Blue Collar and Proud of It: The All-In-One Resource for Finding Freedom, Financial Success, and Security Outside the Cubicle (33 page)

I think there should be blue-collar summer camp, just like there is science camp and soccer camp. Why not? This stuff is exciting. Maybe when that four-year-old gets a little older he would enjoy blue-collar camp. And you know what? It won’t kill you if you like it. It’s not poison. Even if you ended up becoming a scientist, what’s wrong with having spent a summer session building and sawing or drilling? All those soccer camp kids aren’t professional athletes, but most of them had a blast. We should letmore kids play with tools, try to hammer, get a little dirty, and feel what it’s like to create something out of nothing.

As you’ve seen fromthis book, there are incredible jobs in the skilled trades. Working in these industries is exciting, it’s productive, it can be lucrative, it’s often good for your heart and your health, and it’s an awesome option if you’re dreading the cubicle. I do think we have a ways to go, a ways to go to change the attitudes people have about the trades, but I think we’re going to turn this around. I think we’re going to get people to wake up and appreciate what we do and why we choose to work with our hands.

With people like Janet Bray from the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE), apprenticeship programs throughout the country, green-collar jobs opening up all kinds of opportunities, and guidance counselors who are willing to share a book like this with their students, we’ll get back on track. Gene Bottoms, the senior vice president of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), is confident that we’re already moving in the right direction. “There is a revitalized emphasis on career-tech in this country, ” he says. Bottoms works to improve education and work preparedness through various SREB initiatives. Although Bottoms recognizes that it’s been a struggle to get people to pay attention to the importance of these programs, he says it is slowly happening. In many states, Bottoms points out, there are full-time technical high schools that have waiting lists.One reason, he says, is the sheer need for trained workers. “The largest number of jobs do require certification or an associate’s degree.”

All I’m really asking is that the trades be presented as an option. It’s not for everyone, just like college isn’t for everyone. But it should be out there, showcased as an exciting, responsible career choice. The way we have career day at school—when lawyers, accountants, and teachers talk about their professions—we, too, should have a skilled trades day to introduce students and young adults to these incredible opportunities. Then we can let them choose what interests them, what fits with their personality, and what gets them excited.

I started this book by explaining that this is a choice. You don’t go into the blue-collar trades because there is nothing else to do or because you’re lazy or because you’re looking for an excuse not to go to college. People choose to do one of these jobs because it fits them, because they enjoy the work, and because they are well suited to it. Just the way a short baseball player ismore suited to being a catcher and the tall lanky athlete is more suited to speed swimming, these jobs fit different personalities and talents.

The National Geographic Channel’s
World’s Toughest Fixes
just reinforces how much our culture is starting to pay attention to these jobs. We now have TV programs, educators, and communities looking at these jobs, these people, and these trades in a new way. We’re shining the spotlight on the people who repair and build our country. I don’t care whether it happens through this book, my website, a show on television, or because of workforce shortages, but we need to get people to pay attention to the importance of blue-collar work, of skilled trades, and of the growing green industries that are opening up a host of possibilities. I just hope that, whether you are a parent, a student, a teacher, or a friend, you will have a new understanding and appreciation of the blue-collar options out there. I hope you will see the value, the necessity, and the wonder in these blue-collar jobs, in these skilled trades, and in your son or daughter who has taken an interest in one of these careers. My hope is that people will, once and for all, understand why I say I’m blue collar and proud of it. We built America, we’ll continue to build and fix this great country, and we can all be proud of that.

Chapter 10
Wait! I Have More Questions

I’m a Student and I Want to Know . . .

Q:
I’m worried that my friends will think I’m taking the easy way out if I don’t go to college.

A:
You will be taking the easy way out if you don’t have a plan or focus and if you aren’t willing to work hard.Your college-bound buddies will also be taking the easy way out if they don’t buckle down, study hard, and plan their career paths. Going to college doesn’t mean that youwill beworking hard, and taking a blue-collar job does notmean that you will have it easy. We each have to decide for ourselves, no matter which career path we take, if we are going to try to slide by or if we are going to do the absolute best we can. I suggest working very hard and giving it all you’ve got. That’s not the easy way out. But just remember, we’re all different. We all wear different clothes, play different sports, and listen to different music. And we won’t all like the same jobs. But we should all have goals and work hard to meet them.

Q:
I’m tired of being asked, “What college are you going to? ” People look atme like I’mcrazy when I tell themI’mnot going. What am I supposed to say to explain it?

A:
Hopefully you have a plan for what you are going to do, and if you don’t, you need to sit down and figure one out. That’s what this book is supposed to help with. Narrow down your interests and figure out a direction. Do you want to go into electrical work? A green sector? Manufacturing? Decide how you’re going to get a job or training. Only then will you be able to offer up an explanation when asked about what you’re doing after high school. And even if no one was asking, you should have this plan anyway. You can always alter your plan or change your plan entirely, but being focused and having a goal to work toward are key components to success. And just think, your blue-collar job won’t be shipped overseas.You can’t outsource the repairs on your car or the installation of those solar panels.

Q:
I started college a few years ago, but I’m miserable. I’ve always wanted to go into the trades. I enjoyed woodworking and would like to be a carpenter, but I have two years of school, lots of debt, and I feel trapped.

A:
If you know woodworking and carpentry are for you, then follow your dreams. If you’re not quite sure, take some time off from school and get an apprenticeship, or find a job with the best carpenter in your area, even on Saturdays. If this turns out to indeed be where you want to focus your time, you’ll have to start paying back your loans. But there is no sense in continuing to accumulate school loans if you don’t think you’ll use that education. You may need to invest in tools and training. Plus, a starting salary in your new career couldmean a tight budget at first. There is no sense in racking upmore school loans. If you’re following your passions, feel good about what you’re doing, and have a sense of accomplishment, that’s the real deal.

Q:
I really like the idea of pursuing a blue-collar career, but I don’t know which one I’d be good at and I’ve never taken a shop class or a woodworking class. Where do I start?

A:
If you still have the time and the opportunity, take asmany CTE classes as possible. If you think something interests you—woodworking or auto mechanics, for example—take a course. If you’ve finished high school or your school doesn’t offer this, then get a job working in one ormore of the trades that interest you. Perhaps you can spend your summer working two different jobs, or try one out on Saturdays so you can test the waters.Or bang on doors, make some phone calls, and find out if someone in your area is looking for an apprentice or helper. Explain that you’re interested in learning more about their trade and that you want to experience it firsthand. You may not get lucky from your first phone call, but keep trying. And if all else fails, check out your local community college or continuing education center to see if you can take a single course in welding or plumbing.

Q:
My parents are insisting that I go to college and won’t hearme out when I try to explain how much I don’t want to go. I’ve tried to get them to understand that I have an interest in the trades and want to go that route.Help.

A:
It’s your life, so dig in your heels. While your parents may mean well in that they want you to be happy and successful, perhaps they think the only way to get there is through college. Have you tried explaining that going to college is so unappealing that you likely won’t do well anyway? Have you told themthat youmay cost themmore than it’s worth because you don’t see yourself finishing? Often kids go to college, and they or their parents accumulate loans and then they still decide to learn a trade, which often means investing more money in that training or certification. If you know what you’re interested in, find out some of the numbers and show them to your parents. What are your job prospects, and how much money might you be making? The Bureau of Labor Statistics (
www.bls.gov
) can help you nail down some of these figures. But explain again that this is about your life and your happiness and that you’re not looking for a cop-out and not looking for handouts from Mom and Dad.

Q:
My parents have offered to pay for college but they won’t help me pay for trade school. Is this fair?

A:
Well, it may not be fair, but if that’s what is on the table, you have to make a decision. If you do not want to go to a four-year college but you have a plan with regard to trade school, then look into grants, scholarships, and student loans to help cover your costs.Unions often pay for training; other times, employers take care of these costs, so be sure to investigate all options before signing up at a private trade school. That said, you could also try explaining to your parents that this is something that is just as important to you as college is to other people. Explain that you don’t want to waste their money. And explain what you want to do with the trade school training.You might even be able to strike a deal; tell your parents that you will reimburse them for the expense of the trade school if you don’t put it to use within six months of receiving the certificate. This is almost a trial-and-error system. If it works, then they’ve made a great investment. You can also go to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (
www.bls.gov
) where you can find a ton of information on salaries and job growth for every industry. Show your parents the numbers, show them what you can make your first year or your fifth year, and talk to them about the actual dollars. This may help a lot when they see that you’ll be making a real living and aren’t just planning to take the easy way out. Remember, too, there are many people in college who are paying their own way. If you want something bad enough, you’ll figure out a way to get it.

Q:
I’ve always had the impression that going into one of the trades means being in a dangerous job. Is this true?

A:
That’s a completely legitimate fear since it’s true that there are many more potential hazards in a physical job than in a desk job.You’remore likely to get hurt operating heavy equipment, building bridges, or driving a truck cross-country than you are standing at the photocopy machine. That said, common sense and awareness are key. The law is also on your side. Employers are required to comply with strict, federally regulated safety codes of conduct. You do need to be properly trained in certain fields and jobs, but that’s why there are licensing boards to help ensure safety and standards. These jobs are generally very safe, but of course building skyscrapers has risks and welding with extreme heatmeans you could get burned. But that won’t happen if you’re safe, if you follow rules, and if you know what you’re doing. You could also get into a car accident on the way to work, but that would never stop you from showing up each day, right?

Q:
What if I changemymind and decide that I do actually want a college degree? Will I have blown my chances at getting one?

A:
No way. People go back to college when they are in their sixties. And if in five years or fifteen years you find that you want the degree, you can always go back to school. In fact, some of the people you met in this book went back years if not decades after high school. But the ones who did typically found that they knew exactly why they were going and were looking to specifically enhance and broaden their already established careers. Some of the industries we’ve talked about in this book have various options for advancement, and some of the more advanced jobs require a degree. For example, degrees come in handy for advanced careers in forestry, botany, and electrical engineering. Some careers may even benefit from degrees in business.

I’m a Parent and I Want to Know . . .

Q:
My son is very smart, but he insists that he wants to become an auto mechanic. I think he’ll be wasting his brain.

A:
If he’s passionate about being an auto mechanic, you should be excited that he wants to follow his dreams. Plus, I know of way toomany people who wear suits to work and sit behind a desk and don’t use much of their brain at all. Auto mechanics are highly skilled and are required to solve more problems in a day than most of us solve in a week or a month. Don’t forget that we all use our brains differently and not only between 9:00 and 5:00. I’m a landscaper who is running a business, pushing lawn mowers, overseeing employees, and interacting with customers all day long. At night I enjoy watching business shows, and I read the
Wall Street Journal
every morning. I’m using my brain on the job and off the job. Encourage your son to follow his passion, to challenge himself to be the best possible mechanic (if you’re really nice about it, maybe he’ll fix your car once in a while), and then encourage him to exercise his brain in other ways while not working. This is something not enough of us do in our free time. And remember, your son’s self-esteem is tied to his happiness, so if he is actually going to be happy working as an auto mechanic, bets are that his self-esteem will be high, too. What more could a parent want?