Content-Transfer-Encoding: |
7bit |
Sender: |
|
Subject: |
|
From: |
|
Date: |
Fri, 28 Jul 2000 11:13:42 EDT |
Content-Type: |
text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" |
MIME-Version: |
1.0 |
Reply-To: |
|
Parts/Attachments: |
|
|
Trades Angst
Found the following while looking for something else.
"I'm somewhere in the middle (15 down and 20 to go, god willing) of my career
and am starting to have real misgivings about what the future holds. More and
more often I'm being asked to undo and re-do what previous carpenters have
hacked together. The rest of the time I have to straighten things out as a
matter of course before I do my part i.e... make huge adjustments to frame
before running exterior / interior trim. I think that one of the biggest
problems is that EVERYBODY thinks they can hammer a nail and just jumps in
with no thought to where or how it should be done. There are few professions
with as many wanna-bees as Carpentry. If there were fewer ex-cons, drug
addicts, drunks, wife and dog beaters, and general screw-ups in the labor
pot, then the truly skilled people (who have worked hard to become skilled)
would be in greater demand. Being in greater demand, we would be able to
command a higher wage, and also attract better people to entry level jobs in
the profession. It seems to me that the majority of young people in
construction are those who literally can't do anything else. Nobody wants to
take the time to start at the begining. I think that this attitude however,
is a problem in our culture as a whole these days. As American unions have
destroyed themselves with greed, they have sucked our trade guilds and their
apprenticeship programs down with them.
I try every day to be the best craftsman I can be and I think that a large
part of that is being a decent person but it seems that anymore, those
qualities are neither valued nor rewarded. The only other trade I can think
of with more degenerates in it is House painters. Curently I work for a
company with ~35 people and it's standard operating procedure to spank the
good people untill they are driven off, and then to hire more dirt bags for
less pay. I grew up and began my career in the NE and in the last three years
have moved to the SE. I'm wondering if the whole kick-em-in-the-head style of
management here is an outgrowth of a culture of slavery or if the southerners
still resent northern "carpet baggers" coming down and picking up the broken
pieces.
Guys, help me out, is it like this everywhere? or am i just in hell?
Didn't meen to bring anyone down, the subject just struck a nerve and I had
to vent.
Be Well and thanks for the input.
Driving nails with my forehead, Phat Bastard"
|
|
|