Wrenching
 

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/magazine/24labor-t.html?em

Fred...

That was a fantastic piece. I know a good many college grads stuck in dead end jobs which they despise. Conversely, I know a good many tradesmen that have done quite well for themselves and take pride in their work. The bias against the trades has always bothered me, possibly because I lived in the blue collar world for years before finishing college. Ultimately the ignorant don't know what they are missing, many of the most interesting and intelligent people that I know work with their hands for a living. Even in my white collar life I continue with my desire to build something, in my mind there's no greater satisfaction than seeing the tangible fruits of my labor.

”The imperative of the last 20 years to round up every warm body and send it to college, then to the cubicle, was tied to a vision of the future in which we somehow take leave of material reality and glide about in a pure information economy. This has not come to pass".

NO! :eek:

"College" has come to mean, "The place you go to take courses to become employable". The problem is, the employment deals with business involving products we don't produce; we've become a service economy with no production of material goods to speak of. We service those who produce what we need, but, in the process become subservient to the producers of those goods.

Does this, as feebly described, ring any bells, re the rise and fall of the Roman Empire?

Hear hear! Unfortunately, many will be dumbfounded by that statement as they hold up their pay check for you to see and grunt, Huh?

Great article...

I work in the corporate/office world but damn I like getting my hands dirty on the weekends ;)

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1374034620.jpg

(This isn't finished so don't stress about the saw marks on the edges ;))

I am a hobbyist wrencher, home remodeler and would be cabinet maker. I know lots of MDs and PhDs who are too - some MD/PhDs also.

It keeps morons away from my cars and home, prevents stealership overcharging, and provides a certain concrete sort of satisfaction.

But stihl there is nuthin' like firing up the ol' chainsaw and scaring the local burglar-class...

Is that for a sewing machine?

Is that the seat for a Sponge Bob Square Pants outhouse?

That's what I was thinking, too... and I couldn't figure out what that slot on the right side would be for.

Then I remembered the old foot-powered machines like my grandmother had.

It's for an Industrial Sewing machine. (Juki)

In my spare time I do leather work... Things like custom camera bags and straps for classic film cameras.
I also do sail repairs and other heavy duty stuff.

I'll start my own thread soon.

(the slot is for the belt to the under table servo motor)

I liked the part about getting ones fingers crushed before going on to lead the country!

I was thinking router table...

If you are interested in the debate about degrees vs. manual arts, read this - Phd/Manhattan-think-tanker turned classic motorcycle restorer. Claims in his book that he gets more respect at New York city dinner parties now since he knows how to fix things:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1374073731.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1374073747.jpg

Exactly. I spent 35+ years designing/coding/testing and supporting software systems. Wife couldn't understand why I enjoyed working on cars, remodeling houses, even yardwork in my spare time.

Because I could actually see something tangible I actually finished is why. As the old saying goes in software, you never actually finish a system, you just eventually abandon it. Long live COBOL !!

I'll never forget how dis -appointed my parents were when I told them that I was dropping out of college to become an auto mechanic.

Thanks for posting that, I really enjoyed it.

This guy went to Woodstock - he built the stage...

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1374081457.jpg

This is what he's up to now:
Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs®

This in BOLD... I don't like strangers touching my stuff.

Almost done ;)

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1375215343.jpg

Fantastic read!

Personally I think that I get the best of both worlds right now. As a CNC technician, I have a substantial amount of electrical and electronic knowledge. I also have a certain amount of mechanical skill as well, at least to the degree that I can diagnose a problem to be electronic or mechanical.

My work history has been in the navy as a radar technician, and working as a commercial electrician until I got this job. The company I work for (Boeing) is screaming for guys to do this job. They pay great and have awesome benefits because this isn't a skill-set that many people have. It's also something that you can't really learn in a class-room. A certain part of it you can, and a two year electronics degree is a great start but is not the full story.

I tried to explain what I do to my four-year-old daughter. The best I could do was tell her that I fixed the robots that build airplanes. She has been talking non-stop about how she is going to go work with me when she is older. I only hope that she has an opportunity to do just that if she wants to when she gets older.