Parents and communities as a whole often lament the exodus of young people who move away to pursue opportunities that they don’t envision being close to home.

Leaving home for college studies or to enter military service are pursuits that don’t usually spawn a mountain of dread. After all, no matter where the higher-education studies might be, they are seen as a path hopefully to a prosperous life. Meanwhile, those who choose to serve this country in one of the military services become a source of pride “back home” and for this nation as a whole.

But what about those who cannot find a good job in or near to where they grew up. For some, the need to “move on” is viewed as an exciting challenge, but for others it is anything but — and a source of great anxiety.

It can be said that all of those scenarios are part of growing up, but some are greeted more upbeat than others because of the unfamiliar surroundings that will be encountered along the way.

It used to be said that going to college was virtually mandatory for having a successful, lucrative life. However, not any more, if a May 8 Wall Street Journal article was “on the money.”

The article, “High-school juniors attract job offers topping $70,000,” no doubt captured the attention of many people young and many not-so-young, especially the not-so-young who toiled for decades — or who still are toiling — without ever earning any annual pay close to $70,000 or, for those still working, no hope of doing so.

In the weeks since that article appeared, a number of news sources have “picked up” the story or have begun checking whether that “high-school-juniors” development has reached their communities.

Hopefully, it will. Here is how the Journal began its report:

“Elijah Rios won’t graduate from high school until next year, but he already has a job offer — one that pays $68,000 a year.

“Rios, 17 years old, is a junior taking welding classes at Father Judge, a Catholic high school in Philadelphia that works closely with companies looking for workers in the skilled trades. Employers are dealing with a shortage of such workers as baby boomers retire. They have increasingly begun courting high-school students like Rios — a strategy they said is likely to become more crucial in the coming years.”

About companies’ efforts to recruit him, Rios said, “It honestly feels like I’m an athlete getting all this attention from all these pro teams.”

This new emphasis has spurred a revitalization of shop classes in some school districts.

“More businesses are teaming up with high schools to enable students to work part-time, earning money as well as academic credit,” the Journal reported. “And more employers are showing up at high school career days and turning to creative recruiting strategies.”

Some people watching the evolution of this initiative are pointing out that the smartest employers “get a foot into high schools early by offering internships.”

“These are family-sustaining careers,” Ray Stringer, a vice president overseeing workforce development at nuclear plant operator Constellation Energy, based in Baltimore, told the Journal.

And, along the way, smart employers working hard to lure the young people most talented to help them for many years are ensuring their long-term success and profitability.

Meanwhile, for many young people, it is an opportunity to work and raise a family in or near to their hometown, where they might feel most comfortable and productive.