I respectfully disagree with you there, preacher bud. The construction industry is hurting for both skilled and unskilled labor. From carpenters to plumbers, electricians, fitters, tinners, they're all scrambling for help. I'm not a union guy but the local carpenter's union is willing to train, for free, anybody that applies. There's a decent living to be made, with good benefits and a pension, if people aren't afraid of working for it.
Bullitt Mustang - $50k - How the Duck do people afford crap?
- Thread starter Corbic
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When I graduated HS in 2005, there was little to no exposure to the skilled trades... That coming from a small HS school of 500 in a farming community. It was basically laid out that you either continued the family farm or went to college for something. 13 years later, I wish I would have known what all the skilled trades had to offer. All I knew after roofing for my uncle two summers is that was not what I wanted to do the rest of my life.
Today? I'd look into plumbing or welding.
I think it's a given that the trades weren't included as part of his post, but your point stands. The labor shortage in those fields is astonishing.
At this point 80% of the population over the age of 25 has a 4 year education. While the trades don't require college degrees it's hard to find a job that doesn't require one because of that higher ratio. For reference, in 1950, 25% of the population over the age of 25 had a college degree. More jobs are requiring it as a result. A lot of trades require it now as well. I know a lot of home builders in the area that don't hire unless you've attended college.
FWIW, I got that information from the census.
I went to a trade school and welding was an option. I was kinda surprised to see all my friends who took welding in school are no longer in the field.
Or the fact that I got 0% financing. Why dump all that cash up front when I'm not paying interest? No other debt other than rent and max out my pre tax 401k contribution every year.
the residential construction hired so many illegal aliens in the past few decades and diluted the labor market so much that americans fled the industry in droves. Pay was so low and lack of benefits that very few US workers were willing to compete with cheap labor from south of the border. So it's no surprise that people are not going back to this industry.
No one raises their kids to swing a hammer on a hot roof as that is what their fathers and grandfathers did and got nothing for all their hard work other than calloused hands, joint pains and a bad back.
It’s hard ass work.
I respectfully disagree with this statement too. While true for some, it's not true for all.
And I'll say it again: There's a decent living to be made, with good benefits and a pension, if people aren't afraid of working for it.
Having a degree isn’t just about that piece of paper that you hang on your wall. It shows accountability. It shows an ability to finish what you start. It shows a level of drive. An ability to learn. I could continue, but you get my point. All of those sorts of traits are important in any field. Including the trades. Oh and don’t go jumping down my throat. I earn my pay and get my hands dirty for a living as a Fireman. A field that used to be dominated by skilled labor and is now changing. We’re moving towards becoming more educated. Taking more classes. A lot of technology out there. For better or worse, it’s a change that is happening.
I used to work in the trades. None of my coworkers in those years who had children wanted them to follow in their footsteps. They wanted something "better" for their kids. That's not to look down my nose at those jobs, because how you define better, and how you choose to get there can all be debated. But I don't think anyone in the trades raises their kids to do the same thing, unless perhaps it's a family business.
Exactly. It also depends on the industry. Some knowledge is best learned on the job, while other knowledge is ideal in a classroom setting. Foundation is important, but when 50% of the classes I took for an engineering degree were filler-fluff, I questioned what I was paying for.
That's why I am a huge advocate of internships. With few exceptions, every intern I have trained has gone on to be successful. What they didn't realize was that success was theirs before they took the internship- the opportunity just helped them realize what they were capable of, gain confidence in the real-world setting, and connect the dots between the classroom and industry. Seeing the difference between a day-1 intern and a 6-month intern is rewarding. I've even gotten a few thank-you letters from people I trained over 8 years ago, who were well in their career. That really made my day.
Like I said, true for some, not for all. I personally know people that raised their kids to follow them in trades work and it wasn't because of a family business. I also personally know retired trades workers that are enjoying a pretty damn good retirement.
Every trade worker I know is living pretty well.
you're not getting good benefits and
aside from skilled trades jobs that require a license like plumbing, electric, HVAC, truck driving..etc. General contracting and unskilled manual work has to be the worst type of job you can have. Crap pay, hazardous conditions, virtually zero chances of promotion/raises/bonuses.
Who in their right mind wants to sit on a roof on a 100 degree day for $10/hr when you can work in walmart stocking shelves in the A/C for $9/hr with benefits?
What you just described is the exact reason people are in unions.
There will always be crap jobs, and no union in the world will ever be able to change that.
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