"East coast: "Don't look at me." Midwest: "Look at that!" West coast: "Look at me!" "
That's definitely an interesting way to think about it. I do fall into the East Coast norm most times, though once I get talking you can't shut me up! :)
"And unfortunately unemployable because of their limited skillsets. When you've been a welder or pipefitter or a tool maker for 20-30 years and your shop closes down...what do you do? It's tough to switch tracks in middle life and jump into the technical fields, especially when your life had consisted of working 12-14 hour days, leaving you with no time to learn new skills on the side."
Its an issue of teaching an old dog new tricks, unfortunately.
I think younger people will have an easier time in that they've been around computers or they're in a position to chose to learn another trade that won't go out of style (like say, plumbing, electrical work, construction). As manufacturing jobs are going away there seems to be a large push (at least in our area) to get younger people interested in the trades. Once the boomers retire there just won't be enough people to fill those jobs (which, though not at the same level as the tech industry, can be quite lucrative). I can see how it would be difficult for an older person who is not just starting out to move into that area, but the skills and knowledge gained working in factories in manufacturing and w/ tools would go a long way with working in people's homes with different tools. I know that if my Dad was in a position to hire anyone he'd want some older guy that just came off a line over a kid out of high school (he's a contractor in construction, and usually works by himself or hires a young relative on a part time as needed basis).
Our economy is always changing, and I wonder, if what's happening in your area now is much different than it was in the 70s (I'm sure it is, I just wonder how)?
I guess my own perceptions of work are skewed given family history. I watched my Dad reinvent himself from a machinist (family business) to an artist (owning a print/typesetting shop) to construction (computer developments made his printing work obsolete) to (hopefully) real estate investing (buying a dump, fixing it up, and selling for a slight profit). As a result I've never had a sense of professional stability.
I think for the most part, we need to keep our eyes and options open in such a changing economy if we're going to keep afloat (particularly one that's so dependent on technology, which seems to change more than other fields).
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
locations, economy
Date: 2006-03-01 02:47 pm (UTC)Midwest: "Look at that!"
West coast: "Look at me!" "
That's definitely an interesting way to think about it. I do fall into the East Coast norm most times, though once I get talking you can't shut me up! :)
"And unfortunately unemployable because of their limited skillsets. When you've been a welder or pipefitter or a tool maker for 20-30 years and your shop closes down...what do you do? It's tough to switch tracks in middle life and jump into the technical fields, especially when your life had consisted of working 12-14 hour days, leaving you with no time to learn new skills on the side."
Its an issue of teaching an old dog new tricks, unfortunately.
I think younger people will have an easier time in that they've been around computers or they're in a position to chose to learn another trade that won't go out of style (like say, plumbing, electrical work, construction). As manufacturing jobs are going away there seems to be a large push (at least in our area) to get younger people interested in the trades. Once the boomers retire there just won't be enough people to fill those jobs (which, though not at the same level as the tech industry, can be quite lucrative). I can see how it would be difficult for an older person who is not just starting out to move into that area, but the skills and knowledge gained working in factories in manufacturing and w/ tools would go a long way with working in people's homes with different tools. I know that if my Dad was in a position to hire anyone he'd want some older guy that just came off a line over a kid out of high school (he's a contractor in construction, and usually works by himself or hires a young relative on a part time as needed basis).
Our economy is always changing, and I wonder, if what's happening in your area now is much different than it was in the 70s (I'm sure it is, I just wonder how)?
I guess my own perceptions of work are skewed given family history. I watched my Dad reinvent himself from a machinist (family business) to an artist (owning a print/typesetting shop) to construction (computer developments made his printing work obsolete) to (hopefully) real estate investing (buying a dump, fixing it up, and selling for a slight profit). As a result I've never had a sense of professional stability.
I think for the most part, we need to keep our eyes and options open in such a changing economy if we're going to keep afloat (particularly one that's so dependent on technology, which seems to change more than other fields).