I work in excavation, we do a lot of pipe installation on commercial jobs, it’s hard when you have trades stacked on top of each other on a job site, especially if you live in a city, with all the traffic. A lot of people don’t have what it takes to make it in trades these days. You need to be fast, accurate, able to work within the flow, and be productive. To me it takes the kind of strong work ethic, that you don’t find to much anymore. It’s crazy watching people come and go. Like anything once you find your rhythm it gets less labor intensive, but people don’t really stick around to find out these days. I train a lot of guys in heavy equipment, I tell them to treat it like a sport, and continuously try and beat there own record, and up there average. Also i think it’s important to do a professional job on the first try, no excuses!!! You have to want it, or have a good reason waiting for you at home to want it!! Good piece, as usual, thanks!
My husband grew up on a farm and was raised where, as a kid, he learned to do everything! Feed the animals, clean their pens and stalls, butcher them when necessary, drive tractors and backhoes, and on and on and on! And that was all before he even got to high school.
He went on a trade school to learn welding and ironwork, because he wanted to get off the farm. After school, he got an apprenticeship and worked his way up in iron fabrication and erection. And, of course, he still lived on the farm doing everything his father trained him up to do when he was a boy
We got married in our late 20s and by the time he was 40 we owned our own business. He’s now 62 and has never had a day of unemployment in the last 40 years. He now runs a large commercial iron shop and will probably stay there until his body will just not let him go to work anymore. He lives what he does. Takes great pride in being excellent. He is an artist. That’s the way I see what he has been doing for the last 40 years.
Back in 2009, when the economy was crap, so many of our white-collar friends got laid off we offered them apprenticeships in our ironworks, and everyone turned us down because being a skilled tradesmen was beneath them. They’d rather be broke on unemployment than learn a trade. How sad.
Not many people know as much of what matters as a farmer. They have to be good at pretty much everything.
I knew between little and nothing about farming, growing up in the suburbs of Boston. Then I took a job teaching in a rural Ohio farm town. It was like a revelation! These 'hick' farmers had a degree of comprehension of issues that totally eclipsed that of the 'professionals' that I had grown up around.
Because of this relationship with a concrete reality (often that we have helped create), I have found that tradesmen weather the nonsense of the "current thing" much better than the office masses (academics included). It is conversely true that tradesmen are not inclined to write and read about these things. It is heartening to come across a few other voices attempting to bridge this gap as well. Cheers.
Because of my background, I've been in countless bull sessions with skilled tradesmen, and with academics. We must be careful with generalizations, but I still can say that is clearly evident that skilled tradesmen comprehend the intricacies of politics and issues far better than academics. Academics are taught to put ideology (ideotology, I call it) ahead of rational examination. Skilled trades MUST be rational and analytical at all times, and therefore aren't inclined to subscribe to ideotologies.
This is such an important piece. There are many different types of intelligence and aptitudes. At the age of twenty, I dropped out of college by financial necessity and took a job with a custom cabinet company. I learned from the ground-up and eventually became a partner in the business. Some years later I sold my share and started my own company. Yes, "per plans and specs" is an absolute rule. I prided myself on accuracy, communication and trustworthiness and I never undervalued my work. It was a tough way to make a living but it allowed me to put two of my sons through college out of pocket and set up my oldest in a second business which I still have a small stake in.
All of that, just to say that some of the smartest people I have ever met are the ones who can fix my car, install an HVAC system, wire a house etc. Thank you for this!
And speaking of sons, I will do a piece about a guy who went to college to study painting, because he liked to paint. It took him one semester to become disillusioned and quit school. He painted on his own, and to pay bills, he took a job in a plumbing supply house. Ultimately, he became a master plumber that makes more than almost any teacher. A local art gallery readily sold any painting that he did. His one son followed in his footsteps and also became a master plumber. His other son works at a plumbing supply house, where all the plumbers love ordering from him, because he knows what the hell they're talking about.
What most academics and “intellectuals” don’t realize, or simply refuse to acknowledge, is that without the skilled tradesmen they’d be cold, hungry and homeless. And most tradesmen I know are earning six-figure incomes with no student loan debt! But still the “elite”’snub us. The jokes on them. When TSHTF we will all
Great piece. I have hired and worked with many contractors over the years at work, many of whom inspired me to be that guy who can do his own plumbing, electrical, drywall, automotive, roofing, etc. I am currently a plant manager at a heat treating facility, but people seem far more interested and impressed with what I am constantly doing OUTSIDE of the office. Hopefully it isn’t a negative reflection of my day job performance, though. I like to think not, anyhow...
This isn’t about me, of course. Had it not been for the many good contractors I have known, I wouldn’t have had the guts to even try so many of these things.
It’s true, most of those guys really did also have a deeper understanding of the way things really are than ANY academic I have ever met.
The best contractors really are artists. Whether their medium is drywall, welding, electrical or any other field.
I once worked with a contracted welder at work who was absolutely the second coming of Michelangelo. No question about it. Besides being a very cool, smart, interesting guy, his vertical and overhead welds were pure, gravity-defying magic. Others in the plant used to stop and watch him work (from a safe distance), then swarm him when he stopped. He was treated like a celebrity in our plant. Wouldn’t be surprised if he welded autographs for a few people, either...
I work in excavation, we do a lot of pipe installation on commercial jobs, it’s hard when you have trades stacked on top of each other on a job site, especially if you live in a city, with all the traffic. A lot of people don’t have what it takes to make it in trades these days. You need to be fast, accurate, able to work within the flow, and be productive. To me it takes the kind of strong work ethic, that you don’t find to much anymore. It’s crazy watching people come and go. Like anything once you find your rhythm it gets less labor intensive, but people don’t really stick around to find out these days. I train a lot of guys in heavy equipment, I tell them to treat it like a sport, and continuously try and beat there own record, and up there average. Also i think it’s important to do a professional job on the first try, no excuses!!! You have to want it, or have a good reason waiting for you at home to want it!! Good piece, as usual, thanks!
I completely agree with your insights. Thanks for commenting.
My husband grew up on a farm and was raised where, as a kid, he learned to do everything! Feed the animals, clean their pens and stalls, butcher them when necessary, drive tractors and backhoes, and on and on and on! And that was all before he even got to high school.
He went on a trade school to learn welding and ironwork, because he wanted to get off the farm. After school, he got an apprenticeship and worked his way up in iron fabrication and erection. And, of course, he still lived on the farm doing everything his father trained him up to do when he was a boy
We got married in our late 20s and by the time he was 40 we owned our own business. He’s now 62 and has never had a day of unemployment in the last 40 years. He now runs a large commercial iron shop and will probably stay there until his body will just not let him go to work anymore. He lives what he does. Takes great pride in being excellent. He is an artist. That’s the way I see what he has been doing for the last 40 years.
Back in 2009, when the economy was crap, so many of our white-collar friends got laid off we offered them apprenticeships in our ironworks, and everyone turned us down because being a skilled tradesmen was beneath them. They’d rather be broke on unemployment than learn a trade. How sad.
Not many people know as much of what matters as a farmer. They have to be good at pretty much everything.
I knew between little and nothing about farming, growing up in the suburbs of Boston. Then I took a job teaching in a rural Ohio farm town. It was like a revelation! These 'hick' farmers had a degree of comprehension of issues that totally eclipsed that of the 'professionals' that I had grown up around.
Because of this relationship with a concrete reality (often that we have helped create), I have found that tradesmen weather the nonsense of the "current thing" much better than the office masses (academics included). It is conversely true that tradesmen are not inclined to write and read about these things. It is heartening to come across a few other voices attempting to bridge this gap as well. Cheers.
Because of my background, I've been in countless bull sessions with skilled tradesmen, and with academics. We must be careful with generalizations, but I still can say that is clearly evident that skilled tradesmen comprehend the intricacies of politics and issues far better than academics. Academics are taught to put ideology (ideotology, I call it) ahead of rational examination. Skilled trades MUST be rational and analytical at all times, and therefore aren't inclined to subscribe to ideotologies.
Your caveat about generalizations is correct and heeded...I have a tendency towards hyperbole when making points:)
This is such an important piece. There are many different types of intelligence and aptitudes. At the age of twenty, I dropped out of college by financial necessity and took a job with a custom cabinet company. I learned from the ground-up and eventually became a partner in the business. Some years later I sold my share and started my own company. Yes, "per plans and specs" is an absolute rule. I prided myself on accuracy, communication and trustworthiness and I never undervalued my work. It was a tough way to make a living but it allowed me to put two of my sons through college out of pocket and set up my oldest in a second business which I still have a small stake in.
All of that, just to say that some of the smartest people I have ever met are the ones who can fix my car, install an HVAC system, wire a house etc. Thank you for this!
Absolutely.
And speaking of sons, I will do a piece about a guy who went to college to study painting, because he liked to paint. It took him one semester to become disillusioned and quit school. He painted on his own, and to pay bills, he took a job in a plumbing supply house. Ultimately, he became a master plumber that makes more than almost any teacher. A local art gallery readily sold any painting that he did. His one son followed in his footsteps and also became a master plumber. His other son works at a plumbing supply house, where all the plumbers love ordering from him, because he knows what the hell they're talking about.
That sounds inspiring. I'd like to read that story.
What most academics and “intellectuals” don’t realize, or simply refuse to acknowledge, is that without the skilled tradesmen they’d be cold, hungry and homeless. And most tradesmen I know are earning six-figure incomes with no student loan debt! But still the “elite”’snub us. The jokes on them. When TSHTF we will all
weather the storm. They haven’t a clue.
Great piece. I have hired and worked with many contractors over the years at work, many of whom inspired me to be that guy who can do his own plumbing, electrical, drywall, automotive, roofing, etc. I am currently a plant manager at a heat treating facility, but people seem far more interested and impressed with what I am constantly doing OUTSIDE of the office. Hopefully it isn’t a negative reflection of my day job performance, though. I like to think not, anyhow...
This isn’t about me, of course. Had it not been for the many good contractors I have known, I wouldn’t have had the guts to even try so many of these things.
It’s true, most of those guys really did also have a deeper understanding of the way things really are than ANY academic I have ever met.
The best contractors really are artists. Whether their medium is drywall, welding, electrical or any other field.
I once worked with a contracted welder at work who was absolutely the second coming of Michelangelo. No question about it. Besides being a very cool, smart, interesting guy, his vertical and overhead welds were pure, gravity-defying magic. Others in the plant used to stop and watch him work (from a safe distance), then swarm him when he stopped. He was treated like a celebrity in our plant. Wouldn’t be surprised if he welded autographs for a few people, either...