As someone that rode the Hi-Tech revolution from the early 50's with Elliott Automation to when I retired in 1992 with General Dynamics, I have seen many ups and downs in the industry in both the UK and here in Ottawa.
Since I retired we had a huge increase in the number of companies that started up in Ottawa and a corresponding decrease over the last 3 years. Thousands of jobs have disspeared and many properties are either empty or underutilized. There still is a strong presence but nothing like it used to be and many people are either under-employed or have left the industry for more mundane jobs.
The brings me to ny question.
What is the next employement boom or will there be one in the near future?
manual work, especially a trade like electrician, plumber, mechanic etc. There is expected to be a huge shortage within the next 10 years in UK, Canada, America and Australia, and I'm sure many other countries too.
There is a huge amount of snobbery attached to professions. I commented to a gentleman recently that my youngest would make a great mechanic (he really would as well). His reaction was one of disgust at me for thinking so poorly of my son! o Won't he get the biggest shock of his life if my son does become a mechanic and earns millions because of his job D
The problem with todays education is that it all seems to be aimed at university and not enough emphasis is place on the importance of shop work.
To be good at any of the trades requires above average inteligence if you are to make your way in life.
Thats the way I and most of my generation started off. The only university I went to was one that took 10 years to complete.
BTW Ben the talk of high paid trades started many years ago and even now it's not far off the mark. Most tradesmen can look forward to life-long well paid employment. Something many of the specialized Hi-Tech graduates may never achieve.
I know just what you mean, Keith, about the education. And it isn't just university, it is schools too. I do feel, though, that because of the diversity of education offered in the US, kids who struggle academically are given another option to follow. That isn't something that has happened in the UK for a very long time, but I understand the are trying to change this. How quickly it will change I don't know. It might not be quick enough. Round here, there is a huge shortage of certified people in trades like electricians.
The standards of education for even the trades has been raised too though.
My son is very bright but doesn't care much for school.
He wants to learn a trade in the automotive industry, he's only 13 and this may change at some point.
He will get there quicker and earn more if he goes to college and gets a degree.
It's hard to get into apprenticeships, they aren't offered as much as they used to be and the ones that are often require you to do college at the same time.
8) As my dad always said. If you a trades man, you will never be out of work and if you look at the unemployment data, thats very true.
All the poeple that have PHD etc etc are struggling to find work, but trade people are the ones that have no problem turning their hands to most things.
Where there's muck there's money.
Astronaughts are going to be highly sought after when they get these super fast flights sorted out where you can go to Australia in a couple of hours.
lol But Scramble you have to remember if the Americans don't invent it, it won't ever really take off. Think Concorde.
They got jealous that someone else beat them to it, therefore they did not let it fly supersonic over the states
Think I would much rather be plumber, electrician or something like that. I am in IT and I hate it, much prefer working on stuff at home.
All these people want to be chiefs but nobody wants to be an indian.
/makes good money being an indian.
I am in IT but have avoided being the chief where possible.
It's not a particularly ambitious approach to a career but it's been steady, I've never doubted I can get a job pretty much anywhere and I've never been "let go".
I suppose I am a sort of mechanic for computers but I find car mechanics and electrical/plumbing work pretty interesting as well. To write those trades off seems a bit ignorant to me.
One of me mates back in England has actually been trying to get into a training program for plumbers/electricians but he is finding it really hard, everytime he goes for entrance exames (which he usually does rather well in) hes up against engineers and coders, it seems lots of other people have already seen this trend and are trying to jump the hi-tech ship early. Whatever happened to the plumbers mate? The bloke who drove the van, carried the equipment and was paid horribly until he learned enough to strike out on his own?
8) VegasRudeBoy
I agree with you VegasRudeBoy. Everyone seems to think get a degree and command a wacking salary. It does not happen like that in the really world.
I think we are letting kids down in that sense. Its not programs etc that will safe this sorry lump of rock going. It will be plumbers and the like.
I remember when I was at college. They said you would have more free time to spend with family etc cuz puters would be doing the work.
Well turned out they were wrong, yea just end up out of work with no quality of life lol.
Geeze how can yea laugh at that one lol