Mike Rowe Launches mikeroweworks

[MechAcc]

You need to see this.


Mike Rowe is on a campaign to get people energized about work and declining rolls in trade schools.

http://www.mikeroweworks.com/

Mike Rowe's Mission:Labor Day Launch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3h_pp...layer_embedded

[itsiceman]

This must be the other link you posted there Mech

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3h_pp...layer_embedded

A friend summed up the problem to the point.

Everyone wants a job but nobody wants to work.

[King Ziptie]

One problem is kids would rather flip burgers in air conditioning and goof around with other kids at work for $8/hr than crawl up in an attic full of insulation on a 90 degree day for $8/hr, even though they are learning a trade and can advance. An HVAC employer should expect a hard effort when it's nasty, but also allow the guys to enjoy the easy jobs when they come. When I was a teen laborer, I got rode like a rented mule for 8 hours a day every day and I only made $3.50 an hour with no benefits. The second I got caught up, my ass was thrown to another job where I could get whipped some more. What kid would do that these days? Kids have everything they ever wanted by the time they are 18 now. They aren't hungry like I was brought up to be, even though my parents made a very good living.

[Hunter844]

It's very tough finding good kids that really want to learn and see HVAC as an career field. It's hard to find good kids that express any interest in any career field. America, I'm afraid is headed straight for a horrid unskilled workforce especially when the baby boomers hang up their spurs which will be happening within the next 10 years in droves.

One would think with the economy the way it is that finding good entry-level people wouldn't be that hard but that doesn't seem to be the case. I have attributed a good deal of this to the lack of a true "shop" class in high schools now. Shop classes have largely been taken over by other elective courses like CAD which are great but I'd think CAD is still yet pretty limited where as courses introducing students to basic electrical, construction, maintenance, plumbing, refrigeration, and machining would be far more beneficial but alas too costly evidently.

[MechAcc]

It's a shame cause every student from our program gets a job before they graduate or gets one shortly thereafter.

[408-COUPE]

I feel so blessed as a 21 year old kid who was raised in my fathers HVAC business since i was 6. The worth ethic it has taught me is priceless. I used to get really upset with how hard my dad rode me when i didnt do something right, but am very thankful now that i know he was only doing it to make me better. I am now a perfectionist like he is.
I am in the supply house 15+ times a week and only see a handful of kids my age that are working. I was talking to a kid one night at the race track and after he asked me where i worked i asked him the same. This was his reply- "I am still in high school but i am thinking about being a fireman. I really just dont want to work that much". My friends have asked to work for my dad in the summer, but i know that they have no idea what they are getting into and wouldnt last a week. I look forward to work everyday and the different challenges it brings. I hope my generation can find the drive to get their hands dirty. Until then its not gonna be pretty when all the baby boomers start to go away.

[Tech Rob]

Mike Rowe is awesome. I think he might be from Baltimore, too, which earns him extra points in my book.

Someone needs to stick up for people who work for a living. We can't all be CEOs or have wicked jump shots. Someone has to build and maintain the infrastructure for those who make a career out of producing NOTHING and are simply taking money from Person A and giving it to Person B.

This nation has a culture of laziness, apathy, and entitlement. It's people need to get back to making and building "stuff", instead of trying to mouse-click their way to prosperity and trying to find ways to get someone to pay you to do nothing.

[beenthere]

One problem is kids would rather flip burgers in air conditioning and goof around with other kids at work for $8/hr than crawl up in an attic full of insulation on a 90 degree day for $8/hr,

I'd be real worried if a kid wanted to crawl around in insulation in an attic when its 90 degrees outside.

[MechAcc]

I'd be real worried if a kid wanted to crawl around in insulation in an attic when its 90 degrees outside.

There's a difference between wanting and knowing it is something that has to be done.

[King Ziptie]

I'd be real worried if a kid wanted to crawl around in insulation in an attic when its 90 degrees outside.

You will find that one oddball sometimes. That rare sensible fool.

[beenthere]

There's a difference between wanting and knowing it is something that has to be done.

Something that has to be done, yes. Something that someone should want to do, no.

You will find that one oddball sometimes. That rare sensible fool.

That would be the guy you have to worry about weather he knows enough to come out before he has a heat stroke.

[Hunter844]

Something that has to be done, yes. Something that someone should want to do, no.



That would be the guy you have to worry about weather he knows enough to come out before he has a heat stroke.

For me I like to think it built character having to do those kinds of jobs. Yes it was horrible but I look back at some of those old jobs like a badge of honor. Some of the stuff we did back in the day I wouldn't send guys in to do now. I rarely have to the "dirty work" anymore because of my role in my company. I'd say it was the dirty work that convinced me I needed to go back to college and make something of myself and that's exactly what I did...well sorta.

[itsiceman]

The tough parts of this line of work is not the point.
The want that should drive one in a hot attic or freezing cold roof is to get the equipment fixed for the customer who is suffering. I want to do that for as long as I can. The focus needs to turn to what you are doing not what you are doing. Of course what pisses some of us off is some customers are really not suffering and should cowboy up

[mbhydro]

If I am not mistaken Mike Holmes (Holmes on homes / Holmes Inspections) is doing a similar thing here in Canada to encourage kids to get into the trades.

[Control Man]

Sad thing is some that get INTERESTED after seeing these 2 guys are more interested in having a TV show than having to work in a trade.

I do work in a lot of schools , trades / tech classes are dying off , lots of COMPUTER classes ( net surfing 101 ) but TRADES are really sad.

1 school sold off 2 complete machine shop classes full of equipment , students not signing up as it was DIRTY work , Auto shop is no more than orientation for a job at QUICKY LUBE , welding have 1 that the EX fans have not been turned on in 3 years , classroom / shop looks like a ghost town.

Sad to think of when I went to High School 3 bay auto shop , 2 welding shops , 2 machine shops , Carpentry shop , Drafting , (Electrical , Electronic , Civil ) , Electronics shop.

[Stamas]

BTDT.

All in All, couldn't be more proud of the ones we got while they were in HS Vo-Tech and have worked through they apprenticeship program and got their Journeymans licences.

[mbhydro]

And some kids surprise you by going into a trade. Friend of mine son never showed any interest in what we were doing if we broke out the tools to do something at their house. He would just stay in the house and play on the computer.

All of a sudden at the end of grade 11 he decided that he wants to be an electrician, took the pre-apprentice in grade 12 and is currently finishing up his 2nd year apprentice and enjoying it. Company he is working for is commercial so he has had some out of town work, and the j/m he is working with is teaching him all sorts of things.