Good pay, steady work, few takers as young people spurn the trades

Good pay, steady work, few takers as young people spurn the trades is an article I read recently in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Seattle, WA).

A few quotes from the article:

“In an industry where retirement tends to come early and knowledge is passed down on the job, that trend presents a potentially paralyzing problem — especially as demand for workers continues to rise.”

“Crews will be at a loss for skilled workers. Buildings might not go up so quickly. So-called “green initiatives” could falter.”

“What has some educators and employers puzzled is that many of those professions offer the chance to make upward of $50,000 right away. But they say a negative perception of the trades coupled with a mounting push for college education has dealt the professions a hard blow in the United States.”

“Until parents and students stop thinking of construction workers as “some big guy with a beard” who “swears a lot and drinks beer,” he said that industry is likely to have a hard time recruiting.”

Chris’ Thoughts:

Yes folks, there is a high demand for skilled labor. As a society we have become too college crazy, thinking that everyone should go to a four-year college, and looking down our noses at those who do not as if they are not as smart as those that do.

What’s wrong with taking a blue-collar job when you get to do something you really enjoy and feel like you’ve really accomplished something at the end of the day?

When my toilet doesn’t flush, I want to be able to get a plumber to come look at it and fix it. I don’t want to hear that community pressure forced a whole generation into sophisticated college jobs leaving nobody to fix the toilet.

If you like working with your hands, consider the skilled trades. We’re not about to outsource our plumbers and electricians to India any time soon.

If I ever get tired of the educational bureaucracy I might go back to being an electrician or mechanic, or one of the many skilled trade jobs I had before becoming a professional educator.

Well, at least that’s the way that I see it. Let me know what you are thinking, and stop by again soon for more of my ramblings.