Epic FAIL.....

I was stumbling this morning and I came upon Mike Rowe's website. Unbeknownst to me Mike has been trying to raise awareness about the decline of the skilled trades. You should really visit his sight and spend some time poking around, there really seems to be a lot more to this guy than the goofy guy on Dirty Jobs.

I have known for years that the skilled trades are going to Hell in a Handbasket. Society has decided that success for young adults is based on going to college, that a degree is the only road to a good paying job.

I beg to differ.

Not one single person ever suggested learning a trade while I was in high school.
The Industrial Arts/Shop class was for the Special Ed kids. We did small engines and welding in Ag for 6 weeks, but no one EVER suggested making a living at it.

I never intended to go to college, I hated school and only wanted it to be over with.
I took the ACT on a whim (with a hangover no less), because there was cute brunette with a penchant for wickedly short mini-skirts that was sure to ride with me and Brad.......
Scored higher than anyone else in the whole school. (Twice actually because of one teachers smart ass remark)

So I was college bound....
1.7 GPA, Full paid free ride to USL....in the Honor's Program no less.

No study skills, totally unprepared, with a total lack of respect for authority.
Didn't quite pan out.

Well, I needed a Job and Construction always needs helpers.

Fast forward 18 years and here I am.
A highly skilled Millwright. Not even the smartest of the bunch.
Happy, Successful......just generally content.

But....most of the time it is Filthy,Greasy,Physically Demanding work. The hours are long, the conditions are brutal.....and I get my hands dirty.......all the while dealing with some of the most detail oriented tediously technical work that there is.

Because of the above symptoms society says I'm a failure.
Here are a few of the symptoms........
As a whole, we are well Respected, Very well paid, and enjoy more freedom than should be allowed at work..
My Craft will never be outsourced or shipped overseas....someone has to know how to keep this stuff running, since Millwrights are pretty much responsible for everything that has moving parts and turns,stirs,shakes or makes something, the sheer amount of knowledge we are expected to possess prohibits this.

Generally speaking...Skilled Craftsman are retiring faster than new guys are learning, so wages have literally doubled in the last 10 years. I look for them to go up another 25% in the next 5.

I'll bet there are lots of College Grads that would like to Fail that Epically.
(Maybe more-so when their Student loan payments are due)

This is another good site, their view of the lack of respect for those of us who get our hands dirty is more eloquent......

Kelly Walker, Decorative Painter and documentary interview subject of the film, The Tradesmen: Making an Art of Work, summarizes art as “anything done without haste”. That is a description that coincides with the pride in ones work philosophy–a philosophy that is pervasive in modern society, but is sadly ignored for its artistic underpinning. When an individual immerses him or herself into the moment and focuses on achieving the highest possible value of the action or work being performed, this is, at its core, true art. We are teleological creatures with the fortunate ability to create purpose and meaning in our work, hobbies, and relationships. As long as there is pride and genuine enjoyment in the processes of one’s actions, that individual is involved in an act of artistry.

I am lucky, I love what I do, and more and more everyday, I'm proud of the choices I made.
Words can't explain the pride you feel when you can show your children the things that DAD builds with his brain,back,and hands........

Anyone can buy a diploma, If you can check the right ethnic box,Uncle Obama will GIVE you one for free. Those of us that keep the gears turning and the lights burning EARN ours, except we pay for it with sweat and blood.