i saw this video and it brought back memories. i wonder how many young people today are willing to learn the "how it's done" by a master of the craft http://youtu.be/bdb1x2vQ2Z0

as a young man i began work at a transmission shop. the owner promised to train me as a builder. i was eager and really admired watching the old man put transmissions together. i started out removing, breaking down, cleaning,(then the owner would build it) and re-installing only one type of transmission. every car or truck that came into the shop with that particular type of transmission, i worked on it. i must have done about 30 of them and never built one. frustrated, i secretly found another job at a full service shop (not just transmissions) and went in to give my two week notice. i worked the first week, then on the second week the owner called me in and asked why i changed my mind about being a builder. i told him that he had lied to me and wasn't showing me how to build, but making me do all the hard and dirty work. he laughed and took me out to the shop area where he had several shelves of used parts. he would pick out a part and ask me what it was and where it went. i knew each part and where it went, except when he picked a part that didn't belong to the transmission type i had been assigned to work on. slowly a light came on in my head. by tearing down and cleaning each transmission i had become familiar with each part and what it was supposed to look like. i could tell when a part had failed and needed replacing. i knew how to build. i ended up leaving that shop, but i learned more than just how to build a transmission. i learned what an apprenticeship is

I think the only two routes to go are technology or trades

everything in between is being computerized and outsourced for a higher 'profit'


dont know what will happen when the profiteers realize people no longer have money to buy their products, even after they have saved their money on human labor,,,,,,


people will always want to look pretty, and have things fixed, and pruned, and cleaned, and be fit, and get sick , and have babies, and die, and sue each other

other than that, depending upon 'employers' is a trend that will be going out in the not so distant future,,,,

self employment in the services is the best way for anyone without a specific capacity for 'technology',,,,

I am a jack of trades. A real one. I learned by getting my hands into things. I have built many a hot rod and have a knack for fixing a host of things from appliances to cars, boats, planes (I was certified as an A and P Mechanic), and computers. I have done housing repair for years. But everything I learned came from observing and working for masters. When I was doing painting work all I did was prep work and finishing work because that was what I was better at than the others. I can swing a brush and swing a roller or run a sprayer but good prep work makes all the difference. But you have to have a teacher to show you what is right, what is wrong, and what is not doing the job the right way.

When I did Aquarium work I was haunted by what I call Two Hour Experts. Two hours on the internet and suddenly people know more than what I took a lifetime to master. Rearing fish is a lot harder than people think when you are breeding or keeping exotics. Even in Construction I came across a lot of, "I used to do plumbing for a living," but either a few questions or seeing what needed to be repaired explained a lot about the homeowner's expertise.

It is funny how I may not exactly be a master of any one particular thing but masters do appreciate when I can be their helper since they don't have to hold my hand! In my Dojo my kung fu is STRONG! I now have my new Dojo, I call it 'The Doghouse!' And soon I am about to display some real mastery!

I guess you could say I have had to be adaptive to survive. This is an "Adapt or Die" world!

But at least having skills gives you a leg up over most people! It means you are worth something!

Ths story reminds me of friends of mine griping about doing engine tear down working for the airlines. All I had to say was I wish I was doing their job. Tearing things down is a lot easier than putting them back together! Especially getting something as complicated as a jet engine put back together right the first time!

Master and Apprentice Striking Demonstration
http://youtu.be/URG6qeEtKrg

Companies no longer want to spend the time and money to train people.
They want plug and play employees who they can easily let go.
That is one of the biggest reasons for low employment and lack of skills in this country.

I won't say what I trained as.
I did work there, part-time, training, for free.
I asked him if I could come in and learn the trade.
3 months later, I was hired.
5 years later, I was in business.

Folks without incentive to get out there won't be interested in options.

I've worked in a trade for sixteen years and I'm still learning something new every day. A trade is not something you learn in
three months. And internships do not pay the bills.

You're right.
I worked with that feller for 5 years then went into business.

another old school craft
http://youtu.be/k84ZTpeRcmI

my brother does this stuff.

I can't wait until I start my apprenticeship.

working with glass
http://youtu.be/JFSB3-SzgoQ

"Plug and play" employees were a big hit also in the fifties, in the personae of stacked and well-built blonde secretaries.

Nobody seems to remember that that "plug and play" employment relationship was big in the post-war boom in North America, especially after the sexual revolution got started.

All your stories are very interesting but with the speed of technology do you really get a chance to learn, or is it a pre planned program designed for failure

can the technology take the place of craftsmen
http://youtu.be/4-KPgjZ_3Ww

I have been in my trade for 35 yrs now.
If a day ever comes when there isn't something new to learn....
it is time to push me in the hole, throw dirt and say bye,bye.
It has been good to me. Raised and educated two children.
and to this day......I still own more than I can ever repay to the man who gave me my apprenticeship....God rest his Soul!!!

i feel you brother. nothing can repay a master craftsman who is willing to pass on knowledge no book can ever contain

there is actually a shortage of tradesman for construction right now, (). Everyone has moved on to something else since the economy tanked.

My dad raced cars and motorcycles when I was growing up.. When an engine blew, the head mechanic would take it apart and my job was to clean all the parts..as time went on the head mechanic taught me how to put it all together and when I was 11 I could put a flat head engine together by myself.. My son took auto mechanics in school and has since taught my gson (daughters boy) how to build his own truck and work on motors...
Dad taught me how to mix mortar in a box by hand, lay brick and block and how to put on a roof w/ flashing around the chimney.. All of that before I was 16.. My brother taught me how to frame a house when I was in my 30's.. And I have a daughter that was a welder/ pipefitter and then built bridges, buildings, tested concrete and survey while she was in the navy (12yr)...
It the olden days you always learned by doing it yourself or someone taking the time to teach you...