Good Monday morning all.
First of all let me ask this: Who on here is a fellow skilled laborer? What do you guys do for work and how did you get your skills?
On to the gist of my post. I wanted to mention to people or ask for peoples opinion on the enormous skills gap. Jobs that don't require a 4 year degree but need special training (which most employers will give you) are in dire need of filling. Plumbers, electricians, people that maintain our infrastructure, carpenters, and welders just to name a few are jobs that are in need of filling, but there's no one to do them. I know that the average age for people in these industries are north of 50 these days and there's not enough young blood to fill the shoes. Anyone in the industries I mentioned have any stories to share in that regard?
It just seems to me that the jobs and industries that actually make our country run are vilified to a point where no one considers it a good way to make a living anymore. It just seems that we as a society really don't know the meaning of working hard anymore. Toilet backs up? Call someone. Roof leaks? Call someone. As it turns out: the people we call for all these things are decreasing in numbers. Soon an hour with a good plumber will cost more than an hour with a psychiatrist, if it doesn't already.
One other thought I had: People seem surprised that high unemployment can exist at the same time as a skilled labor shortage, but it should come as no surprise. We don't teach the things we need to teach anymore. Vocational Technology schools are disappearing and going fast. All high schools do anymore is teach you how to take tests and get ready to start on your 4 year degree, when we should really also focus on replenishing our workforce with interested people.
I don't know maybe I'm just ranting like a mad man here but it's a thing I believe.
On a personal level, aircraft mechanics such as myself are going to start retiring faster than we can be replaced. Boeing has predicted that in the next 15 years we will need 400,000 pilots and 600,000 technicians to keep aviation going, and don't even get me started on air traffic controllers. There is a desperate need for ATC's. If this shortage continues, flying will become more and more expensive for the consumer.
Anyways I will cut this rant off now.
Happy brewing.
Mark
First of all let me ask this: Who on here is a fellow skilled laborer? What do you guys do for work and how did you get your skills?
On to the gist of my post. I wanted to mention to people or ask for peoples opinion on the enormous skills gap. Jobs that don't require a 4 year degree but need special training (which most employers will give you) are in dire need of filling. Plumbers, electricians, people that maintain our infrastructure, carpenters, and welders just to name a few are jobs that are in need of filling, but there's no one to do them. I know that the average age for people in these industries are north of 50 these days and there's not enough young blood to fill the shoes. Anyone in the industries I mentioned have any stories to share in that regard?
It just seems to me that the jobs and industries that actually make our country run are vilified to a point where no one considers it a good way to make a living anymore. It just seems that we as a society really don't know the meaning of working hard anymore. Toilet backs up? Call someone. Roof leaks? Call someone. As it turns out: the people we call for all these things are decreasing in numbers. Soon an hour with a good plumber will cost more than an hour with a psychiatrist, if it doesn't already.
One other thought I had: People seem surprised that high unemployment can exist at the same time as a skilled labor shortage, but it should come as no surprise. We don't teach the things we need to teach anymore. Vocational Technology schools are disappearing and going fast. All high schools do anymore is teach you how to take tests and get ready to start on your 4 year degree, when we should really also focus on replenishing our workforce with interested people.
I don't know maybe I'm just ranting like a mad man here but it's a thing I believe.
On a personal level, aircraft mechanics such as myself are going to start retiring faster than we can be replaced. Boeing has predicted that in the next 15 years we will need 400,000 pilots and 600,000 technicians to keep aviation going, and don't even get me started on air traffic controllers. There is a desperate need for ATC's. If this shortage continues, flying will become more and more expensive for the consumer.
Anyways I will cut this rant off now.
Happy brewing.
Mark
In Atlanta and making 85k.............Delta?
