They should have NEVER taken the Technical programs out of High School.
Welding and Machine shop are the only reasons I stayed in school and graduated.
When they took the Technical programs out of High School the took the intensives of 1/3rd of the students to stay in school.
this is only my thoughts but.
1/3rd of society are brainiac's and can work behind a desk.
1/3rd are competitive as in sports
&
1/3rd work with their hands Technician type work.
we need the brainiac's to figure stuff out
&
We need the Technical people to build the stuff the Brainiac's dream up.
I personally do not need the Sportsman types but that is just me.
I started shop in Middle School and Continued through High School and went right out of High School to a Fabrication Shop Hired practically threw my Welding Instructor in High School.
9 1/2 years of that and I became an Inspector.
Never stopped Fab'ing Steel and 32 years later I am Fab'ing Steel more than I am Inspecting because of the pay.
Bring the Tech. Programs back to High School and watch the Drop Out Rate decrease a bit because it will give 1/3rd of the Population more of a reason to stay in school.
Also My Experience with Women Welders is that they fight harder to get and keep their jobs and they are better welders than the men for the most part. That is just my experience though.
I think that you overrate the brainiacs. I went to the second best university in my state MSU. I was wait listed to the best UM. It’s mostly just upper income kids pushed to go their bit of average intelligence and average at best work ethic
Maybe so
But
I have been self employed for the better part of my life.
I am no business man. I do not know how to find the work. It has to come to me.
I have been Fired off of many jobs not because I can not do the work but because some co worker is a better Politician than I am.
I have never been able to get in the good old boys networks to get the good high paying jobs when I work for other company's. I have always managed to make the minimum wage for the trade I am doing.
So I became self employed and starve most of the time.
Now in my 60s I am getting tired with a body that is just about wore out.
So I fabricate steel when ever I get a job that calls me and work between 3 and 6 hours a day how ever long my body will hold out and I take the far and in between Inspection jobs that come my way.
I really wish that I had more of a Business mans mentality to go out and find the work.
Most guys I know that have went out and found the work have a real hard time getting paid after they finish the projects.
I have been very fortunate in that respect. I have only had a few jobs that refuse to pay me and then I do not work for that person any more.
Jobs are getting Farther and Farther apart and the revenue to survive is getting smaller and smaller Getting wore out sucks the big one but you just learn to do things differently.
