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Time to invest in a nice pair of work boots America
No thanks. I'd rather use my brain to make a living, in an office type setting. It pays more , the working conditions are better and is a heck of a lot easier on the body.
Last edited by sware2cod; 09-14-2013 at 01:28 PM..
Ick, swiss lathes. I hear there is a lot of money for guys that can do setups on those machines. Its a dying part of the trade. One of those machines that is beginning to slip into obscurity. Schools don't teach it. Then again, some schools don't teach EDM any longer.
Should have specified... CNC swiss lathes are what I was referring to. Cam swiss lathes are fast, but I don't believe they use them for anything requiring tolerances under 3-4 thousandths in most settings. Those old swiss set up guys are paid well and hard to find. The thing is, many companies simply pull work off the old cam swiss lathes and give it to their CNC swiss machines. Operators are just too easy to train.
Everything else you've stated is incredibly informative
I'm excited for the future, and it's nothing to be afraid of in my opinion. Those who do not embrace it will be swept under the current.
You're severely limiting yourself if you're looking exclusively on indeed.com and similar search engines. I'd use Craigslist to start but even then I'd still just look up all the contractors in a ten mile radius and start knocking on doors.
I see the link is from Mass. You you live in Mass by chance?
Apprenticeships don't pay a living wage. That's why there's a shortage of skilled blue collar workers, they can't afford to get training.
Hundreds of thousands are paying big money for a college education and yet some of them cannot afford to work as an apprentice making $10-12-14 an hour? What is a living wage? They pay better then fast food, and phone rooms for that matter, you also have a much better chance to grow into a career paying above average wage after the apprenticeship. I know several electricians, HVAC, plumbers, Welders, and Real Estate Appraisers that all started as apprentices and now make good money and incurred no extra debt to do it. Not to mention I know a few waitresses and cab drivers that owe $30,000 in student loans and are doing the same job they had their freshman year of college.
No thanks. I'd rather use my brain to make a living, in an office type setting. It pays more , the working conditions are better and is a heck of a lot easier on the body.
It depends on how you define "better" working conditions. I think you could easily make the argument that a more casual working environment, access to plenty of fresh air and good, healthy exercise is a better working environment for most people than sitting at a desk most of the day.
As for the salary it really depends. You've got to think - what's realistic for most people. Not everyone can be an actuary and - increasingly - those kinds of professions where you really do need a big brain are being done by foreigners because Americans can't do them. The average white-collar jobs that are far less intellectually rigorous (accounting, insurance, sales, etc) might still be a possibility for some but competition from an avalanche of people with the sane skills and degrees is a problem.
No thanks. I'd rather use my brain to make a living, in an office type setting. It pays more , the working conditions are better and is a heck of a lot easier on the body.
For one thing, the guys who do use their brains in the trades are well compensated for it. That's where there are shortages. There is no shortage of mouth breathers who can barely read a measuring tape. As for work environments...
I read an article not too long ago claiming indoor air pollutants in offices are a notable source for issues related to worker productivity. These workers often feel groggy during the day. I had an office job for a year and I remember how drained I felt when at work. I gradually felt better after I would come home.
This is a great informative thread. It is good to know about the possibilities out there. Being informed can give someone a lot of hope. Most people who are unemployed or underemployed in fast food don't want to be there forever and sadly many are acting as if they will be in there circumstances forever.
I just proved you guys wrong, by showing you an "apprenticeship" that required 3-5 years of experience.
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