I took woodshop when I was in high school. I was on the college track, but woodshop fascinated me. I also took some classes in mechanical drawing. Working with my hands and my mind felt good and eventually led to me starting a remodeling business.
Today, it seems like the trades have become the poor stepchild to getting a college degree. Check out this article in Popular Mechanics. The author, Roy Berendsohn, writes about the growing need for skilled trades people and the steps that are being taken to make young people aware that they can have good careers in the trades.
Towards the end of the article, Berendsohn quotes Greg Sizemore, Associated Builders and Contractor’s vice president of environment, health, safety, and workforce development:
“The trades,” said Sizemore, “are not merely an alternative to college. A trade is equal to college. If you’re a Ph.D. and you’re at home on a Saturday night in July and your air conditioner quits, the smartest person around is somebody who can fix that air conditioner. The trades are one of the most noble career choices that any individual can make. Banks would not be built. Buildings to house machines, hospitals, and any other structure would not be built without the trades. It’s a career choice, not just a job.”
Here in Ashland, Ore., the Ashland Splinter Group, a small group of building professionals, is starting an initiative to make high school students more aware of the opportunities to learn a trade, work with their hands, and make a decent living. The local high school has a Career Day, and several members of the Splinter Group will be attending it.
What can you do in your town to help high school students understand that blue collar jobs are just as good as white collar jobs? That a career working with one’s hands continues to be a noble choice. Like ABC’s Sizemore says, society needs us. Spread the word!