Reviving the joy and honor of working with your hands (2015)
29 comments
·February 11, 2025nicoburns
I wish education wasn't so split between "academic" and "vocational" (for lack of better terms).
In high school for my A levels I was able to take both Maths, Physics and Politics (with an academic focus) and Metalworking and Photography (with a more practical hands-on focus). I loved this, and feel like this was incredibly useful to me later in life.
But for some reason beyond school level you are mostly forced to choose between academics and hands-on work (at least in the UK). With the hands-on pathways being looked down on by much of society.
ChrisMarshallNY
Because of reasons, my education was a vocational tech school. The fly-by-night type that sprang up in the 1980s, to suck at the teat of the GI Bill, and all those Vietnam vets (many of my classmates were vets).
It's long gone, now, but it taught me to be a good worker. They had dress codes, fixed, workday-long hours, little vacation, and behavioral rules.
By the time I graduated, I was able to immediately start working in a defense contractor's shop. When I went in, I was pretty much worthless to the workforce.
I know of folks that credit the military for similar structure.
There's a lot of things that I could have learned at Stanford or MIT (my parents wanted to send me there, but I insisted on paying my own way -see "reasons," above, and they probably would have passed on me anyway -"reasons").
Did OK.
bjelkeman-again
I went back to university to study environmental science. After that, years later, I ended up starting a company designing closed loop food production systems, (well, semi-closed).
I designed and built it with friends, investors and colleagues. Very satisfying. (The fish farm has since the pictures been significantly upgraded.)
https://cirkularodling.se/build-an-aquaponic-indoor-farm-par...
lnsru
It’s absolutely the same in Germany. Trade people against academics. Luckily as an electrical engineer I can pick both tracks simultaneously. Many people are less lucky. The funny thing that self employed plumber or electrician can live way better than salaried worker with university diploma.
memhole
It's super cool to build things. I love talking to people at the makerspace. Lot's of people working on interesting projects. I can't imagine not having home ec either. I don't remember the teachers name, but I've made a quesadilla the same way since 5th grade.
Some tech skills are helpful too. I typically CAD projects so I know what size lumber and cuts need to be made.
alnwlsn
I'm glad the "heavy" part of this is not understated. The big iron is out there, surprisingly cheap, and it usually stays put for quite a while because it is a damn bitch to move. Tear down a wall, and put it back later. And make sure your floor won't cave in.
If you ever get yourself into serious hobby machining, get ready for the average density of all your possessions to double.
gnarcoregrizz
Shit's tough though. Most tradespeople have lots of injuries... smashed hands, bad joints, have to breathe in toxic shit all day, bad hearing. My 35yo friend can hardly stand from back pain. And, it can be _very_ skilled. Business/shop owners can and do make quite a bit more than the standard software engineer.
skadamat
Shop Class as Soulcraft essay (and book) continues on these points pretty well: https://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/shop-class-as-so...
s1artibartfast
I'm split on the topic. I think there is value in working with their hands on a service basis, but don't believe in trying to build things.
My father was a farmer for 40 years and built a business that was supposed to be his retirement. Then the government eminent domained his water rights without any compensation, destroying his life's work, and leaving him and all the other farmers in the area high and dry.
Now I don't build anything that isnt cashed out immediately.
robomc
> It’s all part of the sharp decline in vocational education — shop class — in this nation that began in the 1980s as blue collars became unfashionable and the emphasis shifted to a college education.
Yeah that's what happened. They became "unfashionable", rather than hopelessly precarious due to structural economic changes.
almosthere
What is wild to me about that, is that there is a huge untapped market for 1 man builds. If I can go out and build a house twice a year for 150-200k each, and sell them for 400-500k, then I'm way ahead of what I would get as a remote developer. And 400-500 is conservative, in the right market, 600-700.
What bothers me is gatekeeping the capital to do this, as well as the "apprenticeship" requirements to get your gen con license.
It would solve two problems simultaneously - something laid off engineers can easily do (they are problem solvers and fast learners).
I'm building my own house, and it's ridiculously easy (not all parts). I hope to build more after and sell them.
nancyminusone
If that's what's bothering you, there's no way in hell I'd hire you to build a house.
almosthere
Most people in those individual trades hired by D.R. Horton are doing things as fast as possible with the cheapest materials.
I personally would want a person that is being paid very well that oversaw every nail, every wire going into that house.
But :shrug: I don't mind you not being my customer. I will give my meticulously installed kiln dried studs/plates, zip sheathing, rockwool, interior rockwool, exterior rockwool jacket and james hardie fireproof house to someone that appreciates it!
quesera
That's unnecessarily hostile.
House building is not that difficult. And literally zero of the licensed trades (plumbing, electrical, HVAC, etc) cannot be learned by a smart and motivated person in 1-2 months at most, instead of the multiple years (each, nonconcurrently) required for apprentice, journeyman, and eventual master licensing.
I've built three houses. I subbed out the work that was required by local regs (this varies by jurisdiction and year), and did the work myself, with inspection where available, wherever possible. Not difficult at all.
carlosjobim
Any man who is unable to learn to build a house is far behind the average in talent. Everybody used to build their own houses.
bongodongobob
That's hilarious. I'd rather hire a team of people that have specialized teams and have built 1000s of houses, not a guy that built one and thinks he's really good at it, sorry.
_carbyau_
I understand the point of specialisation/efficiency etc. The concern I have is that of conflicting motives.
A person who builds their own house will care about what they built. A specialised team will care to get paid and know all the corners to cut to get the job done to the minimum standard.
What kind of house do you want? One built robustly with care? Or one built to minimum standard? Not everyone wants minimum standard.
null
My father was a machinist for 25 years and then went into education and training for skilled trades, very much screamed about this for most my life. When I dropped out of college, he tried to get me to just enter an apprenticeship for a trade. It’ll be dirty, uncomfortable, sometimes painful, he said, but you’ll leave your work when you go home, and if you’re dedicated and half-good at it, you could eventually have your own business and crew before the physical stuff catches up to you. By then the lack of experienced tradesmen here will have turned into an crisis and I would be in an enviable spot. Here I am, 25 years later, worried I didn’t listen.
Hypothetically, I wonder how viable it is to switch to a vocation like electrician or HVAC in your 40s-50s.