As we continue our series of articles related to living our song and creating our future, it seemed appropriate to focus our attention for a bit in a slightly different direction – working in the trades.
In the last article, I talked about the fact that we were “designed” to create. Construction, automotive, manufacturing & hairdressing – these are just a few of the skillsets we can acquire that allow many the opportunity for creation, and the satisfaction that comes with it. Is this a path more of us should be taking to satisfy our desire to create?
I love this topic because I was a rebellious teenager that was not ready to go to college straight out of high school – even though I was valedictorian of my class. If I had not been fortunate enough to attend a presentation at my school about becoming a toolmaker apprentice in manufacturing, my life may have taken a very different path!
Tradesmen from across the Triangle have been sounding the alarm for more than a decade that our schools were not doing enough to promote the trades as a career option. In my experience at local career fairs, I would say this was a shared problem – given that we rarely, if ever, saw the trades represented. I’m not sure if they weren’t invited, or they just didn’t take the time to attend.
We recently had the opportunity to survey a sample of about 45 students at a Raleigh high school and here is what we found:
- About 1/3 of them were planning on college
- About 1/3 of them wanted to start their own business
- The remainder had no idea what they wanted to do
Of the 15 or so students that had no clue, we asked them if they knew much about or had any interest in learning about the trades. Most felt that they knew very little about the opportunities that exist in the trades, and all said they would like to learn more.
Let’s also look briefly at learning styles. Estimates have held that 30-40% of us are kinesthetic learners, which simply means we learn more effectively by doing. Given that many companies engaged in the trades teach through apprenticeships, does it make sense that as many as 30-40% of our students would benefit from a trades-oriented career path, rather than one based on college?
We know that in the past 2 years, students and adults alike have had the opportunity to rethink what their career paths should ultimately look like. CNBC reported that 1 in 4 people have resigned from their jobs this year, with 4.4 million in September alone! With average salaries ranging from the $40’s to the $60’s, and more available for those who become true artisans, or even business owners, it would appear the trades deserve a bit more attention from all age groups as we move into post-pandemic America.
If the human brain is truly happiest when we are creating, why not create in the trades?
