The Trades
Not everyone is smart enough...
The Trades
I read a lot. I write a lot. I read what others write, and hopefully, they read me. But what do we write about? As they say, write what you know. It appears that a lot of writers know about politics. And education. And religion. Think how much is out there to read and see regarding these topics. You could end up thinking that they’re the only subjects that matter. You could end up thinking that everything that matters happens at a keyboard.
One of the latest trends is ‘work from home’. People discuss the advantages and disadvantages of it. But think how rarely writers examine the jobs that can’t be worked from home. They don’t know those jobs, so they can’t write about them. But the jobs that can’t be done from home are the ones that really matter. They are the ones that feed us, house, clothe us, and provide our energy.
After spending six years teaching science in public school, I went into the trades. To some, that might seem like a step backwards. And I can’t say that I did this with great resolve. But I did sense, at the ripe old age of twenty-seven, that there was something missing from teaching that I needed to find. Even while a teacher, hell, even as a kid, I was always making things, doing projects, dissecting lawnmower engines, generally seeing how things work, and getting my hands dirty. So. hey, why not do that for a living?
At the very least, I thought that I should see what else is out there. And I could always go back to teaching. I was never far away from going back, yet I never did. It goes without saying that there’s a difference between teaching and the trades. Teaching is in the mind, for both the students and the teacher. The trades are about physical reality. Both teaching and the trade (and here’s where a lot of people just don’t get it) both require intelligence and experience to do the job right. And who would want to do it wrong?
Any skill, any expertise must be learned. None of us is born with any ability to do anything. Apart from my college education, it took about three years for me to get good at teaching. No, you are never as good as you can be, but after three years, I knew what I was doing. But after six years of teaching experience, I chucked it and, with no clear plan in mind, ultimately became an architectural woodworker. It was a bold and somewhat stupid move. I had accumulated extensive experience as an amateur woodworker, but I still lacked much knowledge and experience that I needed. Oh, well, learn by doing.
The trades and teaching both require experience, just as with anything. But let’s look at the difference between the two. As I have previously mentioned; teaching is in the mind, and the trades are about reality. There is no direct measure that can ascertain that a teacher is being effective. Done right, teaching is more qualitative than quantitative, and there is no way to be sure of the results. I say that from experience. You teach in a way that is natural to you, you try to engage the students (not all of whom are anxious to be engaged), and hope that you are doing it as well as can be done. But you can never be sure. And that always made me feel a little uneasy.
But in the trades, the objective is, well, objective. In fact, it is entirely objective.. The desired results are known, and the more efficiently and accurately you achieve them, the better for everyone. Here’s the thing; it takes every bit as much smarts, if not more, to be successful in the skilled trades than in the arts, including teaching. Academics who convince themselves that they are at the top of some intellectual pyramid, are deceiving themselves. I worked mostly on commercial jobs; banks, libraries, schools, office buildings, etc. We did the work in accordance with “plans and specs.” All of us, in all the trades, knew going in what the results were supposed to be. But how we achieved those results was up to us. Imagine, if you will, a jobsite with plumbers, electricians, carpenters, masons, drywallers, steel erectors, communications specialists, concrete contractors, roofers, and on and on. And we all have to know each other’s jobs well enough to work in concert with each other in order to end up with a happy customer and a building “per plans and specs.” Not just anybody can do that. There is no room for “you’re the one doing the work, so you do what you think is best.” Hell, no. Per plans and specs. And you must work cooperatively with others who are also working to plans and specs, so that everyone’s job goes as well as possible. We all had our own schedules, our own profit margins, our own bottom lines. But we were building one building, and we were all in it together. One more thing; Screw-ups stick out like a sore thumb, and there is no way to pass the buck. Everything is so well documented, and responsibilities so well defined, that when things didn’t work, there is rarely a dispute as to who is responsible. And one more thing in that regard. Whoever screwed up is responsible for fixing it at their own expense. If other trades experienced additional costs as a result of the screw-up, they are due compensation.
In other words, construction is not for sissies. Construction is not for people who talk a good game, but can’t perform. Construction is not for people who think building a coalition is a way to get ahead. Construction is for people who have the ability, the rationality, to read those plans and specs and determine a way to make it happen as efficiently and as profitably as possible. And if you screw up, it’s on you. Sound like fun? Maybe not. But when you get good at it, there is immense pride. And there is a sense of brotherhood/sisterhood with those who you have worked with, and who have worked with you, to make it all happen.
And then? And then, on to the next job.
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!
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.