Hardwood11
It is going to be a good fall!
One of my high school classmates owns a hydraulic sales and repair business and he is doing extremely well! He cannot keep up. I would say he is #1 overall in $$ income from our class!
tigejones
BugEater
My son is currently in his 3rd year of an electrical apprenticeship. He has always loved working with his hands and wasn't much for school. He is having a blast!!.
I also was part of a Trades job fair this past winter here in DSM. There were over 5K students from all around the state that attended. Not sure how many of them were there with a true interest in the trades v. a free day away from school, but it was great to see that many kids show up.
I also was part of a Trades job fair this past winter here in DSM. There were over 5K students from all around the state that attended. Not sure how many of them were there with a true interest in the trades v. a free day away from school, but it was great to see that many kids show up.
CottonwoodCanyon
Well-Known Member
This is spot on. I never once heard ANYTHING about the trades in high school, but yet colleges visited weekly to try to grub us up. Colleges are a scam, suckling at the government teat. Then they walk an 18 year old kid through signing their life away to a massive loan that they'll likely never get out from under with the interest. It's criminal and will have set back a majority of a generation.For many years...kids had it drummed into their head to "go to college...". So..."they" did. Now we have more people with more college debt than ever before and viable careers are still in a struggle to hire. It's almost like the colleges of America pulled one over on the population and sucked a bunch of money off of people or something.(I am not hating on all colleges or those that pursue that path, but we need to move the proverbial pendulum back to a middle ground on that front IMO.)
I'm very lucky my parents did well enough to help me out, and between them splitting costs with me, working during college, and serious scholarships I barely came out of college with much debt (wildlife biology degree). I am very lucky to be where I am and I remind myself that often. I would say 75% of my college friends are saddled with debt that they will never overcome, nor will they be where the high school advisors told them they would be with a college degree. They are permanently set back in having assets because of their loans.
I tell everyone I can: if you're mechanically inclined or even just a hard worker...go to the trades young man (or woman for that matter)
Daver
PMA Member
FWIW, I remember sitting in attendance at one of my boys HS graduation ceremony, now about 12'ish years ago, and the Principal made a statement about how proud they were that over 82% of the grads were going on to some form of college...
My immediate thought was..."What? Who's going to do the work..."? If everyone is going to college, etc, where are the factory workers, construction workers, armed services, etc, etc, going to come from? As I came to understand more about what I now consider a "racket" of routing a way high percentage of all HS grads into the college path and also how so many of the kids felt about their choices and/or didn't understand about their own potential choices...it really bothered me.
In short, I came to understand that many kids were choosing college for no particular reason other than their school counselor(s), teacher(s), parent(s), etc, were telling them that is what they should do. Many were very ambivalent about their future career goals and so forth and...a good number of them weren't stellar students in HS, nor did they really want to be so...so truly, it should not have been a shocker when many of these kids didn't complete their college degrees. Now I think everyone should have the opportunity to go if they want to, but for MANY, there are better choices AND many of these choices don't require taking big loans when you are 18-22 years old, etc.
I think this overall situation is improving...but I also know that our trade association still meets with resistance in some local HS's. In other words, there are still prominent HS's in this area that not only aren't sharing the message of the possibility of going into a trade, they are in essence blocking that message from their students. It sort of comes across from some school officials that it is a "badge of honor" of sorts to tell others that a high percentage of "their kids" are going to a 4 year college.
How about we give the kids ALL of the information and perspective related to potential future careers, etc, and let them, and their parents, make an informed choice...instead of "marching" as many of them as possible into a 4 year college track that spells big student loan debt for so many?
203ntyp
PMA Member
I started working when I was 14 as well, mucking stalls/feeding horses, and throwing bales of hay the hard way for my grandfather and uncle on their farms in blazing hot weather. I never complained once and actually enjoyed it. After graduation I worked for a pipe bending company then got hired at a fortune 500 company for over 40 years, mostly as a pipefitter/plumber. That was 1973 and my starting pay was $1.10 an/hr. Still managed to buy my 1st vehicle (1969 Chevy El-Camino) and pay my own bills. I wouldn't except money unless I earned it by offering help with those who needed it. To me it was rewarding to see the results of my enthusiasm and loved going to work every day, 30 years perfect attendance, whether I didn't feel good, 2' of snow, an ice storm or had a hangover
I worked and enjoyed it. Even now that I'm retired, I enjoy helping others with projects and always working on something. The work ethic in those days is a rarity nowadays, I blame the parents for some of that and the democrats for all of it!!!
meyeri
PMA Member
The lack of workers right now is insane. Things I notice about our newer workers that is problematic.
1. Only want to work M-F, 8-4.
2. Don't want to get dirty.
3. Don't want to be pushed outside their comfort zone.
4. Lack of initiative.
5. Entitled.
Now this is broad strokes and there are definitely exceptions, but there is definitely a shift in the mindset and upbringing that is affecting the workforce. Hopefully it's a maturity thing and they grow out of it, but I won't hold my breath.
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1. Only want to work M-F, 8-4.
2. Don't want to get dirty.
3. Don't want to be pushed outside their comfort zone.
4. Lack of initiative.
5. Entitled.
Now this is broad strokes and there are definitely exceptions, but there is definitely a shift in the mindset and upbringing that is affecting the workforce. Hopefully it's a maturity thing and they grow out of it, but I won't hold my breath.
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
Nrharris
PMA Member
I see this in my nephews also. They range in age from 18 to 14. The older 2 want to come do "work" at the farm. But that translates to only wanting to mow, don't want to trim or do any moving of objects that requires getting off of the mower. They also want to drive tractors, but again want no part of anything that isn't sitting in a tractor seat. Those kids have no idea how to do anything. Don't even know what tools are what, let alone how to use them. Also they want to decide when they want to work, which is not much. Frustrating.