Editor’s note: This story originally appeared on Townhall.com.
Mike Rowe is known for going where no man (or woman for that matter) wants to go, which is how his hit TV show “Dirty Jobs” came about. He has traveled across the United States and explored a wide range of blue collar jobs, from crabbing in Alaska to pig farming in Las Vegas. Part of seeing the various blue collar jobs that exist in our country has made Rowe realize one thing: there’s a serious skills gap. Kids are being taught from a young age that they have to go to college and take out student loans in order to be successful for life.
Here’s the problem: America’s landscape has changed over the years. In the 1950s, 60s and 70s America was built on blue collar jobs. There was a desperate need for people to attend college in order to obtain white collar jobs. There was a shortage of educated individuals. But the public relations campaign used to push people into pursing college degrees had the opposite impact and actually tipped the scale the opposite direction. Instead of having a lack of people in vocations that require a college education, we now see a huge vacancy in so-called “dirty jobs,” the jobs that are absolutely vital to our economy, and quite frankly, our way of life.
We need plumbers, electricians, mechanics and a wide range of manufacturing jobs in order to thrive. There’s job vacancies yet our future generations are being told they need to pursue college or else they’re doomed to fail. While we’re building up every single person to believe college is the only way to be successful, our country has more than 44 million borrowers who collectively owe more than $1.5 trillion.
“We have lent over $1.5 trillion to kids who can’t pay it back so they can spend four years trying to get jobs that don’t exist,” Rowe said during his address to those attending SHOT Show’s State of the Industry Reception.
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7 comments:
thank you for sharing!
It drives me crazy when someone States that I was the first in my family to go to college. Do you want a medal. It is so easy to go to college today. All you need is a loan. It means nothing. Don't get me wrong. There are some vocations that definitely need higher education.
It use to be in the Guild trades you served your apprenticeship and went out on your own to practice your trade just like your mentor did. Then the OLD GUARD not to be out done by young ambitious up starts started professional organizations and Unions to keep them jumping through hoops to secure their senior status and market viability clinging too old ideas and old ways rejecting the very energy of youth that got them where they are and the innovation that fresh perspectives introduce to any craft.
Unless you study Medicine or Law in Academia their are few teachers that actually DO what they teach. Sure they publish in peer reviewed journals circle jerk publications. There's an old saying " Those that can do...and the rest teach "
So what are you really saying 2:40
Mike is spot on in that last paragraph. Academia created the demand for a self-fulfilled prophecy. Then, they started providing easy loans and that led to massive price hikes 4 times the rate of inflation and twice that if health-care inflation. It's totally out of control!
And not a single politician said anything.
I obtained a Parent-Plus loan for my kids in less time it took me to get a burger at McDonald's. There's something so wrong with that.
2:40 don't knock the trade union apprenticeship programs most all are 4 years long, very good and once completed the worker receives full hourly scale. Although I have a lot of misgivings about unions( mostly that they get greedy and put a lot of companies out of business) I have to admit they have helped a lot of blue collar workers live the American dream. The real reason people don't get into blue collar jobs boils down to money,lets face it nobody can raise a family, own a decent car and buy a home on 15 or 20 dollars an hour.In today's world it takes more than that and that is why I always try to do business with small locally owned businesses who's owners invariably started out working with their hands for someone else. GOD bless America and I hope the American dream lives on forever. ps GOD bless President Trump who is trying to make sure that happens.
Thank you 12:19
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