PJMedia – If anyone could rightfully say, “I told ya so” when it comes to the sad state of America’s workforce, it’s Mike Rowe, host of the hit TV series “Dirty Jobs.”
Thirteen years ago, his mikeroweWORKS Foundation began a campaign to bring awareness about the 2.3 million skilled jobs that were open across the country. “Today, that number is approaching 11 million,” said Rowe on Facebook. “Of note — most of those open jobs do not require a four-year degree; they require training.”
“I am not surprised by today’s headlines, or by what’s happened to our workforce,” he said. “I’m not surprised that many of America’s critical industries are still struggling to fill millions of skilled positions. I am not surprised that millions of parents and corporations still believe a four-year degree is the best path for the most people. I’m not surprised that student loans now eclipse $1.7 trillion. And I’m not surprised that airlines are canceling flights right and left.” more
Falling back on the silver lining, I can use the 19 year old son of a good friend as an example. Drifting for about a year after graduating he enrolled in a vocational school and learned welding.
He was immediately hired. Now he is with a company that wants to expand his skill set at their expense. By the time he’s in his mid to late 20s he’ll be able to work in just about any country in the world while pulling down some good coin.
No SJW degree, no 4+ years of indoctrination, no debt.
It’s all out there if you want to take advantage of it. I’m a little jealous having fallen in love with my medium when I was his age. Could never shake it.
@mminwa
Love that story.
I’m in HVAC.
Working 6 Days a week.
No real Whu Flu Time Off either.
My Pronouns are Fuck Trudeau, and Fix It Yourself.
I make $8347.00 a week online…Just kidding. I repair outdoor power equipment for far less. But I love it.
I can tell the same story about my youngest son, and welding is what he got into also. He’s in his early 30’s now and is a welding supervisor PSNS and making damn good money.
Mike Rowe is a guy I respect the heck out of!
Welder here, too. I’m booked solid for at least another year.
I’m not sure if I’m the rule, or the exception; I have a 2 yr AAS (Associate Applied Science) Electronics degree (1975), from a local community collage. I do well enough for myself and family as an electronic repair technician, lo, these past 50 years.
I took the computer programming route after wasting a few years in college. I enjoyed the problem solving, but now I am bored.
Anybody want a 66 year old welding intern?
I didn’t think so.
I’ve owned a Precision Machine shop for 30 plus years. We’ve trained our fair share of entry level employees. We usually get them through the fundamentals to P.H.D. level. (Push Here Dummy) and then their lack of math skills start showing up. And this is nothing new. Couple that with the lack of work ethic and all things considered I’ll go buy a very expensive automated machine. It’s cheaper in the long run. By the way a skilled CNC machinist, Programmer, and name their wage right now.
I retired a year ago after working as a Radio/Navigation systems technician. Learned in the military starting back in 1978. It’s also one reason Im against “Student Loan Forgiveness’; See no reason why my tax dollars should pay off some slackers’ College bills.
Brad,
A kitchen cabinet company that I do the HVAC service for has reduced their staff from about 85 to 40 by buying highly automated machines.
Exact same reason you mentioned…
Less staff, less HR issues, less “I’m sick”, and less cutting of 200 pieces inconsistently and having to throw it all out.
Cheers.
Six years ago I went John Galt. I have less gray hair at 63 then I did at 50. Most of my income used to go to work expenses and to pay people to do things I had no time to do myself. Doing everything myself is very satisfying and the possibility that I would choke the shit out of a lying loser have gone down to near nil.
Serenity now!
There is a strong argument to NOT going to college and NOT learning a skilled trade either. Raise your kids to be comfortable as cold blooded thieves and liars.
Look at biden* and the rest of our ruling class. Rich & famous!
One of by boys works for American Steel.
They are always short staffed.
The high school guidance counselors are a big part of the problem.
They have scoffed at voc school for yrs and push kids into college to boost their numbers on paper.
I started off at 18 running a printing press. After a year I decided didn’t want to do that forever so I joined the Air Force and learned electronics. Back then, military tech school and 3 years On the Job Training was considered the equivalent of a 2 yr AAS. That got me a job as an electronic tech when I mustered out and I rode that right out to retirement.
I’m an industrial machine repairman, recently retired. About 20% of the apprentices I met or worked with before I left seemed like they might be worthwhile. Back in the day it was more like 80%.
Sorry about your luck
That’s because kids no longer wrench on hot rods or dirt bikes. No mechanical aptitude. How ever they excel at video games.
I was able to take ‘night school’ in my junior yr of HS. This was before the vocational schools started going day time and swallowing large amounts of property taxes.
Spent a long career in servicing home electronics and broadcast engineering.
No college debt. Took a couple of classes, no grades, paid a minimum.
Landed a job at age 19 monitoring a building automation system for a large hospital in their HVAC Dept. (Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning.) Had a mechanic ask me, after working there about a year, why I was wasting my time in here. He said that I could take my 1st. year of tech school and be making more than twice as much with them while I was in school. Changed jobs a few times as others offered significantly more but my jobs paid for my education through Associate Degree in Engineering.
I married a BSN (4-year nurse.) I made more than her almost the entire time we’ve been married till she was promoted to Nurse Manager a few years back.