The Trades in a New Economy and "Mike Rowe Works"

[Pat Germain]

Surprisingly, I've recently heard a few positive comments considering the future of the trades in the US. In one story, a radio commentator was beside himself because his nephew decided he didn't want to go to college. He called his nephew and connected him with a professor of economics. The commentator wanted the profressor to straighten out the nephew.

I was amazed to hear the economics professor consider the situation and say, "Sounds like you're nephew is doing fine. He's working as an electrician and moonlighting as a bouncer. Those are jobs which cannot be shipped overseas. I know a lot of lawyers, but I don't them wiring my house." Gee, good points, I thought.

I also came across a web site by Mike Rowe, the guy who does the TV show "Dirty Jobs" on Discovery Channel. Rowe's site promotes the trades. Much of it still under construction but there's still some good content there. You can find it here:

http://www.mikeroweworks.com/

While the US job situation seems to be tanking, I've heard a few snippets of news suggesting there is still strong demand for some blue collar skills. Sure, there is much bad news for traditional labor, but it's nice to hear some positive info as well. According to the service manager at a nearby Firestone service center, his top mechanic made over $90k last year. At first, I was skeptical. But maybe it's true.

On the other hand, I'm think all the folks with MBA's may have a hard time for a long time in the future.

[Mitchell Andrus]

I've been saying for years... The next class of millionaire will be smart electricians and plumbers.

I know a few with vacation homes in warm places.
.

[Greg Cole]

I've heard the same thing from various sources and it makes good sense, as in the uncommon common sense.
I have a 7 year old boy, and we talk about what he wants to be when he grows up. He has no idea and we talk about it for fun more than anything.
Were he to grow up and word as an electrician, carpenter, stone mason.. I would be just fine with it. It more important to enjoy (at least not dread) what you do and be the best you can be at what ever it may be.
Perfect example, one of my uncles has done nothing but work in the woods his entire life. Felling trees, selling lumber, firewood & timber for pulp etc and buying and reselling the tracts of land he cuts timber off. He's employed 4 other people at the most at one time. He wears jeans and a flannel shirt every day of the year. He's a millionaire about 7 times over "or so".

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Every tradesman I know is busy.
All the licensed ones are super busy.

If your kid is disinclined from education steer 'em toward a licensed trade.

[Rod Sheridan]

I agree.

My friend is a master plumber, and cannot find apprentice's at present.

The old image of trades people as not being very smart is simply not accurate.

Trades people now work in a world that's far more technically complicated than decades ago.

It can be a lucrative, portable and interesting career, however guidance people in high schools seem to regard it as a last choice career.

Regards, Rod.

[Belinda Barfield]

Let's face it, not everyone is cut out to be a college grad, or wear a suit and tie. We have a couple of "alternative" high schools in the area that are basically tech schools for students who are academically challenged, or choose not to take a traditional path. We have a young man working for us currently who just doesn't process written material well, and school was a challenge. He is remarkably skilled at repairing machinery - any machinery. He's great with his hands. He spots potential problems before they become problems, and he's great at solving problems if and when they do occur.

Everyone having a college degree and working a white collar job is like opening a box of animal crackers and finding only giraffes. You need all the other animals to make the idea work.

[Jerome Hanby]

Everyone having a college degree and working a white collar job is like opening a box of animal crackers and finding only giraffes. You need all the other animals to make the idea work.

But the giraffes are sooooooo good! Plus they are the only one of the shapes that taste like the real thing.......j/k

[Mark Bolton]

Let's face it, not everyone is cut out to be a college grad, or wear a suit and tie. We have a couple of "alternative" high schools in the area that are basically tech schools for students who are academically challenged, or choose not to take a traditional path.

Belinda,
While I am sure you dont intend it, and the internet is a tough medium to accurately convey ones thoughts, your post reads (to me) exactly as the trades were viewed when I was coming up.

Trade, Vocational, Technical, schools were viewed as the places the dumb kids, dopers, not so smart, went. I personally was jeered many many times in my teens for going to trade instead of traditional high school by people who felt I could have "done more". I was no rocket scientist but I, and many of my classmates, easily went through college prep. courses. This was in the early 80's when computers were just taking hold. In the years that followed kids in machine shop, auto tech, electronics, worked with computers as much as they did with wrenches.

Quoted adjectives like "alternative", academically challenged, traditional path, and not everyone being cut out for college, are the very things I heard about the school I attended which, at the time, served approximately 1000 students coming from 13 towns. It was no small affair. Many of us did infact go on to further education even with full scholarships just as those in "traditional" schools.

I dont mean this to in anyway sound defensive though I am sure it will. But I think the stigma of working with your hands is still thick in our society but advances in homes, vehicles, and technology are raising the common folk to a level closer to that of a lawyer, banker, doctor.

Given he was oriental and raised in a different culture, I went to the doctor once because my back was bothering me pretty bad from a life in the building trade. During the exam he asked me what I do for a living and I said "I build houses". He paused and stepped back and said "you can read, write?... have high schoo dipwoma?!?" I replied "Oh yeah, for sure, and more." He says "You get better job." I walked out of the office wanting to ask him about how many overweight, hypertensive, executives, with herniated disks from bending over to tie their shoes, he sees on a weekly basis, but I just left.

To the original post, I would agree that times for those who work with their hands have likely never been better however I couldnt count the conversations I have had with older tradesman who would love nothing more than to hand their business off to a young person willing to work hard and learn. Many have told me they would almost GIVE their business to the right person however there are slim to none in the way of takers.

I for one am not optimistic with regards to the future of the trade though things can easily change. I fear many will come to the trades because they need to rather than because they want to.

Mark

[Joe Mioux]

This is a very interesting thread.

I have read threads here from people who left the "white collared" world to start working with wood. some continued and some went back to a regular pay check.

I am also thinking about three of the four high schools in my county. The three that I am most familiar with all have a buildings trades program. The kids start in their jr year and start building a house, by their sr year it is complete.

Two of the high schools have woodworking. I am proud to say that one is a private school that my boys attend and that I am on the school board. We work really hard for money to keep the doors open. I went to the same HS compared to when I was there Shop classes are different but there are actually more Trades being taught today than 30 years ago.

Michael, my oldest, isn't interested in that sort of thing, he would rather draw the instructions and problem solve on paper.

Nicholas, is all outdoors and definitely not into books. The kid is smart, even though we see a lot of poor report cards, he scored very well on a Pre ACT test.

I can't imagine Nick working in an office or Michael working in the sun. Michael is headed to University of Illinois this fall and Nicholas is headed towards learning how to build house this fall and next spring.

The funny part about it is, I have unanimous comments from friends that says Nicholas will be the most successful out of my four kids.... the kid with poor grades but a great personality and a desire to pursue a career that makes him happy.

joe

[Belinda Barfield]

Belinda,
While I am sure you dont intend it, and the internet is a tough medium to accurately convey ones thoughts, your post reads (to me) exactly as the trades were viewed when I was coming up.


Quoted adjectives like "alternative" . . .

I dont mean this to in anyway sound defensive though I am sure it will. But I think the stigma of working with your hands is still thick in our society but advances in homes, vehicles, and technology are raising the common folk to a level closer to that of a lawyer, banker, doctor.
Mark

Mark,

First, you are correct in your initial assessment of my post. I did not in any way mean to offend, sound condescending, or in any way "put down" anyone working in the trades, or anyone who didn't take the a so called traditional course. I work with my hands every day, and that puts food on my table.

Let me take a step back and attempt to get myself back in your good graces. I put the word alternative in quotes because that's how everyone around here refers to the schools, you can almost see the quotation marks hanging in the air when some folks speak of the schools. Not to go too deep into the discussion and take this thread in a different direction, but the time may be coming when those who are skilled with their hands will be the ones who survivie. I don't have a college degree, and don't begrudge those who do. They worked hard to get the degree, I just worked hard in another direction. The point I was attempting to make about the employee in the post is that he is a real asset to the company.

I should learn to keep my big mouth shut or, in this case, my fingers off the keyboard.

[Greg Cole]

Spend some time in Europe, working trades & skilled workers are much on the same level of societal respect as doctors, businessmen etc.
A welder in Denmark is not looked at as a dumb dumb who couldn't get a "good" job and had to settle for a working mans job.... back to that stigma Mark mentions.
What one does for a living has little reflection on intelligence.

[Steve Jenkins]

I'm pretty sure that at some point i have told this story.
I was working on an antique sideboard in an office and the man at the desk was watching so just to make some conversation I asked him what he did. In a fairly condescending tone he told me he was " a consultant of sorts". Then continued on that "some of us work with our minds and some of you have to work with your hands". Rather than ripping off his head I simply replied " true and some of us can do both". Needless to say he turned pretty red in the face and went back to his paperwork.

[Josh Davis]

I am one of the ones who hated school. I never saw a reason why I needed to sit in a boring class room and learn about things that would never apply to me. At the age of 16, I had enough, I went and got my GED and went to work. Everyone at school told me I was screwing up big time. They all went on to college. They all are still working dead end retail jobs, living at home with their parents. At the age of 24 I bought my house and got married. at the age of 26, I am almost 3 full years ahead on my home loan, Own two vehicles free and clear, married, and have my first child on the way. The friends, still living in their parents basements.

My wife shocked one of her friends a few months back. Her friend asked her "is Josh going keep screwing around playing in the dirt, or is he going to school and make something of himself." Her husband works at a bank, so he must have an important job, right? That girls jaw hit the floor when my wife told her I make around $100,000 in a good year, and still have 3 months off. Sure, last year was slow, but I still did damn good. So keep sending todays youth to college so they can get their degree. Ill keep making good money, and by the time they own their first home, I will own my own business, making even more.

All the trades are facing future shortages of labor. I am in the International Union of Operating Engineers, local 324. Right now our average age is 48 years old. About 8 years ago I went in for the apprenticeship test we have. We had over 500 people at one location, and around 200 at another location. That year we took 20 apprentices. Fast forward to this year. We are taking 80 apprentices, we had less than 150 people show up for the test. Everyone wants to work in a nice office, or with computers.

Around here, I know Plumbers and pipe fitters, carpenters, insulators, laborers, and most other trade unions are in the same boat. The ones that really seem to be hurting around here are Millwrights. With the situation the auto makers are in, Millwrights are not in a huge demand. Yet they have a high age group like us. Its a catch 22 for them, they dont have work for apprentices, yet if they dont get some, I really see their skills and trade going by the way side.

[travis howe]

It's nice to know that I'm not too abnormal! I got good grades in HS but it wasn't my thing, boring.... I wanted to dig in and do something w/out learning all the nuts and bolts up front.

I ended up joining the United States Navy, working in computers/networks/secure communications. I grew up on a horse and cattle ranch and learned to work hard early and respect people.

I left the navy 4 years later and started in the Information Security / Communications (Trade as it be), 2 years later I was making over $100k. That was 10 years ago and I'm still at it, facing more challenges and making more $$. The thing with computers, school and especially security is that by the time your 2nd term comes around what you've learned is out of date. In all my years, I've only worked for one person that had a degree and ironcially was an Air Force Officer.

Gotta laugh, there was an older fella I spoke to when I was leaving the Navy and when I told him what I wanted to do he told me "it was a bad idea because technology was going to make everything secure in the near future."

Non-the-less if I could make a living doing woodworking, I'd be there!

Cheers,

Travis

[Peter Luch]

Might as well add my $.02

Graduated from H.S. in 75
Only good advice my father gave me was to get a trade if not going to collage and I was not going......

Joined the carpenters union as an apprentice, went to four years of apprenticeship classes and became a journeyman.

Fast forward to now.
Retired and living in Hawaii, actually retired at 47.

All those white collar people have nothing on someone who can work with their hands.

Aloha, Pete