Skilled Labor - Part 2

As I mentioned in my previous post, I am a big fan of education. I love to study and ask questions and let my intuitive nature run wild. But as I also mentioned earlier, too much of today's education is merely for education's sake. And while reading, writing and arithmetic are essential, many courses are impractical except for further study in that particular field. I use math and geometric theroms every day as a contractor. I don't use much algebra, functions or statistics, however.
My point being this: education has become geared for more education. It's breadth and scope being much more vague and lacking in practical purpose.  Those of us who would prefer to spend our days in the wood shop or welding room are viewed as slackers, not wanting to apply ourselves by slaving over hours of AP course homework. 
This paradigm doesn't stop at high school.  The same can be said of those who go to tech school, or who choose simply to start working as a skilled laborer right out of high school.  Those of us who have chosen to work in the trades are viewed as having "consolation" jobs.  The mindset of society seems to be that those who work in the trades do so because they are neither intelligent nor ambitious enough to work in a field requiring a college education.  Or perhaps they have a college degree and couldn't find work in their respective field so they work in "second place" jobs.
I, for one, have a 4 year college degree, and have not attempted to find work in my field of study.  I know several other friends and mentors in the trades who also have good degrees from good colleges, but choose to work in the trades because they are good at it, and enjoy it!
Those who know me know that I am big fan Mike Rowe, host of the show "Dirty Jobs" on the Discovery Channel.  I think he is a great host and it's interesting to see the various people and families that do the work featured on that show.  As I was doing some research a while back for this blog, I was thrilled when, perusing through some construction-related discussion forums, I stumbled upon one hosted at mikeroweWORKS  There I found a video of a speech Mr. Rowe gave to a congressional committee on this very topic - skilled trade labor!  It is a phenomenal speech; it was as though he was reading my mind.  Check it out here! (click the TV screen on the center of the page)
As Mike Rowe rightly points out in his speech there is an interesting trend going on right now.  Unemployment has been on the rise, or holding steady, yet there is a large demand for skilled laborers.   Read through any classifieds section in a newspaper and you're sure to find them.  The jobs are out there, but there are fewer and fewer people being trained in how to do them.  These aren't jobs that just anyone can pick up as a consolation job when they aren't able to work in their preferred field.  These are not jobs you can learn how to do with a classroom education.  These are jobs that are learned by doing; by being taught by someone who has done them for years.  Skills that are acquired the good old-fashioned way... apprenticeship!

Skilled Labor - Part 1

It is quite rare these days to meet someone who is in the same occupation as his/her parents were.  Family owned businesses that extend beyond the generation that started them are few and far between.  The goal of raising our kids these days seems to have the chief end being to send them off to a good college where they can earn a 4 year degree (or more) and pursue a career in a more glamorous field than what we are in.  Gone are the days when our kids worked in the family business, or even pursued the same profession of their parents.  This is especially true when it comes to skilled labor.  (For the sake of this blog I use the term "skilled labor" in the traditional sense of carpenters, plumbers, welders, iron workers, electricians, etc).

Let me begin by saying that I am not opposed to pursuing higher education.  I loved my collegiate studies and there are certain fields that couldn't exist without it.  However, as a society we have put far too great an emphasis on higher education at the cost of genuine apprenticeships.  I have always loved working with my hands, building things, taking things apart to see how they work and then attempting to re-assemble them.  Working in the trades has always had an appeal to me.

When I think back on my childhood some of my fondest memories were of early mornings. My bedroom was directly below the kitchen.  Every morning, very early, I would be awakened by the sound of my dad in the kitchen, getting ready for work.  I could hear him walking around, piecing his lunch together in his red and white Igloo lunch box.  And then, without fail, I would hear the whirring of the coffee grinder, soon followed by the aroma of coffee and the clanking of mugs.  My dad would leave for work when it was still dark outside, well before the rest of us would get up.  Whether it was raining, snowing, windy, sub-zero temps, or whatever, I'd hear him gather his things and head out to his work van.  Day in and day out, off to go work with his hands, doing his part in building houses.  He was the essence of manliness - worn work boots, flannel work shirt, full beard, thermos and lunchbox, calloused hands - that's what I wanted to be when I grew up.  Maybe not an electrician but for sure a tradesman.  A tough, rugged man who built things, who knew how things worked and why things didn't, who was tough (even a little intimidating at times) yet whom you didn't want to leave.  That's what I wanted to be, right down to the thermos and the red and white lunch box.

As I grew up, I continued to emulate my dad - I set up a small workbench in the corner of the garage, acquired my own collection of tools and scrap wood to work on, etc.  I also enjoyed school as there was so much to learn and do.  Yet, as school continued through the years, it got more book-oriented and less hands-on.  Wood shop was obviously my favorite course in high school as it was where I could work with my hands and build things, exploring my passion for the trades.  But that was it, one hour of the day in wood shop.  The rest of the day's education was geared for... more education!  I love learning, but I love to apply what I learn and put it into practice.  I didn't want to sit in class and just theorize about stuff, I wanted to do the stuff... (to be continued)