-
27th February 23, 03:13 PM
#1
I am a fan of the TV presenter Mike Rowe. His MikeRoweworks.org publish some very interesting ideas. One of his quotes is - " A good paying, rewarding job does not always require a 4 year degree."
And "America has become slowly but undeniably disconnected from the most fundamental elements of civilization—food, energy, education, and the very nature of work itself.
Over the last 30 years, America has convinced itself that the best path for the most people is an expensive, four-year degree. Pop culture has glorified the “corner office job” while unintentionally belittling the jobs that helped build the corner office.
As a result, our society has devalued any other path to success and happiness. Community colleges, trade schools, and apprenticeship programs are labeled as “alternative.” Millions of well-intended parents and guidance counselors see apprenticeships and on-the-job training opportunities as “vocational consolation prizes,” best suited for those not cut out for the brass ring: a four-year degree. The push for higher education has coincided with the removal of vocational arts from high schools nationwide. And the effects of this one-two punch have laid the foundation for a widening skills gap and massive student loan debt."
He says "America is lending money it doesn't have, to kids who can't pay it back, to train them for jobs that no longer exist. That's nuts."
The phrase "Work Ethic" is seen by many people as a dirty word, as something you don't talk about, because if you do you end up coming across like an old angry man shaking his fist at the younger generation.
And yet, according to current US employment figures, of those who currently do not have a job, a growing number are not unemployed, they are simply not looking for, or want to work. They will not take a job of any kind if offered it.
Since Covid the number of jobs that are available, but unfilled, has soared over 40%.
This morning one of the big news articles has the headline, "Bare minimum Monday as a form of self-care." And the presenters on TV are praising that as a good thing. As "good mental health", as something to aspire to and make into the societal norm so we can all feel better about doing less.
The biggest lie of my generation was the posters that were in every High School Guidance Counselors' office. It showed a guy or girl in academic robes holding their brand new diploma. The caption was "Work smarter, not harder". Like you were the smart one and that piece of paper had just solved all of your life's troubles.
That has caused a skills gap.
How many unemployed degree holders do you know? Ever seen an unemployed plumber or electrician or carpenter? Most trades earn high 6 figure annual incomes. And if they could cram just a couple more hours onto the 24 hour day they could easily bump that into 7 figures.
Work is not the enemy and work in the trades is not menial labor. The guidance counselor poster should have read - "Work Smart, Learn A Skill, Master That Skill, Then Work Your Butt Off Doing It."
Last edited by Steve Ashton; 27th February 23 at 05:08 PM.
-
-
27th February 23, 04:54 PM
#2
There is the story of a young, 14 year old boy, living in a small African village. One month of the year some Peace Corps volunteers would visit his village. They would warn the villagers how the village was dying. Drought would soon kill them and all their animals. They were offering kids scholarships to attend schools and then college in Germany. When the boy asked what he could learn, they told him of all the opportunities that could make his life better after he got his degree.
While his family could no longer afford to send him to school due to the drought the boy had always asked a lot of questions and was good at fixing stuff. But as he did not speak German and could not understand how or why someone would live somewhere where the rain fell as solid ice he did not want to go. He also felt that if the Peace Corps kids with their college degrees were telling the truth, by the time he got back in 4 or 5 years the crops would have died and blown away and his village and family would be gone.
He knew of an old guy of the hippy generation that lived 2 villages away that gave him an old Mother Earth News and he would sneak into his old school library where he found an 8th grade text book, Using Energy by Mary Atwood with a photo of wind generators on the cover.
Using a tractor fan, shock absorbers, PVC pipes, a bicycle frame and anything else he could lay his hands on, he then built a rudimentary wooden tower, plonked his home-made generator on the top, and eventually got one, and then four bulbs to light up. He is now known as "the boy who harnessed the wind"
By the time the Peace Corps came back the next year, his village had computers with the internet. The villagers could watch Netflix under electric lights at night. The crops in the village fields were irrigated with an electric pump and a well where the entire village could get clean drinking water that flowed right into their homes.
That boy, now a young man, tries to close the skills gap by traveling to other villages, on a bicycle with a cart holding old PVC pipe and old bicycle parts and teaches others how to build homemade wind powered electrical generators. He has been featured in a movie with Chiwetel Ejiofor, met Al Gore and stood on stage with Bono. Not too bad for a kid who's family could not afford to let him finish the 8th grade, and instead dug through trash heaps to find parts he could use.
Last edited by Steve Ashton; 27th February 23 at 05:20 PM.
-
The Following 3 Users say 'Aye' to Steve Ashton For This Useful Post:
-
28th February 23, 11:14 AM
#3
Is it really hijacked if it's more interesting than the original topic?
Hi, I asked about cheap socks and inadvertently started a cool thread about sheep, wool, hand skills, the alienation of labor (but in non-Marxist terms), the value of trades, and the value of ingenuity in one's environment. That's pretty cool.
Original topic reply: I found some 80% wool kilt hose in the right bottle green for $25 US at William Glen and Sons in San Francisco. The website is worthless but the Toronto branch is better and both Paul in SF and Darren in Toronto are very helpful.
-
The Following 3 Users say 'Aye' to tubino For This Useful Post:
Posting Permissions
- You may not post new threads
- You may not post replies
- You may not post attachments
- You may not edit your posts
-
Forum Rules
|
|
Bookmarks