Why are people afraid of the trades?
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I think the key part of your post is ELECTRICAL ENGINEER. That field has exploded in this decade. Im a chemical engineer, graduated 6 years ago, and couldnt find ANY job in this entire COUNTRY in my field (I had one prospect in EGYPT. My field kinda evaporated shortly after i graduated when the economy started to slump). In fact, now im working as an electrical engineer despite having no real experience or training in that field (had to learn as i went along), because companies are so desperate.Suki_ said:
EEs basically write their own checks in this country, that is not indicative at all with practically any other field.
On topic. it is a shame that trade professions have such a bad rap even though there really is no logical reason for it and our country was built by blue collar people. I went to a private high school, we had one guy who wanted to be an electrician. He was looked down by the entire school.
professors are a different beast from elementary to high school teachers. Mostly because the people they deal with are adults, not children.Pinkamena said:
Hell, my uncle is a professor of accounting and my sister is an elementary school teacher, the two are worlds apart. My uncle has a VERY expensive house and a very relaxed work life whereas my sister can barely afford a small dinky one bedroom apartment, works 12 hours a day (at least, she even works most holidays including christmas day), is always stressed, and fears for her job everyday because parents are bringing lawyers into the schools and threaten the administration and herself with lawsuits if they accuse young Jimmy of cheating on a test or STABBING a teacher or child (both happened at her school, kid was not so much as suspended. And this is coming from a district that is renown for their public schools). Sadly most teachers give the child whatever grade the parent wants because it is not worth fighting over it, especially when his future teachers are just going to pass him along to the next teacher by whatever means necessary so they dont have to deal with it.
Professors are the playboys of the teaching field. Of course, they worked hard to get to that field so i dont blame them even one iota, although that will probably change in the next 10 years or so when the current crop of helicopter parents and the dumb#$% children that they protect get shoveled into the college.
Because originally going into a trade was what you did when you literally couldn't do anything else. Kicked in the head by a horse and therefore too retarded to go to college and get a real job? Tradeschool! Got your stepsister pregnant and now need to support your inbred freakbaby? Tradeschool! Constantly beaten by your fsther into an drunken emotionless automaton? Tradeschool! Just plain too lazy to try? Tradeschool!
College was seen as being the ideal, a way to increase one's intellect or chances in the world. Tradeschool was where you went when you couldn't or wouldn't. Nowadays the Army serves that function.
College was seen as being the ideal, a way to increase one's intellect or chances in the world. Tradeschool was where you went when you couldn't or wouldn't. Nowadays the Army serves that function.
Yes. Houses are being built all the time. To the extent that we've ended up with with what amount to ghost towns. Although to call them that is being a bit overgenerous, since people would have to have lived in them in the first place, which of course they can't afford to.teqrevisited said:
So the buildings just sit there. Money well spent. :/
That said, always fancied a trade myself, but, I can't for the life of me (hah, gettit?) figure out how to get into Graveyary/Morgue work since they're mostly family run organisations.
Actualllyyy.... I know people whose parents said exactly that.Phasmal said:
People from not exactly well off areas, who didn't do so well in school, who don't have a whole lot of oppurtunities.
OT: Nothing wrong with getting a decent trade job imo. Some people wouldn't be happy with that, though.[/quote]
It's funny, since I just recently had an issue which required the presence of a plumber[footnote]Qn unfortunate incident involving an elderly parent, a garbage disposal, a costco-sized jar of saurkraut, and a severe lapse in judgement[/footnote]. My brother and I spent the entire weekend's free time fighting with the thing but were unsuccessful. Monday morning comes and the plumber is called.
He had it fixed in a half hour to 45 minues. Cost to me on my software engineer's salary: 6 hours' pay.
Who's making the "good money," indeed...
Professors yes. School teachers no. They seem to be about 100 years behind the rest of society in what's permitted -- in the 19th century, any teacher who got pregnant (even if she -- it was always a she -- was married) had to quite her job. Today, teachers can get married and have kids with impunity (although children out of wedlock are another story), but drinking in public? God forbid. Some parent might have to have an uncomfortable conversation with their kids, and we can't have that.Pinkamena said:
Because apparently the "American Dream" is no longer just to have enough, but to be better than everyone else.
Plumbers make a good living, but they have to actually do something useful.
CEOs get to sit around, play golf, and have sex with their secretaries, without contributing anything of value to society.
So naturally, all the stupid douchebags of the world would rather gamble on a chance to live the high life than play it safe and earn an honest living. It's the American way!
Plumbers make a good living, but they have to actually do something useful.
CEOs get to sit around, play golf, and have sex with their secretaries, without contributing anything of value to society.
So naturally, all the stupid douchebags of the world would rather gamble on a chance to live the high life than play it safe and earn an honest living. It's the American way!
Because trades are shitty work that I don't want to do when I'm smart enough to do something better. Find me a trade that I can spend the first half of my day reading The Wall Street Journal and then we'll talk. Actually, no we won't because I don't want to spend the rest of my day bent over with my elbow in someone's S-bend.
A lot of people see it like this: you can drop out of highschool, get an apprenticeship, wind up with a job, and start making money, or you can go to university, get your degree, come out with debt, then struggle to find work (depending on your degree). There isn't a stigma against tradies where I live, they're arguably more respected than writers and musicians here. They get paid more, too. Which is to say, they get paid.
It's harder to master your art/craft or get your doctorate, and the monetary value of your achievement will often end up being less than that of a highschool dropout. There isn't a 1:1 relationship between effort and reward, and naturally, that upsets people. I'd prefer if artists and teachers and whatever were valued above bricklayers, myself, but that doesn't seem to be the culture I live in. Or maybe everyone I've talked to has been an anti-intellectual who regrets not chasing their dream. It's possible.
It's harder to master your art/craft or get your doctorate, and the monetary value of your achievement will often end up being less than that of a highschool dropout. There isn't a 1:1 relationship between effort and reward, and naturally, that upsets people. I'd prefer if artists and teachers and whatever were valued above bricklayers, myself, but that doesn't seem to be the culture I live in. Or maybe everyone I've talked to has been an anti-intellectual who regrets not chasing their dream. It's possible.