Feature Review: The Apprenticeship That Saved My Life

Baltimore is a city that knows the value of hard work. From its neighborhoods to its waterfront, the story of this city has always been about people building better lives with their hands, their skills, and their determination. Few voices capture that truth more clearly than Maryland State Senator Cory V. McCray. His new book, “The Apprenticeship That Saved My Life: Guidebook to Navigating the Earn-While-You-Learn Opportunity of a Lifetime“ (Morgan James Publishing), is both a deeply personal reflection and a practical guide to opportunity.

McCray grew up in East Baltimore and found his path through an IBEW apprenticeship that opened the door to a career as a licensed electrician. That experience did more than provide him with a paycheck. It gave him stability, dignity, and a future. In his book, he shares not only his story but also the tools, checklists, and advice that can help the next generation discover apprenticeships as a real alternative to the traditional college route.

What makes this book different is its balance of inspiration and practicality. McCray writes honestly about the obstacles many young people face when it comes to education and career choices. He does not gloss over the challenges. But he makes the case that apprenticeships can be a life-saving option for students, families, and career changers who want to build skills and enter the middle class without incurring crushing debt.

National reviewers have taken notice. Kirkus Reviews calls the book “candid, practical, and often inspiring.” BookLife Reviews, published in “Publishers Weekly,” describes it as “a motivating debut.” Midwest Book Review notes that it is “intensely personal and yet universal in its implications.” These accolades reflect what Baltimoreans already know about McCray. He has always combined honesty with hope, whether on the job site, in his community, or in the halls of Annapolis.

The book also carries the weight of national endorsements. AFL-CIO President Elizabeth Shuler praises McCray for showing “a path forward for young people in every ZIP code.” Congressman Kweisi Mfume, who also began his life in Baltimore with limited opportunities, calls it “a guidebook and a guidepost” that proves success is about how you finish, not how you start.

For Baltimore readers, the timing of this release could not be better. Apprenticeships are increasingly seen as one of the most powerful ways to connect young people to careers in construction, health care, technology, and the trades. McCray’s book arrives as both a reminder and a roadmap that the city’s young people do not have to leave Baltimore to find success. They can build it right here, with the right guidance and opportunity.

McCray will celebrate the book launch on Monday, September 29, 2025 at the Enoch Pratt Free Library’s Main Branch. The event is more than a reading. It is an invitation for the community to talk about how Baltimore can better prepare its youth for long-term success and financial independence.

At 180 pages, “The Apprenticeship That Saved My Life” is concise, accessible, and written in plain language that speaks directly to students, parents, and mentors. It is part memoir, part how-to guide, and part love letter to the city that shaped him. McCray reminds readers that there is more than one pathway to a career and a good life. College is one option. Apprenticeship is another.

Baltimore has always been a place where people forge their futures. With this book, Cory McCray has given the city, and the nation, a blueprint for how to do it with resilience, purpose, and pride.

Copies are available through The Ivy Bookshop and Bookshop.org.