In this City Journal piece, Joel Kotkin writes about the increasing demand (and correspondingly attractive compensation) for workers in manufacturing.
Even with politicians continuing to prattle on about how the country “needs” more college graduates, the market is bound to lead many young people — who until recently would have followed the herd into college — to find vocational training programs for high-paying jobs like welding instead.
(Hat tip: Paul Nachman)
In North Dakota, less than high school graduates can make six figures working for oil companies if you count per diem, not counting free housing. Welders can pull in 150,000+ and supervisors even more. None of these jobs require a 4 year education.
Hell, gas station attendants in oil boom areas of North Dakota are making $15+ an hour.
What does this prove? The economy lifts everyone. Being unwilling to move is one of the biggest reasons for unemployment. Useful trades are going to become more and more valuable since less and less people are willing to do them. IT is simple supply and demand.
What is more useful? A welder or a shrill college grad who can eloquently describe the cultural advantages and colonial oppression of the Congolese Pigmies.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAre these Pigmies cannibalistic? If so, I'm going to go with the shrill college student. Welders tend to be a bit tough and grisly.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"Unwilling to move" is exactly the problem. My hubby doesn't want to live in North Dakota. The sheep are fine with it, however.
I keep telling him one year on the prairie will pay off both the home mortgage and the commercial mortgage on the auto repair shop he operates.
Captcha "do it now!"
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe state tree of North Dakota is the telephone pole.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThere is, of course, no reason someone couldn't develop a course in the Great Books for welders and other manual workers. In fact, often their work takes them to remote places with limited recreation during downtime. An appreciation for classical humanities and continued readings would go a long way to whiling away the hours.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThat development has already been done. For example, you can get many fabulous courses on music, philosophy, history, science and other fields from The Great Courses (formerly known as The Teaching Company). That costs a lot less than taking a course for credit at a college or university and the instruction is probably much better.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAnd guess who teaches the Great Courses? University professors....the individuals you're constantly bashing!
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWell, there are those programs although they don't market to the welder demographic. But the real problem is that many of these manual workers will have been turned off from literature and reading in general by that abomination known as high school and college English classes.
Paul Graham lays out the modern English instruction came about and its self-serving ends for justifying the PhD in English rather than competent teaching of composition and appreciating literature.
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In any case, I keep reading how the humanities education isn't suppose to improve work prospects or involve that nasty 'profit" but rather it is to improve you as a person. Apparently, this personal improvement is only to be provided for a substantial fee.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIt was Marx who wrote that the blue-collar manual laborer (i.e. the proletariat) who produced something concrete was inherently superior to the college-educated bourgeoisie. How are the arguments on this blog any different? I'm not trying to be flippant...I'm asking a serious question! Last I checked, this publication was unequivocally opposed to Marxism.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThis Kotkin article substantiates my experiences as a recruiter for manufacturing industries. Note to parents of aspiring engineers. Ferris State, Ohio St. and LeTourneau in Texas with their "Materials Joining" or welding programs offer lifetime employment. You will have to move out of a comfort zone for these jobs but they are hugely rewarding.
For those who mourn an absence of labor unions and their supposed training, you need to wake up. That dynamic hasn't existed for many, many years and was always suspect because of the nature of advancement. A youngster did not get to move into the "journeyman" role until someone older left. Skill, productivity and attitude had no part in advancing the younger worker at a union plant.
The ancient role of guilds and apprenticeships had merit but even today would face conflict with the pc crowd -- look at the kerfluffle Gingrich created by suggesting that poor kids be asked to do a job in order to qualify for government welfare. And it's correct to bemoan minimum wage regulations as entry level job killers. Companies cannot afford to "sniff out" a youngster and pay him regulated wages. Remember, employers have a labor burden that far exceeds what the entry level employee sees in his take home check.
The macro problem is that physical work has been tragically degraded in our culture. Yet this kind of work is the most easily able to reward someone with a sense of achievement. I use the example of yard work in making the case to associates. What can you do by yourself with limited tools in a short period of time that is more satisfying and uplifting to your surrounding's appearance than mowing and weeding a portion of your yard? If you have another job in mind please share it.
That said, I have often asked engineering job candidates what their hobbies are; did they have a summer job when they were in high school; and who does the yard work around their house... and you'd be aghast at how sedentary their personal lives are and how much "hobby" time is spent in front of a crt with game boy or a basketball match.
Putting the responsibility on K-12 or even community college education at this point may be difficult. The kind of mentors that are needed to encourage the "co-creator" role of man in God's universe that Michael Novak among others write and talk about is not likely to be found at the secular cesspool that we call public education. Nor are you likely to find "can-do" adult personalities within those halls. More likely you will find distortions like those mouthed by politicians who have never worked and count pickup basketball as their sole, worthy afterschool activity.
This is where we need to be more assertive as parents, mentors, and business people in our communities and churches and civic clubs. This is where Rotary, Kiwanis and chamber of commerce groups should be asserting our too long neglected value of a good day's work.
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