Longtime Readers will all be aware of my support for the trades — electricians, plumbers, carpenters and so on — so you can imagine my grin of satisfaction upon reading this article:
Skilled tradespersons tradesmen* such as welders, plumbers, machinists, and carpenters “are in super-high demand,” Sasse observed. Take-home pay for skilled trade workers is typically between $80 and $200 thousand per year, Sasse determined. He said a construction superintendent in South Dakota recently informed him that concrete finishers were being paid $75 per hour for a particular project.
And let’s not even mention the financials:
“Most trade schools are six-to-nine months versus a four-year college,” Sasse stated, “but the minute you get out of that trade school — guess what — you get to go to work. So you’re going to make money for three and a half years while your buddy, who’s in a four-year college [program], is just racking up more and more debt. So you get this massive three-and-a-half-year jump on anybody that’s the same age.”
Yup. Not to mention the fact that at the end of the day, you could also start your own small business, to make the serious money.
And by the way, I like what Sasse’s organization stands for — follow the link for more detail.
Good stuff, indeed.
*Yeah, I know women can do most of this stuff too (see below).
But that’s not the point. This is.
I don’t use “chairperson” because the position is “chairman” OR “chairwoman”, “spokesperson” because the function is “spokesman” OR “spokeswoman” (if we’re going to be pedantic), and “head teacher” when the correct words are “headmaster” OR “headmistress”, depending.
“Tradespeople”? Nonsensical, as so much PC bullshit is.
Men and / or women aside, Kim, I would be very surprised if you’re not aware of Mike Rowe and his deadpan funny Dirty Job, or his stance on the benefits of skilled labor. I also strongly recommend you and all of your fine readers spend about 20 minutes and listen to his 2008 Ted Talk about what he learned during the original run of Dirty Jobs.
https://www.ted.com/talks/mike_rowe_learning_from_dirty_jobs
Mike Rowe is a treasure.
There was a shortage in the trades about 20 years ago when I worked in Vermont. Many people came from out of state to work.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with working with your hands for a living. People can take pride in their work by pointing out that “I built that” or “I installed that system” when they pass by. What do most other professions have to take pride in? “I worked there and pushed papers around” just doesn’t have the ring to it.
JQ
Just remember that the engineers and architects telling the tradesmen what to do make even more.
Oh wait, engineering and architecture are proper and useful degrees. Unlike ‘XYZ Studies’.
Remember, what you learn in “school” is not necessarily what you’ll do in the field. My dad was a contractor so I started getting experience in all the construction trades at an early age. I have worked in construction all of my life to one degree or another and now 50 years later I still do extensive remodeling projects.
In 70-72 I did 2 years in a trade school for drafting which led to a job as a draftsman, more schooling, more drafting jobs, and finally became an architect and an engineer in the mid 80’s and started my own design business in 1985 and have been self employed ever since.
Decent money is nice but job satisfaction is the highest achievement and is what causes you to leap out of the sheets each day.
My suggestion to any dood about 16 years old is to get an entry level job as a “helper” in any trade that seems interesting where he can learn and make a little money while doing so. Then, the more he learns and does the more money he will earn as time goes by.
Regardless of the stylish times we live in I am not in favor of women working in the construction trades except perhaps in some of the administration positions.
Of course there are always exceptions but the (albeit few) wimmens I worked with when I was doing constructon, did NOT resemble the photos above.
Mike Rowe did an article about a young lady who looked at college cost vs trade school and decided to become a welder. In his article he mentioned she had no debt when she got out of school and at the time of writing only a few years later she was making over $200K a year and turning down offers of work becuz she was completely swamped. It doesn’t hurt that she’s quite attractive either…..
I can’t find his original article, but found this one about her instead. https://ruralbuildermagazine.com/a-dream-job-in-welding-for-a-winner-of-the-mike-rowe-foundation-scholarship/
Well, if we’re going to strike out “tradesmen” in favor of “tradesperson” for fear of offending the women folk, you may as well bring the comedy all the way to it’s ultimate conclusion, and use the term “tradesbeing”, lest you offend purveyors of trades who are neither persons nor humans nor fictitious legal entitties like corporations.
This is maximally inclusive, encompassing every being that exists. Of course, it offends those who suffer from lack of existence, but feck ’em. They don’t exist, and can’t do squat about it. 🙂
Finally, at long last, something safe to mock: the nonexistent.
I have two buddies who spend their nights and weekends restoring old cars. One is an economics professor and the other is an oncologist. I love carpentry. Hard work with your hands is good for the soul.
Shade,
You’re absolutely right.
One of the Romans has a quote to the point that your life is complete if you have a garden and a good library. I wish I remembered who said something to that effect.
JQ
When I was in construction management, there were a few women working in the companies I worked for. One apprentice carpenter was one of the hardest working people I know. The flaggers were usually women. Most of the female engineers I knew were utterly insufferable, petty and sneaky.
JQ