What you do for work

[giles]

I traded our 6.2 after it dropped the second injector at 60,000 miles.

 

[Stressless]

I'm an asshole.

"Still"

 

[Stressless]

30 years commissioned officer, retired 2016. 13 combat deployments. Now working for The MITRE Corporation an FFRDC ( Google it, I had too) and current project is working as a operational SME building Kuwait its own IAMD so we can bring more our men and women home, providing our partners, the Kuwaitis, the means to defend themselves.

The MITRE Corp -> https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomas...k-hacking-smartwatches-and-fighting-covid-19/

 

[giles]

Bumping this.

I have noticed an increase in kids these days wanting to do trades. My local area vocational school is at maximum capacity as they push kids towards the work program to free up space. 2 out my 3 kids are wanting to do a trade and none of them want college. Anyone else noticing this trend? Their friend groups are also the same.

Me thinks the covid shutdowns are helping this push. These kids seen who makes this country what it is. Not saying that all.college is bad, but there is plenty of money and self satisfaction to be had by hard labor.

 

[Trueroots]

Bumping this.

I have noticed an increase in kids these days wanting to do trades. My local area vocational school is at maximum capacity as they push kids towards the work program to free up space. 2 out my 3 kids are wanting to do a trade and none of them want college. Anyone else noticing this trend? Their friend groups are also the same.

Me thinks the covid shutdowns are helping this push. These kids seen who makes this country what it is. Not saying that all.college is bad, but there is plenty of money and self satisfaction to be had by hard labor.

I have noticed the same thing and actually any kid on the fence , I recommend them to do it. Trades are making a comeback and paying livable wages.

 

[md1]

Covid changed everything. I think people being forced to stay home did many things. I think people realized the freedom they could have and didn't want to go back to their dissatisfied occupation. Start up businesses are popping up everywhere. I think many people did things to make money during the shutdown either to get by or actually had time to try other things other than their normal 8 and skate repetitive lifestyle. Covid fugged up alot of things but I think it has helped surge creative thinking and dreaming big, and choose your own path. It seems when I went to high school the option was college or factory unless your family was in the trades or farmers.......

 

[Stressless]

Schools are a big influencer in this area. Proud of the leadership my Mrs has done in this specific area. She's been the Chairman of the county wide school board for the last two years and been on the board for over a decade.

The following is our county's pathway for youth to leave High School with a livelihood.

The Santa Rosa County School District in Florida offers a variety of trades programs through its Career and Technical Education (CTE) and Workforce Education departments, including automotive technology, welding, air conditioning and refrigeration, and electrical. These programs are designed through a "career pathways" model to prepare students for high-skill, high-wage careers and provide hands-on experience with industry-standard tools and software. Specific programs are available at the middle school, high school, and technical college levels, with additional opportunities through partnerships like the Integrated Education and Training (IET) program and the Space Florida Academy Program.

Specific programs and pathways

• Automotive Technology: Courses prepare students for careers in the automotive field.
• Welding Technology: Programs are offered through the district, including at the technical college level and high schools like Navarre High School.
• Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration (HVACR): This program is available through the district's technical college.
• Electricity: The district provides courses in electrical trades.
• Computer Systems and Information Technology: Programs are available to prepare students for IT careers.
• Emergency Medical Responder/Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA): These programs offer training for healthcare-related careers.
• Pharmacy Technician: Students can pursue training for pharmacy careers.
• Culinary Arts: The district offers a culinary arts pathway.

Program structure and goals

• Career Pathways Model: The district uses a career pathways model to align education with regional occupational demands and provide students with clear roadmaps to certifications and careers.
• Partnerships: The programs are developed through partnerships with local employers and postsecondary institutions to ensure students are learning relevant, in-demand skills.
• Industry Certifications: Students can earn nationally recognized industry certifications through these programs.
• Hands-on Experience: The curriculum is designed to provide real-world, hands-on activities using the same equipment, software, and tools used in the local workforce.

 

[hickslawns]

I'm still a self employed bum. Still in the trades. I just picked the trade that pays almost enough to make a living while not quite enough to ever retire. My next job will be a grave digger. Three days after I die I'll get to dig my own grave.

To expand: yes. The trades are rocking. I agree. It is tough to find people to work physical labor jobs at an entry level position unless they are making 2-3x minimum wage as starting pay. It's a great time to be young and pick your path. Many options. Many open jobs. It's a bad time to be a dying breed in a low paying trade.

Also interesting: our son just finished the RN program. 3 job offers before he completed his last semester. Our daughter is a writer/editor. Minimal jobs available and most appreciate the college degrees so much they are willing to pay slightly less than a grocery cashier with blue hair and 26 facial piercings. Our son in law is a mechanical engineer. Working. Doing alright. Not as much job availability as I suspected there would have been for him. Interesting considering where any of the three of them could have been had they entered the trades right out of high school.

 

[Mickey Merrie]

90% of kids in college shouldn't be. Heck almost half of them are looking for an Mrs. Degree!

As a college grad I point the youth to the trades. We don't need any more inch wide mile deep idiots, we need smart young uns with the ability to repair and rebuild this Nation!

 

[Jackalope]

With two young boys, this conversation is in my head on a daily basis. I'm a firm believer that if I don't create a legacy for them now, they're going to have a rough time. Especially as white conservative men. The "American Dream" is being stolen from our kids in favor of cheaper imported labor. Look at the trucking industry. Sure, trump cracked down on some of it, but that's not going to stop. Trucking companies will just find another way to import cheap labor. The same is true for factories. Look at the Springfield Hatian issue. That's not isolated to springfield. There are dozens of cities with factories that have done the same thing. So they could own their own business, that's drastically dwindling also. Our children will never have the ability to own a motel, a gas station, a subway franchise, they're all being purchased by foreigners who import cheap foreign labor or run it themselves at such slim margins it requires 12 of them to live in the same house. They take out private loans from other Patels that don't require things like insurance or all the red tape things you have to pay for like workmans comp and unemployment insurance for emoyees. Want to start a construction company? You better speak Spanish and have connections to hire a pod of them. Maybe they want to do something small and just start off owning a storage unit lot. HA, good luck they've all been bought by holding companies that are largely foreign owned, you won't compete. long gone are the day of Bill who owns the corner store, or Mrs Sally who owns the local dress shop. Maybe they want to own a drycleaners, not unless your last name is Nguyen and you can sponsor visas for your whole family to run it. Oh maybe a career in IT, good luck. If it's not outsourced to India they likely hired an Indian guy on a H1B, or a guy on a greencard with a IT degree from Rahakeem University where he got his masters for $1,500 tuition per year but per corporate he's "qualified". There was a time where a kid could want to be a farmer, unless he's born into it today that's about impossible and he's likely still going to struggle.

I am sure there are ways. But those windows are closing more and more each day. Sure the trades are an option, but I don't see any of this not impacting the trades eventually also. And there has to be a better way than looking at my boys and saying "Hey, if you break your back day in day out and destroy your body by age 50 you'll make a good living.. I don't know, I try not to be pessimistic but the deck is quickly being stacked against our younger generations.

 

[giles]

Not picking on you Joe, but it sparked a thought.

Our expectations of our kids is often from our own view. Very bias view that our kid is the best of the best. It's okay to be a worker bee in the colony.

 

[GoetzTalon]

100% of the carpentry class at Penta vocational had full time jobs waiting for them as soon as they graduated. I’m talking Gem, Rudolph Libbe, and so on. Those kids will be making more money than I could ever dream off. My doctor told me the hard work I am doing is good for me lol.

 

[bigten05]

Me and cooper talk about this regularly savannah is set on wanting to do something in the veterinary field we will see how that goes. Coopers smart but school is not his thing. He always said he wanted to run equipment like me, now that I have stepped back from that and started doing my business full time he wants to do that. Now im trying to figure out what to do next to establish myself for and maybe leave them with something to take over when im done.

 

[Jackalope]

Not picking on you Joe, but it sparked a thought.
View attachment 214909
Our expectations of our kids is often from our own view. Very bias view that our kid is the best of the best. It's okay to be a worker bee in the colony.

Nah not what I meant to convey at all. More along the lines of how the country is increasingly becoming structured toward the exploitation and suppression of wages through the use of imigrant labor. In addition to that happening most entry level businesses such as small franchises, motels, gas stations, laundry mats, self storage facilities are being purchased by immigrants who are subverting wage and compensation laws making it impossible for you the average American to own one. The increase in wages for trade jobs is a pendulum shift due decades of pushing people toward college and a general laziness of youth. However, the pendulum will shift again. Companies aren't going to continue to pay those high wages forever, just like the factories in springfield, house framers, roofers, drywall etc they will find a way to import cheaper labor. Trade unions will be a great buffer against that for the most part but I'm sure they'll find a way. There's nothing wrong with being a worker bee in the colony, the problem is the beekeeper is always looking for ways to bring in new bees and pay the existing ones less.

So my issue is how do I provide a pathway so my kids have the option to not be subjected to that for a lifetime. I said option because they can always choose their own path, but I feel like I need to give them the option to not work their life away just to make someone elses yatch payment while they struggle in a middle class lifestyle. Look at the changes that have happened in the worker and business ownership landscape over the last 40 years, now think about the next 40. It's not trending in a favorable direction. Even the dream of home ownership, traditionally how Americans have built generational wealth, is a massive massive leap for our youth today. Blackrock and Vanguard have purchased millions of single family entry level homes to guarantee they become lifelong renters.

 

[finelyshedded]

Nah not what I meant to convey at all. More along the lines of how the country is increasingly becoming structured toward the exploitation and suppression of wages through the use of imigrant labor. In addition to that happening most entry level businesses such as small franchises, motels, gas stations, laundry mats, self storage facilities are being purchased by immigrants who are subverting wage and compensation laws making it impossible for you the average American to own one. The increase in wages for trade jobs is a pendulum shift due decades of pushing people toward college and a general laziness of youth. However, the pendulum will shift again. Companies aren't going to continue to pay those high wages forever, just like the factories in springfield, house framers, roofers, drywall etc they will find a way to import cheaper labor. Trade unions will be a great buffer against that for the most part but I'm sure they'll find a way. There's nothing wrong with being a worker bee in the colony, the problem is the beekeeper is always looking for ways to bring in new bees and pay the existing ones less.

So my issue is how do I provide a pathway so my kids have the option to not be subjected to that for a lifetime. I said option because they can always choose their own path, but I feel like I need to give them the option to not work their life away just to make someone elses yatch payment while they struggle in a middle class lifestyle. Look at the changes that have happened in the worker and business ownership landscape over the last 40 years, now think about the next 40. It's not trending in a favorable direction. Even the dream of home ownership, traditionally how Americans have built generational wealth, is a massive massive leap for our youth today. Blackrock and Vanguard have purchased millions of single family entry level homes to guarantee they become lifelong renters.

What Blackrock and Vanguard have done should be investigated and disbanded. Nefarious, calculating and evil are just a few words I can use to describe them. Why aren’t ANY of the news media outlets reporting this is telling in itself.

 

[Jackalope]

What Blackrock and Vanguard have done should be investigated and disbanded. Nefarious, calculating and evil are just a few words I can use to describe them. Why aren’t ANY of the news media outlets reporting this is telling in itself.

It's beyond crazy. I read this in a financial article earlier today. Just in the last 5 year the income requirements to buy a home have doubled.

Homeowners need an annual income of $74,508 to afford a median-priced home in rural U.S. counties, up a staggering 105.8% from before the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, rural buyers only needed to earn $36,206, according to Redfin’s analysis, which compares the third quarter of 2025 with the third quarter of 2019.

The income needed to afford a median-priced home in suburban counties rose 90.9% to $102,120 during that same period. Previously, potential buyers only needed an annual salary of $53,482. The income needed to afford a home in urban counties climbed 87.5% to $118,300. Buyers needed an annual salary of $63,103 prior to the pandemic.

 

[bowhunter1023]

I'm deeply involved with our local career center, a couple different unions, and our manufacturing sector partnership. Interest is definitely up and our career center is busting at the seams. In my day job, we have 1,000 jobs in our pipeline and the vast majority will be skilled labor and high-end manufacturing jobs, so career tech training has never been more important than it is now. I've embraced AI in my role and am showing Kaydence how to use it to her advantage. With 3 daughters, my outlook on careers is maybe a bit different than it would be with boys. My middle daughter is 100% headed down the healthcare path, #1 and #3 are TBD, but we won't be forcing college on them unless they show a clear ROI on their own account (coming from degree holding parents).

 

[ThatBuckeyeGuy]

I turn wrenches and our wages have shot up considerably in the last 5-10 years. Even more for those with automation an robotic skills which I have but aren't needed at my current job.