Skills Gap

[wgipe]

So I needed a 6x6" piece of 1/2" plate steel to make a tool to degree the camshaft in the Triumph GT-6 my sons and I are restoring. Called the neighbor and sure enough - he had one. It was just attached to a generator sled he pulled out of a local factory when it shut down 20 years back because, well, you never know when you might need one.

We went straight out there, pulled it out of the tree line, cut a piece of plate off with the torch, and I'm on my way. My kids will very likely see a time when this is no longer a thing, and it makes me kind of sad to think about it. The skills gap is real, and the type of people who frequent this sort of site are the people who can see to it that this kind of event doesn't die out altogether.

To all the mods, experts, regular contributors - thanks for doing your part to keep resourcefulness alive. America will not remain a free society without it.

 

[Jimrahbe]

w,

Sad to say I think we are already halfway there..

I doubt you can find anyone under 50 in your neighborhood that has ever changed a spark plug. Not all bad, just a fact of life, technology has made things much better, but at the same time has eliminated the need to know how to repair things.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Newdude]

The skills gap is real

I worked as an electrician in 2001 for 6 months and we were charging people $200-$300 to change light bulbs on service calls. (Depending on how far away they were). It's only gotten worse.

I have joked for years that when it came time for college I was going to give one daughter a hammer and the other daughter a pipe wrench and they could charge the folks with degrees $500 an hour for trades work.

 

[wgipe]

they could charge the folks with degrees $500 an hour for trades work.

It's happening, and I could not be happier about it. I for one cannot wait to see the "higher" ed system collapse on itself. It's high time. I'm not at all against education - I'm just against the notion that one must have at least a bachelors to be an upstanding member of society and make a great living. Most of the high-net-worth people I know have a checkered educational past.

 

[JamesW]

Why learn a trade when you can become a millionaire buying and selling cryptocurrency and Bored Ape NFT JPEGs?

 

[wgipe]

Why learn a trade when you can become a millionaire buying and selling cryptocurrency and Bored Ape NFT JPEGs?

View attachment 413521

Shoot me now.

 

[magiteck]

w,

Sad to say I think we are already halfway there..

I doubt you can find anyone under 50 in your neighborhood that has ever changed a spark plug. Not all bad, just a fact of life, technology has made things much better, but at the same time has eliminated the need to know how to repair things.

Thanks,

Jim R.

Hey, for what it’s worth, not in W’s neighborhood but I’m under 40 and I’ve changed spark plugs. My 14 year old son (now 15) also helped me build our deck last Summer.

But I get the sentiment.

 

[wgipe]

Hey, for what it’s worth, not in W’s neighborhood but I’m under 40 and I’ve changed spark plugs. My 14 year old son (now 15) also helped me build our deck last Summer.

But I get the sentiment.

Keep it up! You are part of the solution!

 

[ajw22]

Went to Radwood in Philadelphia today. It is an automotive event focused on 80's and 90's culture.

Most of the pre-2000 cars there were being shown off by younger folks that looked in their 20s-30s.

There is hope for the next generation. Encourage and support them when you can.

 

[generessler]

Guys, I have been a tinkerer for my whole life, an educated engineer since 1978, and a professor of engineering since 1993.

The things you are talking about are real, but it's not as gloomy as you portray. The trades have atrophied, and that's bad. Many kids who go to college would end up with better lives if we had a good system for trades training and education as an alternative. All the customers of the trades would be better off, too. (Repairing silly stuff done by "pool professionals" on several occasions has convinced me it needs to be a regulated trade like electrical and plumbing work.)

On the positive side, there are many efforts in progress to have the U.S. move in this direction. The main thing that will get us there is the decline of super cheap goods. This will realign what people are willing to pay for things so that tradespeople can all make a decent living if they know what they are doing: fixing rather than buying new. It's possible we are seeing that realignment right now.

The other positive note is the enormous creativity and skill present in today's "maker" culture. This is the modern-day version of the kids who (as I did) spent spare time fixing cars and re-purposing discarded stuff. We just need to realize that skills that made sense for youngsters to fiddle with and teach themselves when we were young no longer do. E.g. when a spark plug lasts 100k miles, why not teach yourself Arduino wiring and programming instead? That's what the kids I know are doing. And a bunch of them are girls and women. Now that's a really positive development.

Finally, fwiw, the whole crypto thing is in the process of imploding. Couldn't happen to a more deserving bunch.

Every aging generation has noted how screwed up the present day is compared to their youth. Somehow, the world rambles on and - in fits and spurts - ends up overall better than it used to be.

 

[PointeTaken]

Hey, for what it’s worth, not in W’s neighborhood but I’m under 40 and I’ve changed spark plugs. My 14 year old son (now 15) also helped me build our deck last Summer.

But I get the sentiment.

Same here! Almost 36 and I can rebuild a V8.

 

[blazer58]

I worked as an electrician in 2001 for 6 months and we were charging people $200-$300 to change light bulbs on service calls. (Depending on how far away they were). It's only gotten worse.

I have joked for years that when it came time for college I was going to give one daughter a hammer and the other daughter a pipe wrench and they could charge the folks with degrees $500 an hour for trades work.

LOL...my son always said he was going to school and will pay someone to fix/repair his house when he got one.
well he has his masters, and a house, and guess who he calls everytime this a problem ?
Call normally starts like... Dad can you fix this, the repair guy is so expensive.
His wife does more maintenance items then he does/can.

Now my daughter a different story, she was always helping me growing up and wanted to learn, she can do basic items no problem.

 

[Bperry]

I’m having my son help me rebuild and replace the motor in my wife’s car this month as a way to help him pay off the drone I bought for him. He wouldn’t be interested without that incentive. I actually think my daughter might find it more interesting but can’t seem to convince her.

 

[kimkats]

Being a teacher this really got my attention. I have a student that cannot read but his mechanical skills are already off the chain! His buildings with the legos are pre-planned and carried out until it is done. The attention to detail is outstanding and it is all functional! He is who trades schools are made for. The parents are well aware of his skills and will support him in any way they can. They don't even talk about his reading grades with him. He is doing the best he can. I taught him some tricks to help his reading and he is up to beginning 1st grade reading level in the 3 months I had him in class. I will be zooming with him this summer to see just how far I can get him by Aug.

we were charging people $200-$300 to change light bulbs

That is unreal to me! Have ladder, with change out the bulb or install the ceiling fan or or or..........

I'm just against the notion that one must have at least a bachelors to be an upstanding member of society and make a great living.

SO TRUE!!! My husband is good example of this. He tried out one semester of Jr. Collage and did not go back. He got good grades but did not see how it would help him do what he wanted to do. He WANTS to work with his hands and is good at it!

My 14 year old son (now 15) also helped me build our deck last Summer.

GOOD JOB DAD!!!! Keep callouses on his hands and he can do anything!

Many kids who go to college would end up with better lives if we had a good system for trades training and education as an alternative.

Yes!

Every aging generation has noted how screwed up the present day is compared to their youth. Somehow, the world rambles on and - in fits and spurts - ends up overall better than it used to be.

True that!

His wife does more maintenance items then he does/can.

I have my own tool box and it is not pink LOL

Now my daughter a different story, she was always helping me growing up and wanted to learn, she can do basic items no problem.

I always tried to be a part of what my step dad was going but he did not really let me. It was not until I met my now husband MANY years ago that I was encouraged to learn and do. Even got some old toasters and such for me to take apart and put back together to help me learn!

can’t seem to convince her.

Just let her hang around and she will learn as she watches and listens.

Kids need to know how to hold a broom and scrub brush. They should know how to hold a hammer and screw driver as well. If they choose not not use them so be it but at least they can use them if needed!

 

[Newdude]

Kids need to know how to hold a broom and scrub brush. They should know how to hold a hammer and screw driver as well.

Sand the floor
Paint the fence
Wax on, wax off.

 

[ajw22]

I have my own tool box and it is not pink LOL

My wife and I knew it was forever when we merged our tools.

Although she seems to have her own tool box squirreled away.

 

[JamesW]

Why fix the real world when you can just put on a set of VR goggles and live in a wonderful world of make believe?

Once we’re all living in the metaverse, all you will need is a few lines of Python to make or fix anything.

No one will care about the real world.

The real world will become a dark dystopian post apocalyptic landscape where everything slowly crumbles into dust.

 

[JamesW]

Finally, fwiw, the whole crypto thing is in the process of imploding. Couldn't happen to a more deserving bunch.

Don’t you want to join the culture of self righteous arrogant condescending cryptobros buying and selling pictures of Cryptopunks and cartoon monkeys for hundreds of thousands of dollars?

Pictures of cartoon monkeys are somehow inherently valuable even though no one can explain exactly why.

The beauty of cryptocurrency is that everyone can print up their own money and it can be worth whatever you want it to be worth.

Everyone can have as much money as they want or need and no one has to work or be poor.

Paris Hilton says that NFTs are a good investment and she is a celebrity, so you should do what she says.

 

[Stump]

The Great Depression brought the opportunity for millions of un-employed to learn many trades through WPA and CCC. These workers built our dams, roads, buildings, and the list is huge.
We have become a disposable society throw it away and buy a new one.

 

[ajw22]

Why fix the real world when you can just put on a set of VR goggles and live in a wonderful world of make believe?

The good news is the water chemistry on the pools in the Metaverse will always be "Ideal".

I hope they enjoy their virtual swims and soaks.