Posted on 06/06/2016 5:41:12 AM PDT by servo1969
There are only two things I can tell you today that come with absolutely no agenda. The first is "Congratulations." The second is "Good luck." Everything else is what I like to call, "The Dirty Truth," which is just another way of saying, "It's my opinion."
And in my opinion, you have all been given some terrible advice, and that advice, is this:
Follow your passion.
Every time I watch the Oscars, I cringe when some famous movie star--trophy in hand--starts to deconstruct the secret of their success. It's always the same thing: "Don't let anyone tell you that you don't have what it takes, kid!"; and the ever popular, "Never give up on your dreams!"
Look, I understand the importance of persistence, and the value of encouragement, but who tells a stranger to never give up on their dreams, without even knowing what it is they're dreaming? How can Lady Gaga possibly know where your passion will lead you?
Have these people never seen American Idol?
Year after year, thousands of aspiring American Idols show up with great expectations, only to learn that they don't possess the skills they thought they did.
What's really amazing though, is not their lack of talent--the world is full of people who can't sing. It's their genuine shock at being rejected--the incredible realization that their passion and their ability had nothing to do with each other.
Look, if we're talking about your hobby, by all means let your passion lead you.
But when it comes to making a living, it's easy to forget the dirty truth: just because you're passionate about something doesn't mean you won't suck at it.
And just because you've earned a degree in your chosen field, doesn't mean you're gonna find your "dream job."
Dream Jobs are usually just that--dreams.
But their imaginary existence just might keep you from exploring careers that offer a legitimate chance to perform meaningful work and develop a genuine passion for the job you already have. Because here's another Dirty Truth: your happiness on the job has very little to do with the work itself.
On Dirty Jobs, I remember a very successful septic tank cleaner, a multi-millionaire, who told me the secret to his success:
"I looked around to see where everyone else was headed," he said, "And then I went the opposite way. Then I got good at my work. Then I began to prosper. And then one day, I realized I was passionate about other people's crap."
I've heard that same basic story from welders, plumbers, carpenters, electricians, HVAC professionals, hundreds of other skilled tradesmen who followed opportunity--not passion--and prospered as a result.
Consider the reality of the current job market.
Right now, millions of people with degrees and diplomas are out there competing for a relatively narrow set of opportunities that polite society calls "good careers." Meanwhile, employers are struggling to fill nearly 5.8 million jobs that nobody's trained to do. This is the skills gap, it's real, and its cause is actually very simple: when people follow their passion, they miss out on all kinds of opportunities they didn't even know existed.
When I was 16, I wanted to follow in my grandfather's footsteps. He was a skilled tradesman who could build a house without a blueprint. That was my passion, and I followed it for years. I took all the shop classes at school, I did all I could to absorb the knowledge and skill that came so easily to my granddad.
Unfortunately, the handy gene is recessive. It skipped right over me, and I struggled mightily to overcome my deficiencies. But I couldn't. I was one of those contestants on American Idol, who believed his passion was enough to ensure his success.
One day, I brought home a sconce I had made in wood-shop that looked like a paramecium. After a heavy sigh, my granddad gave me the best advice I've ever received. He told me, "Mike, you can still be a tradesman, but only if you get yourself a different kind of toolbox."
At the time, this felt contrary to everything I believed about the importance of "passion" and persistence and "staying the course." But of course, he was right. Because "staying the course" only makes sense if you're headed in a sensible direction.
And while passion is way too important to be without, it is way too fickle to follow around.
Which brings us to the final Dirty Truth. "Never follow your passion, but always bring it with you."
Congratulations, again - and good luck.
I'm Mike Rowe from mikeroweWORKS, for Prager University.
“Many entrepreneurs have said “find the biggest mess and clean it up. The world offers a never-ending supply of messes”. I think Mike Rowe would agree with that advice.”
You absolutely nailed it with that! Some people, or government agencies, will even go so far as to CREATE a big mess just so they can make millions, and even billions of dollars to clean it up. Case in point is how the EPA “accidentally” released 880,000 pounds of toxic metals into the Animas River in Colorado just so the area can be designated a “Superfund Site”, making available hundreds of millions of dollars for themselves and their cronies to clean it up!
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3437315/posts
The “non-math/science” reference ties back to other comments about people’s majors in other threads. Probably didn’t make a lot of sense in this one.
I actually remember Mike Rowe doing infomercials about new housing developments that were springing up all over Maryland.
Mike Rowe is what used to be called “an adult.” As in someone who has seen a good bit of life, and looks at it realistically. Further, he has SENSIBLE advice for others, based upon that experience.
“Follow your dreams.” Yeah, sounds nice - but does it put food on the table and a roof over your head? If not, do something else - usually called W-O-R-K. Notice that it is a 4-letter word...you wouldn’t do it unless “they” paid you. OK, so what’s wrong with that? Follow your dreams AS A HOBBY if you find fairly quickly that you can’t make a living at it - otherwise, you’re just wasting your time, and probably other people’s money.
Thanks, Mike, for being an adult and trying to persuade others to do the same.
I loved TV and video production but it was a dead end career going into the 2000s in my area.
While in that line, I developed a knack for technology and finally transitioned after a time in the wilderness.
Unless the weather is terrible or I’m not up to doing things outside, I try not to look at one.
I just happened to have been watching this a minute ago!
And yes he is so right on it warmed my heart.
Trump/Rowe 2016!
I have a good friend who has made a small fortune doing just that. He calls himself a "Remedial Coder".
Companies bring in cut-rate H1B's from India to do computer programming. Most (not all, but most) range from "Marginal" to "Completely Worthless" .... there's a reason why they're so cheap.
After floundering around for awhile, the company dumps the H1B's and calls my friend to re-do the programming, correctly this time. He says that he's got years of backlog. It's quite a nice little niche that he's worked out for himself.
I will never forget watching a NASA TV show back in the late ‘90’s where there were teenagers involved in science and technology who were acting as a panel for call-in questions about school kids having a future with NASA and science and technology in general. The panel would take a call from another young person and they would discuss the caller’s concerns. Towards the end of the show the panel fielded a question from a caller who said she was 11 years old and that she was blind but wanted to know if the panel thought she could ever be an astronaut, regardless of her disability (blind since birth). The individuals on the panel all took a turn giving her the ‘treatment’ where they all encouraged her to “not give up on her dream” because “nothing is impossible” as though she could indeed someday become a real NASA astronaut. I was taken aback by how unlikely a scenario that seemed to be and even now, I doubt that any manned space exploration mission by this country would not include a person who is without the ability to see well enough with their own eyes to pass the vision test(s) for pilots and astronauts. I wonder what that girl is doing today. If she was 11 years old in 1998 or ‘99, she’s in her late 20’s today. I do hope that she’s doing well, but I think it’s safe to assume that she never did get through pilot training.
Well let’s compare:
All these numbers are approximate. I don’t have the info right in fromt of me but these will be very close
Wages and benefits hourly
Pipe Fitters $60
Sheet Metal Workers $50
Plumbers $45
Operating Engineers $45
Electricians $55
Insulators $40
Sprinkler Fitters $60
Iron Workers $45
Mill Wrights. $45
Carpenters $45
Boiler Makers $50
Those are off the top of my head.
So that is between $85,000 to $120,000 per year without overtime and most trades get some overtime.
I know for a fact even in this economy that several of the trades mentioned above are needing help.
I will never forget watching a NASA TV show back in the late ‘90’s where there were teenagers involved in science and technology who were acting as a panel for call-in questions about school kids having a future with NASA and science and technology in general. The panel would take a call from another young person and they would discuss the caller’s concerns. Towards the end of the show the panel fielded a question from a caller who said she was 11 years old and that she was blind but wanted to know if the panel thought she could ever be an astronaut, regardless of her disability (blind since birth). The individuals on the panel all took a turn giving her the ‘treatment’ where they all encouraged her to “not give up on her dream” because “nothing is impossible” as though she could indeed someday become a real NASA astronaut. I was taken aback by how unlikely a scenario that seemed to be and even now, I doubt that any manned space exploration mission by this country would include a person who is without the ability to see well enough with their own eyes to pass the vision test(s) for pilots and astronauts. I wonder what that girl is doing today. If she was 11 years old in 1998 or ‘99, she’s in her late 20’s today. I do hope that she’s doing well, but I think it’s safe to assume that she never did get through pilot training.
Don’t forget welders. Pipe welders and aerospace TIG welders make up to $60 an hour.
What a great speech. Its a shame that its unique. In the good old days — and I sincerely mean this — you fought with your parents over what career path you were going to follow. They wanted you to start down a sensible career path. You fought against it to do what you were more interested in doing. But the end result was usually a compromise where you did the most sensible thing that you wanted to do.
“See a need, fill a need.”
According to the chart in post 52, boilermakers are at 29 an hour. I don’t pretend to know all of these professions, but I do know that in my area, plumbers, electricians, and carpenters do not make anywhere near the figures you cite.
See that’s the problem, other than cons. manager, every job listed is WAY below HALF of what I make.
That is because your chart does not take into account the benefits they receive which is in the neighborhood of $15 per hour. This is direct benefits to them.
Even at $29 per hour that is over $60,000 per year not including benefits and the mentioned boiler makers always work tons of overtime a little a time and a half and a bunch at double time pay.
Many people would love $60,000 per year.
My numbers are from the Midwest and I know for sure the west coast is very close to the same. Can’t speak for the left coast.
My numbers are accurate. I am working on a research paper about this very subject. Everyone of my extended family is also in a skilled trade.
“...in my area, plumbers, electricians, and carpenters do not make anywhere near the figures you cite.”
Six years ago I worked a fiber-optic installation job. We were classed as “electricians” and base pay was $32/hour.
At 62 years old I was figuring that the other folks on our 8 man crew would be calling me “Gramps”. It turned out that I was only the fourth oldest on the crew.
Too few young people entering that job field.
Try going on Salary.com and searching your area for several job fields.
Half of what you make? Good for you!
That doesn’t change the point that in your orginal reply you were wrong and Mike Rowe was right.
I truly am glad you make a good living.
What do you do for employment/income?
No, I do not believe I was wrong.
Here’s the point: I am a regular schlub, living and working in the DC area. I have an okay degree from an okay school. Everybody in my family and friends circle has an okay degree from an okay school. EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US regular schlubs makes at least $85,000 per year. I am the only one who can trace his check to the fed. gov., and I make the least of anybody in my circle (also, I took a big pay cut to join the g. 5.5 years ago).
Being a regular schlub, and NOT a gifted and talented entrepreneur, if I had gone into the trades, I would not be making near what I make now. Period.
Not really. He followed the more normal showbiz path: take the job. I’m sure most of his jobs he hated, I doubt anybody ever actually wants to work for QVC, but he kept plugging away. That’s the dirty secret in showbiz, most of the time to pay the bills you need to be doing at least 4 jobs at once, so you better learn how to say yes. Eventually one of those jobs made him kind of famous. But he still says yes a lot, still gotta pay bills.
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