Lackluster Employment Market Increases Interest In Trades

Faced with an unresponsive job market, grads decorated with degrees in everything from philosophy to engineering to French aren't giving up. They're just switching gears and channeling their energy into trades -- and benefiting from it, the Washington Post reports.

Take the story of Rateeluck Pauvpiromquan:

[Pauvpiromquan] decided to become an electrician when the only jobs she found after graduating from St. Mary's College in 2001 with a degree in the philosophy of religion were in coffee shops and hotels. Her friends, who have gone on to get master's degrees or doctorates, are proud of her.

"They tell me they're intrigued, amazed and proud they know a woman electrician," she said. "I don't understand the idea that if you go to college, manual labor is beneath you. The critical thinking and communication skills I learned in college are absolutely crucial to getting our work done. It's critical thinking, not just, 'I lift heavy objects.' "

Even though trade fields yield consistent, well-paying work, they have long existed with stigmas attached to them. As one economist told the Post, "It's hard to get high school counselors to point anyone but their not-very-good students, or the ones in trouble, toward construction."

But apprenticeships can pay healthy salaries -- more than one would make these days working in the field they studied in college -- and the currently economy could bring trades their due. Jarrad Taylor studied engineering and creative writing at Penn State University, but eventually took a job as a plumber. Seven years later, he's still at it -- and proud. And he told the Post that he has more discretionary income than many of his friends.

What do you think? Would you consider working in a trade? Leave a comment with your take.

Comments

[chemguy]

07:25 PM on 06/15/2010

I've been saying for years that we should have a stronger emphasis on vocational skills in high school. When I was high school, I took electronics and engine repair classes along side the usual college prep curriculum. Those skills have been great to fall back on even as I went through college and grad school.

[missBea]

01:35 PM on 06/15/2010

I am graduating next year with a degree in sustainable agriculture. My husband and I both work remodel/maintenance to pay our way through college. When i graduate we're headed off to a farm that needs our skills with plumbing, drywall, electrical and carpentry.
Diversify! Not only does it make your life more satisfying, but it offers you a way out of consumer culture! After all, people who can make things aren't going to be dependent on anyone else to produce their goods.

[davidpkronmiller]

12:56 PM on 06/15/2010

A job is only one reason to get an education - it also helps the greater society if we are all as educated as we can be. It is ill advised to confuse today's job market with the need to innovate and look ahead as well.

[KenKo]

12:31 PM on 06/15/2010

Good tradespeople are worth their weight in gold...even better if you get married to one!

[3dtrix]

12:04 PM on 06/15/2010

I am a college graduate who has been self-employed as a tradesman/remodeler for 35 years. My academic education has served me very well in life - and in the trades.

I fix buildings and their various components. It is worth noting in these difficult economic times that every building on earth is presently falling apart - entropy isn't optional.

Sometimes I work inside - sometimes I work outside. The only office I ever have to work in is one I'll be out of the minute that particular job is over - that alone is reason enough for me to keep doing what I do...

[CintiBlue]

09:35 AM on 06/15/2010

I DEPEND on the tradespeople in my life. At this point I have occasionally needed a doctor or lawyer, but it's not even close to the ongoing need for the trades.

[Jond0]

04:03 PM on 06/15/2010

Fanned for TRUTH!!!

[emhellmer]

09:16 AM on 06/15/2010

I have a great job in my field, and make less than half of what an average electrician makes. My contractor step-father laughs at my salery. Just sayin'...

[ragtag]

09:13 AM on 06/15/2010

I've been in the IT business about 20 years now, but I was also a licensed builder for about 10 years in a northeast state. Mostly we remodeled and added additions (redundant) to older Victorian homes. I can build a house from the ground up and will do everything but HVAC. I also worked for a couple of years as a union (Steelworkers) machinist doing mostly sheet metal work.

What I can tell you from experience is that the sense of accomplishment that I got when a remodel job was completed and the customer thrilled was unbelievable. Creating something from nothing really lit up my senses and creativity.

I opted out of the building business because of a bad marriage and the fact that it creates a LOT of wear and tear on your body. That being said, writing software, programming routers/firewalls et al and other forms of stressful, sedentary work isn't exactly stress free either. Both have their risks and rewards..the bottom line is the more you know how to do, the more valuable you are.

I still use all those skills on our own houses and love watching "This Old House" for new toys!

[CintiBlue]

09:13 AM on 06/15/2010

I think this is excellent. I wish I had done this 30 years ago.

My Dad felt if you had a good, honest mechanic you were set for life and I use the family-owned business he pointed me toward decades ago. It's taken a few years, but I have a wonderful group of tradespeople I depend on for the major needs of the house.

[ragtag]

09:53 AM on 06/15/2010

Your dad is wise.

We take our cars to a local mechanic (62 yrs old) and couldn't be happier about it. And here's just one reason why. Just this last week I noticed the front brakes on our one car starting to squeal and grind a little. I stopped over on Friday and asked him if I could make an appointment to get some new brakes and possibly rotors on the front and he said - sure, bring it in the next Tuesday. While BSing with him (and he's kinda good at that - LOL), I find out that he was just diagnosed with cancer in the lymph nodes in his neck and that the next week he would be starting his chemo and radiation treatment. I told him the brakes could wait, but he insisted that it wouldn't be a problem and he'd get it done.

And ya know what - he did! Chemo, radiation and all. What a guy!

[CintiBlue]

10:23 AM on 06/15/2010

Exactly - the value of a long-term relationship. And, that BSing is an important part in the relationship - look at what we learn about someone. I enjoy it. :-)

[unpaidpundit]

08:49 AM on 06/15/2010

Take whatever job you must to survive, but labor economists have found that college graduates who take jobs that are beneath their skill level can damage their prospects in the long run. There is a stigma to taking lower skilled jobs among employers. They think that if no one would hire you out of college, you are a poor risk. So, being a plumber might be fine for you today, but if you have higher aspirations in the corporate world, you may be damaging your prospects. I don't mean to be gratuitously gloomy, but I have experienced this phenomenon first hand. I have an MBA, but I am stuck in a union factory job. I have health, dental, vision, a pension and a 401k, but I am far from fulfilled.

[Faust Part 3]

09:30 AM on 06/15/2010

To be human is to be far from fulfilled. If you asked B.Obama. or Steve Jobs if they are fulfilled, I think they would give the same answer as you.

[noaxe397]

08:35 AM on 06/15/2010

I majored in English 35 years ago. I've worked in the auto repair field for the past 30.

The saying in this field is "tool boxes have wheels," a synonym for the fact that there is a need for this skill and you have many options.

Today I teach the subject at the manufacturers level.. Still today, with enough electronics to launch a sattelite to Jupiter, people still think a car can be fixed with a screwdriver and duct tape.

Many academic counselors ask if the vocational department can take a student who just isn't cutting it in the academic subjects.

I always reply "do you have anyone in your advanced computer technology classes interesterd in putting their skills to work in a real world environment and actually fix stuff besides the computer's software flaws? How about students with advanced scientific/mechanical skills? Anyone?"

Remember how in the dot.com 90s it was the money people who got all the attention? Then 9/11 happened, the money people were buried and crowds cheered steelworkers, welders, truck drivers, crane operators firemen,and laborers then viewed as the only ones who could get us out of the mess.

[rjw8625]

08:25 AM on 06/15/2010

I am an Electrical Engineer who wishes he had skills such as carpentry and plumbing experience.

Tradesmen have an advantage in a society headed toward less energy consumption.

Tradesmen also have real tangible results to show for their work. I'd imagine there's a great deal of satisfaction in completing a good building.

[LHoney]

07:50 AM on 06/15/2010

"As one economist told the Post, "It's hard to get high school counselors to point anyone but their not-very-good students, or the ones in trouble, toward construction."

This economist obviously doesn't know what he/she is talking about. Both of my sons are enrolled in a technical high school in Connecticut and if their grades start to slip, they will be sent back to public high school. They have been honor students all of their lives but we believed it would be an advantage for them to learn a trade as well and we are very happy with that decision.

[Mortifyd]

03:55 AM on 06/16/2010

Depends very much where you are. My school would not *allow* me to take trade classes at our attached vocational high school because I was in the "college" track. YMMV

[ShanniC]

04:38 AM on 06/15/2010

This seems to be more of the life of the mind, vs the life of the body argument. I don't doubt that working in the trades can be financially and emotionally rewarding, but there is the wear on the body to consider. There are health risks associated with manual labor, so it is important to be aware of what one is getting into. Also, as previous posters have stated, the choice of major requires consideration as well. Degrees in philosophy or art are not as marketable as degrees in say engineering or accounting.

[PLDgyrl]

07:54 AM on 06/15/2010

At least those with trade jobs move. A lot of professional jobs have you sitting on your butt for the majority of the day and there are health risks associated with that as well.

[wtf2009]

09:11 AM on 06/15/2010

Have you ever heard of carpal tunnel, eye strain, lower back pain? How about stress, diabetes, heart disease, hyper tension? All of these you can get at a desk job without lifting anything heavy.

Nice to see your college education serving you well.

Seriously if you think a desk job is NOT going to "wear you down" physically, you have another coming. Do some research.

There are all kinds of trade jobs that do not involve the wear and tear on the body as you phrased it. The nice thing about this work is you can be an independent contractor if you chose. You can work in your community. You don't have to be beholding to a corporation and hope to heck they don't fire you.

Marketability of a degree has to do with market demand not the degree. A person with a Master in Civil Engineering is not as employable as someone with BS in Chemical Engineering today. It all depends on the demand at the time you graduate.

That's why trade jobs are often a good choice. There's always demand.

[Nyah Molineaux]

03:17 AM on 06/15/2010

If someone comes up to me and say they are an electrician, plumber, sanitation worker I am in awe. They are living a good and comfortable life ($$$$). Anyone who looks down on a blue collar worker is a fool. And if there are any blue colar chicks in DC , call me.