Raising Kids with Tech and How to Prepare Them for the Future

For tech professionals raising kids, the future is always on your mind.

You’re building a career in a fast-moving industry. At the same time, you want your kids to grow up curious, capable, and prepared for what’s ahead. The challenge is finding a place where those goals don’t compete with each other.

That’s where Milwaukee comes in.

MKE offers something that’s getting harder to find in major tech hubs: strong career opportunities paired with a lifestyle that actually supports family life. Here, you can advance in your career while still being present for school events, dinner conversations, and weekends that aren’t rushed.

Keep reading to see why Milwaukee is the Midwest’s best-kept secret for tech pros raising families.

A City That Gives Parents Their Time Back

One of Milwaukee’s biggest advantages for parents in tech is scale.

Commutes are short. Neighborhoods are close. Downtown is walkable and bikeable. Getting around town doesn’t require hours of planning or sitting in traffic. The airport is minutes away, and Chicago is an easy train ride when you need it.

That adds up to more time where it matters: time for your kids, time to recharge, time to engage with the community, and time to stay engaged at work without burning out.

Career Opportunity Without Career Burnout

Milwaukee’s tech ecosystem is built around real companies solving real problems across manufacturing, healthcare, fintech, SaaS, and AI.

Major employers like Northwestern Mutual, Rockwell Automation, Harley-Davidson, Johnson Controls, Accenture, and a growing startup community offer meaningful work without the churn culture found in larger coastal markets.

For parents, that stability matters. You can grow faster, lead earlier, and still be home for dinner and homework help. And Milwaukee doesn’t just support today’s workforce; it invests in the next generation with K-12 tech programs and universities offering state-of-the-art tech education.

Preparing Kids for the Future of Tech 

Milwaukee families can plug into tech at every stage to spark curiosity. These interactions can inspire a lifelong love of tech and even help prepare them for a tech-driven future. 

These K–12 programs introduce students to technology in hands-on, inclusive, and age-appropriate ways, from engineering and coding to design, data, and problem-solving:

• WE Energies STEM Center at MSOE: Milwaukee’s premier K–12 STEM destination, offering immersive, project-based learning for students from public, private, charter, and homeschool backgrounds.
• STEM Forward: Connecting education, business, and community to expand STEM awareness and career pathways.
• Beyond STEM: Hands-on engineering and technology challenges focused on creativity and problem-solving.
• Maydm: Skill-based technology training for girls of color in grades 6–12.
• SHARP Literacy: Experiential STEAM programs that spark curiosity and confidence in young learners.
• TEALS: A Microsoft Philanthropies initiative bringing computer science education into high schools.
• Hour of Tech: Pulls together as many schools and volunteers for one week of classroom visits to create meaningful touchpoints through talks on coding, UX, AI, cybersecurity, data science, and design to inspire future tech leaders.

These programs are part of the bigger tech ecosystem. And many tech pros don’t just enroll their kids; they mentor, volunteer, and help shape what the next generation learns in ways that feel approachable, creative, and connected to the real world, bringing industry experience directly into classrooms and community spaces.

If these programs resonate with you and you’re interested in sharing your expertise, MKE offers plenty of ways to get involved. 

Top-Tier Colleges & Universities Close to Home

As kids grow, Milwaukee continues to deliver.

The region is home to respected universities and colleges that feed directly into the local tech workforce, including MSOE, Marquette University, UW–Milwaukee, Carroll University, Concordia University of Wisconsin, and even nearby UW–Madison.

In 2025, Milwaukee was named the second-best metro area in the U.S. for college grads to find jobs in a study by ADP and the Wall Street Journal. For families, that helps answer the all too big question of ‘You’ve graduated. Now what?’ 

Milwaukee grads have a huge advantage early on in their tech careers, gaining real-world experience and building connections in the tech community.

A Tech Community That Actually Feels Like a Community

Milwaukee’s tech scene is known for its welcoming Midwest hospitality, and it shows.

Folks share what they know. Leaders make time. Mentorship happens naturally. Whether it’s through school programs, meetups, startup support, or informal connections, giving back is part of the culture here.

That sense of community matters for parents, and it’s something kids notice, too. They grow up seeing collaboration, generosity, and leadership modeled every day.

Why Tech Families Choose Milwaukee

Milwaukee offers a rare balance. You can build a strong tech career. You can raise a family with room to breathe. And you can be part of a community that’s invested in the next generation of homegrown innovation.

At Choose MKE Tech, we connect tech professionals to careers, companies, and programs that make Milwaukee a place where both work and family can thrive.

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