The state of skilled trades as told by Mike Rowe

kdailey4315

kdailey4315

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Pacifica, CA
Here is a link to the transcript of Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs testimony in front of a Senate committee. I think it's fantastic and he hits the nail on the head about the age gap in skilled tradesmen and how it's ruining the country. In a nut shell college isn't for everyone and there's nothing wrong with that. They need to go back to teaching trades in schools. It's well worth the 5-10 mins it will take you to read this.

http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/dirtyjobs/mike-rowe-senate-testimony.html#mkcpgn=fbdsc7
 
Very good read! Thanks for sharing!

I grew up on a farm, my dad and mother were full time teachers and we were all part time farmers(which as we all know is a 24/7 job). My brother went to W&L then to UVA for his post grad, he has a office job in DC and hates it. My sis went to Ferrum then to Hollins for her post grad. She worked an office job for a while and hated it!

Me, being the youngest, chose a whole different route in life. I went to Nashville Auto Diesel College and have never regretted my career choice. I make an adequate living and I get to fix, create with my hands on a day to day, hour to hour basis. I had the grades in high school to go to a 4 year college but I wanted more from life than what 4 more years of school could have given me.

I agree with Rowe, schools need "shop" class back. I don't care about "advanced placement" bs. I went to school everyday with shop class on my mind not any other subject. If my son's want to get a "vocational" education they have to go to a whole different school away from their friends that they play football with etc. Then they have to "specialize" in a vocation, they can't sample everything to see what fits them.
 
Nice Read, I already liked the show and now I respect the guy even more. Most of my friends are mechanics and factory workers or computer nerds(also a skilled trade in my book). My dad is a very good fabricator and my grandpa is a lot like Mike Rowe's Grandpa, back in the 60's he built the exhaust for the 65 Mustang. Yeah sometimes factory work sucks, I lucked into working at a plant with decent wages and the ability to move up from the floor to becoming management if you so choose. Like XJtrailrider, I went to school for electronics class, to hell with the rest of them! :D
 
I like dirty jobs, every time i watch it i hate my job a little more.

i used to install garage doors and i am kinda starting to miss it because of how fat and lazy i am getting, i got out of it because i wasn't getting work (all three of the bosses sons worked there) the job i am in now i often joke about getting dirty (parts guy) i say to the mechanics when im washing my hands " im a frikin parts guy i shouldn't be getting dirty"

i had this all typed for about 10 mins and kinda lost my train of thought
 
REWSTER said:
the job i am in now i often joke about getting dirty (parts guy) i say to the mechanics when im washing my hands " im a frikin parts guy i shouldn't be getting dirty"
Click to expand...

One of my mechanics jabbed at me a few weeks back when he was behind the counter and someone asked "can I ask you about accessories for my truck?" He replied, "Oh, you'll have to talk to one of these guys...*smirk* I actually *work* on them, I don't *talk about* working on them." :D

Mike nailed it. We're a nation of takers, not makers.
 
Most common questions I get at/about work:

How did you learn about all this(appliances, carpentry, etc)?

Why do you do what you do with your education?

Well, I do what I do because I can't stand sitting at a desk staring at a computer for 8 hours a day, and I know what I know because the most important thing I learned in school was how to learn.
 
I never had the opportunity to learn to do a lot of things until I bought a Jeep and bought my own house. Now I wish I had someone and somewhere to have learned all this 15 years ago.
 
Bravo, I am a training director for an apprenticeship for electricians and I run into this all the time with guidance couselors, etc. We have quite a few CTE's in the state (HS tech centers) but most are severely underfunded. It's too bad because there is interest from the students, but it seems they are discouraged from pursuing it.

We need to get back to making things in this country and supporting that. It generates so much more business, that to me, it's a no brainer.

Thanks for sharing the article.
 
I wanted to be an electrician. Parents had it in their head that University was the only way to go. Spend 50k and 5 years in university. My tradesmen buddies were done school in 2-3 years at 1/3 the price and now are all making about 30% more than me and they can find work anywhere. I'm only 30, if I wasn't supporting a family I would almost consider starting over. I hate sitting in an office all day.
 
It's never too late. I started my apprenticeship after I was married and had 2 boys to feed. That's the good thing about apprenticeship; you get paid on the job and go to classes at night/weekends. It was tough at first because I took a cut in pay, but 20 years later I realize it was the best decision I ever made. I spent 12 years in the field, was asked if I was interested in teaching some courses, which I did for 3 years then applied to this job 9 years ago.

People think I'm nuts but I miss working in the field at times. I really liked the high voltage work, I find it fasinating what we need to do to 'contain' it.
 
I herd/read recently that skilled welders are in really high demand right now. I keep saying I am going to pursue at least learning to weld one day ha.
 
I tried the computer sci thing, took one year before I finally realised I'm just not built to sit in a class, behind a desk, indoors, etc.

I would gladly get paid 1/2 what I could have made just to have the life that I lead now, luckily for me (or should I say my wife) I get paid more.

trades never appealed to me in highschool because it was during the "techie" years that everyone was going computer something or other... even tho I loved the trades outside of work I figured I'd have to do something in technology.
it was all a learning experience, but I am sure glad I finally came around sooner rather then later.
 
Nice read and very true!
 
so true its sickening! im a code welder in the boiler industry and i know we need more good welders. im in the process of training the wife right now. schools up here are geared more towards the different trades than most other states though. kids just dont want to do that kind of stuff. its sad really.
 
well put,

was talking to a nurse at the hospital yesterday and both his sons are tech teachers, and both are being laid off at the end of the year since they are dropping the tech programs at major high schools
 
Nursing is another great field to get into for both male and female students. My wife went back to school at age 36 and got her RN. Her first job paid 10k more than I was making after 24 years of service as a diesel tech. She is now a RN for the local school system. She gets summer off, holidays, weekends, snow days you name it! She still makes more money than me working half as much time!

Don't let the "male nurse, must be gay" syndrome deter anyone from a great career. I wheel with a couple of guys that are RN's and have families, wives etc.
 
Know any blacksmiths? Ours is retiring next year. So is the pattern maker. Rightseatsis tells me they can't find qualified boiler operators and it would be nice if downtown would hire a diesel mechanic that English is their 1st language.

It is easier to fill a school room with computers than with car & shop equipment. The liability is less also, unless the student is a bleeder not much damage can happen from a paper cut.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

XJEEPER
FACT: Obama was elected as a pawn of the Socialist Movement in America.
Replies
1
Views
889
XJEEPER
XJEEPER
Back
Top