Where are all the skilled workers?

Started by alpha12
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alpha12

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www.linkedin.com

Where are all the skilled workers? | LinkedIn

President Joe Biden hopes to get his massive infrastructure bill through Congress, but is the construction sector ready? One expert says flat out "absolutely not."
www.linkedin.com www.linkedin.com

" For one, young people are opting for college instead of trade schools, as many don't realize the competitive wages being offered in construction and carpentry"


Possible alternative for folks struggling in pharmacy.
 
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Been investing in assets in the form of power & hand tools saving God only knows how much money from DIY'ing (skills) vs. hiring a professional/trades person/contractor...not to mention saving so much stress from the god-awful logistics of hiring a professional to finish a project. People complain about why an Rx isn't ready...why does it take a contractor 1+ month to finish installing ONE new window?!@$@F!@#$!

Also, I think a lot of people have been embracing the DIY lifestyle due to COVID & overall becoming less reliant on services (hair cutting, sewing/tailoring, DIY projects, home-gym craze, online shopping/banking/etc.)...the economy too

Electrician seems like a decent, high skill level trade with good pay along with plumbing & HVAC work. Learning/getting into soldering, brazing, and welding (very useful skillset, has it's health/safety concerns if doing long term for a career though). If I were young and looking into the trades, I'd get into learning/knowing how to repair, work on electrical cars (seems ripe for growth & seems like the next big thing)

The other intimidating factor getting into the trades is learning/knowing the ever expanding plethora of materials & technologies available
 
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RxPreceptor said:
The other intimidating factor getting into the trades is learning/knowing the ever expanding plethora of materials & technologies available
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That goes with any field. In software engineering there are always new tools and languages being created. I am sure pharmacists have to learn new drugs and treatments that are discovered.
 
I'm too old to be breaking my body down even more in construction. When I leave pharmacy it will be for a white collar job with the potential to work from home. For better or worse depending on your circumstances the opportunity cost of leaving pharmacy decreases every year as other fields wages go up while pharmacists stagnate or even decline.
 
RxPreceptor said:
Been investing in assets in the form of power & hand tools saving God only knows how much money from DIY'ing (skills) vs. hiring a professional/trades person/contractor...not to mention saving so much stress from the god-awful logistics of hiring a professional to finish a project. People complain about why an Rx isn't ready...why does it take a contractor 1+ month to finish installing ONE new window?!@$@F!@#$!

Also, I think a lot of people have been embracing the DIY lifestyle due to COVID & overall becoming less reliant on services (hair cutting, sewing/tailoring, DIY projects, home-gym craze, online shopping/banking/etc.)...the economy too

Electrician seems like a decent, high skill level trade with good pay along with plumbing & HVAC work. Learning/getting into soldering, brazing, and welding (very useful skillset, has it's health/safety concerns if doing long term for a career though). If I were young and looking into the trades, I'd get into learning/knowing how to repair, work on electrical cars (seems ripe for growth & seems like the next big thing)

The other intimidating factor getting into the trades is learning/knowing the ever expanding plethora of materials & technologies available
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1 month to install a window?? We had around 20 windows replaced in two days.

My buddy dropped out of college and became an electrician. He's doing better financially than all of us who got degrees.
 
mentos said:
1 month to install a window?? We had around 20 windows replaced in two days.

My buddy dropped out of college and became an electrician. He's doing better financially than all of us who got degrees.
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it took a long time for me to get my windows but once they got them it was installed in a day.
 
mentos said:
1 month to install a window?? We had around 20 windows replaced in two days.

My buddy dropped out of college and became an electrician. He's doing better financially than all of us who got degrees.
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3 separate visits & I lost count on how many call outs/re-schedules...last and only time I'll hire a contractor (besides exterior painting I plan on getting done from close friend/former landlord...has the trust factor & something I'd happily let take time with).

But yeah, anyways...Electrician is totally underrated; it's a skill with a danger/safety element that deters even extreme DIY'ers (not to mention the whole certification thing). Also, electrician tools can be insanely expensive & niche in purpose (little application in other projects vs. say a heavy duty pressure washer, all inclusive tool kit, reciprocating saw, plethora of other highly versatile power tools)
 
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alpha12 said:
www.linkedin.com

Where are all the skilled workers? | LinkedIn

President Joe Biden hopes to get his massive infrastructure bill through Congress, but is the construction sector ready? One expert says flat out "absolutely not."
www.linkedin.com www.linkedin.com

" For one, young people are opting for college instead of trade schools, as many don't realize the competitive wages being offered in construction and carpentry"


Possible alternative for folks struggling in pharmacy.
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Don't forget Instacart and Uber
 
mentos said:
Parents think the trades are good for their neighbor's kids, but not their little snowflake. They want their kid to be called "doctor".
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Absolutely.

I tell my parents all the time I'd be better off financially if I was a plumber or a HVAC or a elevator repairman and they just tell me "shut up, what the **** is wrong with you, you think I want that community to think my son clears out toilet pipes?"

They feel that there is honor in the degree and that's where they are wrong.

Honor is in the dollar.
 
mentos said:
My son is going to make a killing mowing lawns and snowblowing driveways when he's a teenager. Kids don't do that stuff anymore and landscaping companies charge a fortune.
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I shoveled driveways as a teenager. Then the damn landscapers started showing up with their god damn snowblowers and pick-up trucks with plows and took away my business. In the time it would take me to do one house, they could do 20.
 
Sparda29 said:
Absolutely.

I tell my parents all the time I'd be better off financially if I was a plumber or a HVAC or a elevator repairman and they just tell me "shut up, what the **** is wrong with you, you think I want that community to think my son clears out toilet pipes?"

They feel that there is honor in the degree and that's where they are wrong.

Honor is in the dollar.
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Are you Asian? Lol
 
Every job/trade/career has its pros & cons. If you succeed in any business, you would make bank. However, when it comes to minimum training and high potential income, probably nothing beats manicure /pedicure job !
 
alpha12 said:
Yep. In fairness my parents were the same way. It ends with me. If my son wants to be a carpenter or a construction worker, I will encourage him to do it.
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i honestly tell my kids to be proud of the work that they do even if it’s at the gas station or McDonald’s. Before the age of 18 they are required to learn 3 skills/trades (cooking, coding, landscaping, etc).

I actively discourage them to aspire to be a “rock star”, movie star, etc. I don’t care who came from what in the music industry and how many people say “you can be whatever you want to be as long as you put your mind to it”. It just never seems to pan out that way.

I have also started to develop the opinion that teaching our children that their opinions are the most important thing in the world and that they are some sort of unique special center of the universe is the reason why our society is so messed up. Our opinions are not the center of the universe - and our kids should be given realistic expectations of the world. They should be taught that life is a struggle.

I guess that Tyler Durdan clip really stuck to me:

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metformin800 said:
Are you Asian? Lol
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Mix of Turkish, Persian, and Indian.


There is a business idea I have in the restaurant industry that I think may or may not take off. There is a certain type of food that does not exist in NYC while being suitable for Muslim consumption. (Niche customers.)

But it would be extremely expensive to get into because of the restaurant equipment used and the amount of real estate required. And a lot of the target customer base is known for being cheap when it comes to food and may not want to spend $120 a person for dinner.
 
Sparda29 said:
Mix of Turkish, Persian, and Indian.


There is a business idea I have in the restaurant industry that I think may or may not take off. There is a certain type of food that does not exist in NYC while being suitable for Muslim consumption. (Niche customers.)

But it would be extremely expensive to get into because of the restaurant equipment used and the amount of real estate required. And a lot of the target customer base is known for being cheap when it comes to food and may not want to spend $120 a person for dinner.
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I thought everyone living in NYC spent at least $120 per person per meal?
 
ValeRx said:
I thought everyone living in NYC spent at least $120 per person per meal?
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Lol no. There's plenty of cheap good eats in NYC. Plenty of cheap halal stuff also (that doesn't mean chicken/gyro rice carts).

What is lacking is halal high-end steakhouses on the level of Peter Luger, Delmonicos, Cote, Keens, Sparks etc. That and there are halal high end French restaurants (like the ones where they have 10 courses meals of plates filled with tiny amounts of food that look more like art than food.)
 
RxPreceptor said:
Also, I think a lot of people have been embracing the DIY lifestyle due to COVID & overall becoming less reliant on services (hair cutting, sewing/tailoring, DIY projects, home-gym craze, online shopping/banking/etc.)...the economy too
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n=1 I haven't been to a great clips in 18 months now - I bought a $20 clippers and it has probably saved me about $550 - I mean - I plow that money back into the economy of my local bottle shop
 
metformin800 said:
Are you Asian? Lol
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I was going to say this - but not trying to sound racist, but many of my asian friends have told me that their parents would be more proud of them based on the initials behind their name vs the amount of $$ in their bank account/impact on others.

True story - one of the MD's I work with comes from a large Korean family. 6 of the 7 siblings are MD's or PhD's. The one is wasn't "just" has a BS in marketing. His company was biding for a large contract with a large Korean company. They looked at him and said "Park, you are Korean, you are doing the pitch" Funny thing is he spoke Korean at about the level of a third grader by his own admission. Well, he got the contract and now makes a 7 figure income - more than all of his siblings, and the guy I know has said most of them would trade places with him in an instant, but in his parents eye's he is the least successfull.
 
Dred Pirate said:
n=1 I haven't been to a great clips in 18 months now - I bought a $20 clippers and it has probably saved me about $550 - I mean - I plow that money back into the economy of my local bottle shop
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how have your haircuts turned out. I have thought about doing it myself but scared i will ruin it and look like a clown.
 
alpha12 said:
how have your haircuts turned out. I have thought about doing it myself but scared i will ruin it and look like a clown.
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the key is to get a good set of wahl cordless clippers and a "360 haircut mirror". Been giving myself haircuts once a month since the pandemic began. I actually prefer my own work rather than from someone else and I'm not even that good lol
 
Dred Pirate said:
I was going to say this - but not trying to sound racist, but many of my asian friends have told me that their parents would be more proud of them based on the initials behind their name vs the amount of $$ in their bank account/impact on others.

True story - one of the MD's I work with comes from a large Korean family. 6 of the 7 siblings are MD's or PhD's. The one is wasn't "just" has a BS in marketing. His company was biding for a large contract with a large Korean company. They looked at him and said "Park, you are Korean, you are doing the pitch" Funny thing is he spoke Korean at about the level of a third grader by his own admission. Well, he got the contract and now makes a 7 figure income - more than all of his siblings, and the guy I know has said most of them would trade places with him in an instant, but in his parents eye's he is the least successfull.
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I think in a few years the Asian parents' view of college/higher education will catch up with the times. After all, Asian folks are pragmatic/conservative in nature. What good is a PharmD/PhD/whateverD if at the end of the day you can't make a steady living with those initials?
 
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alpha12 said:
how have your haircuts turned out. I have thought about doing it myself but scared i will ruin it and look like a clown.
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It's not hard at all & there's ways to minimize error (sequence, order you follow). Neckline is the only tough part; just take your time & double check with multiple mirrors/angles. Just watched a youtube video on how to do...easy after the first time
 
alpha12 said:
how have your haircuts turned out. I have thought about doing it myself but scared i will ruin it and look like a clown.
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I have the classic receding hairline so I take a number two hairs to the whole thing every week. So for me it is fine. I think it would be hard to style it.
 
Dred Pirate said:
I have the classic receding hairline so I take a number two hairs to the whole thing every week. So for me it is fine. I think it would be hard to style it.
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I usually go to barber and do a 4 and 2. I think it would be simple to do but i feel its also easy to mess up.
 
alpha12 said:
I usually go to barber and do a 4 and 2. I think it would be simple to do but i feel its also easy to mess up.
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Worse case u give yourself a 2 and then let them fix it in a couple of weeks. I have done a 3 and 2 and it looked just fine. Really sounds harder than it is.
 
JustFillIt said:
i honestly tell my kids to be proud of the work that they do even if it’s at the gas station or McDonald’s. Before the age of 18 they are required to learn 3 skills/trades (cooking, coding, landscaping, etc).

I actively discourage them to aspire to be a “rock star”, movie star, etc. I don’t care who came from what in the music industry and how many people say “you can be whatever you want to be as long as you put your mind to it”. It just never seems to pan out that way.

I have also started to develop the opinion that teaching our children that their opinions are the most important thing in the world and that they are some sort of unique special center of the universe is the reason why our society is so messed up. Our opinions are not the center of the universe - and our kids should be given realistic expectations of the world. They should be taught that life is a struggle.

I guess that Tyler Durdan clip really stuck to me:

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For more detailed information, see our cookies page.
Click to expand...


I don't know what it is about the entertainment industry (movies, music), but what the fk is it with the amount of mental illness and hard drug use in the industry?
 
Sparda29 said:
I don't know what it is about the entertainment industry (movies, music), but what the fk is it with the amount of mental illness and hard drug use in the industry?
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Money and power corrupts - they have so much money. I think I heard something along the lines of, “an idle mind is the devils playground”.
 
Sparda29 said:
I don't know what it is about the entertainment industry (movies, music), but what the fk is it with the amount of mental illness and hard drug use in the industry?
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the unrealistic beauty/appearance expectations and the incredibly low rate of success?
 
JustFillIt said:
Money and power corrupts - they have so much money. I think I heard something along the lines of, “an idle mind is the devils playground”.
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More money more problems is another one I've heard.

I always wondered, if I won the lottery jackpot, would it really make life easier or would it become a headache with "friends and relatives" crawling out of the woodworks like cockroaches looking for handouts?
 
Sparda29 said:
More money more problems is another one I've heard.

I always wondered, if I won the lottery jackpot, would it really make life easier or would it become a headache with "friends and relatives" crawling out of the woodworks like cockroaches looking for handouts?
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That's where you change your identity and move out of the area, and don't do things that announce to the world that you're rich. If anyone asks what you do, you work from home.

Also, I could easily see how being famous comes with its own set of problems, you can't have a private life anymore, people always got their nose up your ass just because you're famous, and everyone is always expecting the very best out of you. I could easily see how that would lead to mental health problems.
 
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