re: Unpopular opinion: Not every man is meant for the trades

I'm all for the push for trades/apprenticeships/community college but what pisses me off the most is when people push all the kids who did terrible in school into these programs likes its going to solve all their problems. It's so classist.

My dad teaches drafting and math at a community college and the amount of kids who can't go do basic math and geometry is staggering. We need to fo back to teaching the basics.

If you were a failing student in high school, your chances of making through these programs with all the knowledge you need to be a productive employee are pretty slim. It's usually mediocre students who do well because chances are they have the basic skills but also excell in a few niche areas

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These jobs leave almost no room for error, and the consequences don’t just affect the worker, they can seriously harm others. Not everyone has the mechanical skill or attention to detail required. One small mistake behind the wheel of an 18-wheeler can have devastating results.

How a car works is completely Greek to me, but I can walk you step-by-step through a total knee replacement or look at an any Google street view image and tell you the location just like that. Some jobs demand mechanical skills others demand other skills. Trust me, you do not want me driving an 18 wheeler, fixing a car or dealing with any electrical outlet.

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I would also say this line of thinking prevents people from seeking out the trades, or even taking on more DIY jobs in general.

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new parts can often be found at the local parts store.

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Medical field deals with used parts all day.

That's a weird way to tell us that you are autistic, but I guess that tracks.

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True. Folks in the medical field have much larger and more fragile egos.

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They bury their mistakes.

The trades just get another guy to fix it.

I started with replacing a pump for one of my buddies. He told a friend, who told a friend etc. Google Mapped my neighborhood and noted houses with pools. Left some door hangers and before long, I have all that I want/need for some side money. If you understand (or can be trained to understand) how water moves within the system and what causes or affects that flow, it isn't difficult at all. Most all pumps run on 240VAC so some electrical knowledge will be required. Understanding water chemistry is really challenging for many people. It can seem like a lot to master. I learned it out of necessity because the local pool maintenance company bilked us out of a lot of money and never remedied any of our issues.

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Mechanical, repair trades and doctors have in common... the most important ability in each is being able to diagnose the problem. That's the hardest part.
Fixing things is asy.

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Being a parts changer is easy to learn. I admit on vehicles, I have been not much more than a parts changer. At least older parts are replaced with new

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With a college degree you can sit around all day posting on websites while making just as much as a blue collar worker, while working half the hours with vacations and supporting kids, no back problems, etc.

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Maybe it is the industry I am in, but I see blue collar guys sitting around post on the web all day. They pretty much work 40/week and have 200 hrs pto/year and a bunch of other stuff you seem to claim that only you get.

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An MD degree isn’t anything like a contractor job. With an MD, you can easily work in public health research and not have to see patients at all

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Then why would that individual feel the need to give me any opinion?

Unless we are friends or on a message board BSing.

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Fair. I think the computer strapped, work from home types are doing a lot more nothing than most blue collar people though. And there’s some people that aren’t even home at their computer “working from home.

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Wife is one. I do not see how she does it. I tried WFH. I couldn't do it. More power to you if you can.