Fixing the Economy Begins by Fixing Our Workforce

One hundred years ago there was a major debate in regards to education policy. There were some, like David Snedden, who felt that the workforce needed to be trained in practical skills for utilitarian purposes. He believed we needed more vocational training in the schools. There were others, like John Dewey, who thought everyone needed a broad liberal arts education which was less focused on actual careers and more on personal development. 

At the time, Snedden's views won the day and put American education on a more practical trajectory. But in the last half century, the ideas of Dewey seeped in. Classes like auto shop, crafts and cooking disappeared from curriculums. And today, as a result, we have a shortage of people who can do the practical functions so needed in our workforce today. 

I mentioned this in October in my article 10 Reasons to Become a Diesel Mechanic. I was reminded of that article when I saw this article titled "Is Our Workforce Overqualified?" The article begins, "The biggest problem with our economy (and our culture) may be the simple fact that everybody's going to college."

Now I'm not saying that college is bad, but the inability to find trained people who can enter many practical areas of the workforce is a real problem. Instead, kids are told that they have to pony up tens of thousands of dollars in order to get an education so they can make more money, and they graduate with no practical skills and a crushing debt.

The article succinctly describes our workforce situation like this:

Hardly anyone wants to care for the elderly, or repair short-circuited sockets, or slice meat in a supermarket. Most young people are too busy trying to hack their way into some big consulting firm that promises a bright, bold future. And they’re willing to do just about anything to get there, including sacrificing their family life, their leisure, their friendships—selling their own mother at a flea market if necessary.

Well, that may be a little hyperbole about selling mom at the flea market, but you get the picture. We need to re-think what we're teaching our children in school. And we need to recapture the idea that there is dignity in the trades. Have you tried to call an electrician in recent years. We have a shortage, and there's real money that can be made there. As auto technology becomes increasingly sophisticated, we need mechanics who are specialized in maintaining this equipment. 

The law of supply and demand states that whatever we have a glut of becomes less valuable and what we have a shortage of becomes more valuable. To illustrate: during the hula hoop craze in the 1950s the first hula hoops sold for three dollars. They were so popular they sold like hotcakes. By the fall, 28 factories were pumping out hula hoops and the price dropped to less than fifty cents. Even so, stores could hardly give them away. 

Today we have a glut of college educated kids. In most cases, their value is less, not more. Unless they've specialized.

All this to say we have a shortage of diesel mechanics. If you're young, and don't mind getting grease under your fingernails, it might be a career worth considering.  

Related Links
Diesel Mechanic Interview Tips
10 Reasons to Become a Mechanic
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