I took particular note of what Murry had to say about working in the trades. I begged my daughter to consider dropping college and entering a trade as a way of ensuring her future. The trades are crying for young people to join them while many college liberal arts grads are working at McDonalds. My daughter could not be sold on the idea as she’d bought the liberal idea that all trades workers are lower class uneducated “morons.” This even though my husband is an intelligent electrician who makes a better living than many college graduates ever do. As long as this perception of the trades is fostered in the young (often via the school systems) the trades will not be the choice of youth who most likely will end up in poorly paid clerical or restaurant work despite their BA’s. Unfortunately the less numbers of plumbers, masons, electricians, etc., the higher the cost of their services will become. At some point in time this will become a huge economic issue for everyone.
I studied engineering in college, so I don’t have the same sense of uselessness as people with liberal arts degrees. But still, much of the time, I’d rather go to a bar-b-que, party, or family gathering with tradespeople; just to relax and enjoy myself like a human.
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