Trades surge, colleges sink as the ‘toolbelt generation’ turns to hands-on work

NYPost ^ | 6/10/24 | Glenn Reynolds

[Old Yeller]

Take away football and basketball from the Power 5 conferences and the schools would soon dry up like a grape becoming a raisin.

[Sequoyah101]

The richest and most successful fellow at the reunion for the class of ‘45 was a garbage collector in Kansas City.

[Sequoyah101]

My first summer out of high screwl I worked construction. The boss was a good guy, I worked hard, took every job he offered and worked every day but Sunday usually accumulating at least 80 straight time hours a week for 100 pay hours, that was good money back then. The kicker was taking responsibility for servicing equipment after everybody left for the day and that kept me busy since we had a large spread. I could also weld. It was a government job so we were paid union scale even though we were not union so there was that. I was making more money than my engineer father who was manager of a large area. I opined I thought I might stay on a year before going to college and my father thought that was not a good idea so I didn't. I think he feared it would take me 10 years to get a BS like it did him after the war.

Things worked out but I learned about half-way through the career real satisfaction is your own business.

[Chad C. Mulligan]

The path to wealth is owning your own business.

I found out that meant having to stomach (and pay) lawyers, accountants, an HR consulting firm, und-und-und. Couldn't stand those people. Gave it up and went back to work for somebody who could. Probably added 20 years to my life.

[central_va]

Blue collar work is ok, but have any of you worked all day in the heat of summer hanging duct work or sweating pipes together? It ain’t that great let me tell you.

[SauronOfMordor]

I had my own business for about 20 years. Made a lot of money, had a lot of stress.

Finally went to work for someone else. But before that the money let me pay off my mortgage in 8 years.

[Blueflag]

Indeed, trade schools here in N GA are booming.

But try to get into UGA, even as an honor student.