degree—which would cover the full expenses of an undergraduate education at University of Oregon or Oregon State University—or up to 90% of tuition and fees of a public or private college in the state of Oregon. Applicants must be eligible for a Pell grant to be able to receive the scholarship.

There are primarily three different grants open to Oregon Students: the Pell Grant, the Oregon Opportunity Grant and the Oregon Promise. Each requires students to register with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid—or the Oregon Student Aid Application if a student is an undocumented citizen. The Pell Grant is Federally funded, and is need-based for undergraduate students. The maximum offer is $7,395 and the minimum is $740 per academic year. The payments are capped after 12 semesters.

The Oregon Opportunity Grant provides for over 30,000 students each year. It is specifically for students seeking an undergraduate degree, and awards an amount between $1,800 to $8,000 per year according to their financial need expressed through a submitted Student Aid Index.

The Oregon Promise Grant assists community college tuition up to full coverage for 9 semesters. Students are required to have a 2.0 high school GPA or a completed GED, have lived in Oregon for 12 months, and start community college courses 12 months after graduation to receive the Oregon Promise. It is both merit and need based, and the amount awarded after each term is determined by the student’s Student Aid Index. Students must maintain a GPA of 2.0 or higher to continue the grant income.

Just go to work

Education is not always the right choice after high school, but the journey of independence will always start with a question of budget and finance. Although, as life requires money, young adults also require freedom. The balance must be well paying jobs that lack fixed term contracts.

Currently the highest paying and most accessible careers in the Columbia River Gorge, that do not demand long term time commitments, are in specialized trades — fire fighting, forestry, and the Army Corps of Engineers. While these jobs do demand physical involvement, they do not require high academic performance or outside training. These careers all offer on-sight training for the specific qualities that the work demands. Usually, workers are required to have a diploma or GED and a driver's license.

Further trade education is available throughout Oregon and Washington. Programs like Job Corps is a nationally funded training and educational program for trades in locations such as Portland, Estacada, and Astoria. The 290 College of Mechanical Systems & Technology also known as 290 Tech is based in Tualiton, which is an earn-while-you-learn apprenticeship program for Plumbers, Steamfitters and HVAC Service Technicians. You get paid to learn a trade. Jobs can start at $65 an hour.

HVAC, plumbing, construction… dam!

Specialized trades are diverse. HVAC, plumbing, and construction, only scratch the surface of the opportunities trades offer, but these are the best places to start in the Gorge. HVAC technicians generally make around $35 to $60 an hour. The technician position does require an Environmental Protection Agency certification. In The Dalles there are 14 different companies that offer HVAC services, 6 in Hood River, and 3 in White Salmon.

Nathan Mckay of Mckay Construction in The Dalles said that depending on a worker's dedication, a construction employee can typically make $90,000 to $110,000 in a year, working full time. This is based on how many hours a worker puts in and how many projects with which they sign on. There are currently 13 construction companies in The Dalles, 10 in Hood River, and 7 in White Salmon.

Journeymen plumbers who work full time can typically make $50 to $60 an hour outside of a union, or $65 an hour with an average $39.50 an hour in health insurance working with a union according to the Plumbing and Mechanical Contractors association. Starting positions such as apprentices and laborers can offer $25 to $40 an hour. There are currently 10 plumbing companies in The Dalles, 4 companies in Hood River, and 5 companies in White Salmon.

Army Corps

The Army Corps of Engineers or ACOE operates The Dalles Dam and several other large federal projects in the Columbia River Gorge. This job is in no relation to the armed services, but is rather the nation's premier engineering, design, and construction management agency. It offers civilian career positions.

There is no fixed term contract, however there is a mandatory one-year probationary period as a condition of employment. The positions that do not require an outside education are maintenance and utility workers. The requirements are a high school diploma or relevant experience. The ACOE also offers internships and trainee programs to equip workers to become I-grade electricians, mechanics, or equipment operators. Entry level salaries are typically $30,000 to $50,000 a year.

Fighting Fire

Forest fire fighting is a seasonal job, typically lasting June-October. Both state and private contracting businesses offer positions for those who can pass physical requirements. There is an age limit of 18. It is demanding work with long hours, but generally offers a salary up to $35 per hour. This job offers an element of adventure, and is immersed in the outdoors. However, salary is entirely dependent on the fire season.

A less difficult job than fire fighting, that offers the same outdoor exposure, is as a Forestry Technician within the National Forest Service. This job includes marking timber, monitoring grazing allotments, maintaining trails, and checking visitor permits. The salary can be up to $35 per hour, and is also limited to seasons.

Build your own: Self Employment Insider

Often, self employment opens a door to freedom. Work schedule is more flexible, the office becomes the living room, complete proceeds no longer have to be distributed to a workforce, and self-reliance hits its peak. Although, this comes with a cost. Steady income is not guaranteed, insurance is not guaranteed, success is dependent and vulnerable to the economy and consumerism, and it is necessary to learn how to embrace risk.

Self employment should be approached with a preexisting budget as a safety net, which will also help avoid taking business loans. Setting up a business budget and tracking all income and expenses is highly advised, and there are many software and online tools to aid self employers. In The Dalles, there are also several centers that offer assistance, support, and guidance to entrepreneurs and new business owners. The Columbia Gorge Small Business Development Center and the Mid-Columbia Innovation Hub are designed to give in person, one-on-one guidance to those who are beginning self employment.

Self employment can cover forms of business ownership, freelance production, entertainment, and contracting. The Gorge feeds into each of those categories, but success is dependent on the perception of the entrepreneur and their perseverance. With many of these jobs the cost of the product or service will vary according to what the entrepreneur feels comfortable charging as they balance business expenses and the profit margin. There are several businesses that never seem to falter in the Gorge due to demand. Here are a few examples:

Handyman Services require experience and equipment, but concentrate on smaller domestic operations and repairs. The public usually is not willing to hire a private contractor for every household repair or pay the higher prices that a company asks, which creates a large and extensive market opening. The position of handyman does not require the same licensing as private contractors as well.

Mobile Car Detailing has become popular in the last decade, and essential in the Gorge. Remote car owners do not have the time to drop-off their cars for three to four hours in a town or city several times a year. Car owners need someone to come to them to clean their vehicle, and want the comfort of being able to watch a professional at work. The business expenses are low, as the essentials of the business are cleaning supplies, a shop vacuum, and a few car maintenance items.

IT Technicians are surprisingly hard to find in the Gorge. Many have jobs working privately for larger corporations, but on a domestic maintenance level the competition is low. The modern world is life-dependent upon technology, and the market will not ‘run dry.’ Generally business expenses amount to the cost of the needed hardware and tools.

Hair Salons and barber shops all have a distinct style, and customers usually stick with one company or stylist they trust. Hairdressing covers all the bases of need, want, and impulse. Business expenses are variable, depending where the shop is located. This job does require a state approved license as well.

Online Resale is often overlooked as not ‘income heavy’, but with insight to a shopper’s perspective and with the knowledge of bargains it can be very profitable. Each purchase becomes a business investment, and each listing of a product is advertised across the country or even the world. Knowing how to balance a profit margin and keeping track of each purchase is essential to this job.

Gorge Graduation Guide: One senior to another