I'm not sure when it happened, but somewhere over the last several decades, there has been a shift away from the technical programs that used to be ubiquitous at most high schools. Now, many students are unaware of the many jobs available for skilled workers in what has been traditionally known as "the trades."
A recent article in our local paper reported that employers in many of the skilled trades are finding it difficult to replace older workers when they retire. This seems odd, as wages for a skilled tradesman are comparable to wages for college graduates, and the time and cost investment neede to learn a skilled trade is significantly less than the cost of college.
I may be a bit biased in favor of the trades, as my father was a machinist, and my husband is also. It seems that I've spent my life trying to explain that machinists don't work on cars, they create the machines that do everything in the industrial world! They transform engineer's drawings into three-dimensional parts, and often, into complete machines. My father built machines that screen-printed bottles; my husband has built machines that make hamburger buns and many other things.
Tradesmen usually work in clean, well-lighted shops, with good pay and benefits. According to the newspaper, average hourly wages for a tool-and-die maker in 2005 were $23.48; for a machinist, $19.44; an electrician, $22.42; and a chemical technician, $24.07. Many companies offer on-the-job training, which is a time-tested option that works well for many people.
A final advantage of the skilled trades is that most are a 'leave it at the door' profession. Unlike people-focused careers that can weight you emotionally after a long day at work, you can shut the door on a trade and focus on home and family--the things that really matter in life. Skilled trades are an excellent choice for high school students who don't really want to go to college.
You can read about hundreds of career posibilities, including many skilled trades, in the Occupational Outlook Handbook. I highly recommend checking it out!
Janice:
ReplyDeleteThis is a subject very near and dear to my heart, as my father is a professional electrician by apprenticed trade, and a robotics programmer by profession. He never completed his college education, and yet could tell someone more about the inner workings of a factory (good and bad) than anyone else I know. And yet, I doubt many in high school would look up to him without knowing him on a personal level.
In my experience, our country is moving towards a service-based economy. The skilled trades seem to be marginalized more and more, and with it comes a perception of lower status. While the intelligence of this marginalization can be debated on quite a few levels, I feel it is important to stress that the "Three R's" are not all that are out there. Are they important? Of course... And even the skilled trades require basic education. But the mentality that a college degree is the only way to survive in the world is, to be frank, wrong. For all the engineers and designers out there creating these amazing feats of science, someone needs to be down on the industry floor, bringing them to life -- and robots can't program themselves.
So how does one change perception? I think your blog represents the only true way to accomplish it: You must show people what is out there. I know of one local corporation (Caterpillar, Inc. of Central Illinois) has started up college-level apprenticeship and education programs on how to create, maintain, and service their equipment. This is an excellent example of a company merging apprenticeship and college, and one I feel accomplishes far more than simply trying to tweak the standardized testing and education curriculum to better suit future employers.
Yet it always comes back to the fundamental problem: Our society "favors" certain professions over others. Teachers, scientists, and doctors enjoy the top tier, business employees are in the middle, and skilled trades are at the bottom (with "arts" smattered all around, depending). Hopefully that will change some day.
You're right-- it's odd how people value the ability to design or use complex technical systems, but completely overlook the skill and intelligence that creates and installs those systems. An electrician is really more valuable to society than a brain surgeon, for without the electrician's skill, the surgeon would be powerless (bad pun, but true!).
ReplyDeletePeople who create are worthy of respect, whether they are creating bridges or books, or installing an electrical system or painting a mural. Just as with the body, the things we don't see make possible the things we do see!