End of an era.

[kenny thomas]

As many of you know in the past i traveled a lot. I worked in Forestry and worked fires from Oklahoma and Texas to Florida, the Carolinas, Virginia and bordering states. Retired 2.5 years ago and miss it. Im on a cane now so no going back.
Also delivered Kiefer horse and cattle trailers from Tennessee N to Maine, NW to Wisconsin, S to Georgia and Florida, W to Oklahoma City. A 1000 mile trip was an easy day.
Stopped driving last summer but yes miss it also.
In July 2022 started driving a fuel truck delivering diesel fuel mostly to coal mines in KY. Was home every night. Mines slowed down so stopped driving in June. Let the younger drivers do more.
Last winter i drove a snow plow for the state highway department. Probably will do that again this winter.
I still respond to hurricane recovery all over the south and west to the TX coast with a fuel truck. Fuel up whatever is needed.
Had a job offer to run an excavator this week. My choice 1 day to 6 days a week. Still considering that.
Since i was 20 i have kept from 20 to 200 cows. Now is on the low end.
My point of all of this is many young people act like they can't find a job. There aren't a lot of jobs in my area and population is going down. I'm 67, on a cane, and get bored if im not working at something. Yes im retired, on SS and a decent retirement check but i try to do something all the time. If it paid $10 an hour i would do it, or $75 an hour i would want overtime.
Yes 1 job i do part time pays $47 an hour and $70.50 after 8 hours and after 40 hours in a week. They still cant find enough workers. They do require a drug test which weeds out a lot of people i guess. Evidently not enough people were raised hungry and working for every penny they could get. How will it be in 50 more years.
My rant is over, back to work.

 

[Brute 23]

There are multiple issues starting to catch up with us in the work place.

One is, a lot of young people do not possess the skills to do a bunch of these jobs.

Kind of a spin off to that is society WAY over sold the "college education".

My age group was forced in to college credit classes in high school and given no alternatives. We were told it was the only way to prosperity.

Now we have a bunch of young people with pieces of paper and no skills demanding what was promised, and basically forced upon them, by the education system. Good or bad, many of them are not will to settle for less.

We are seeing a big push to the trades, now, and it seems like they are trying to correct it. It will be a rough until the correction happens.

 

[Texas G@l]

There are multiple issues starting to catch up with us in the work place.

One is, a lot of young people do not possess the skills to do a bunch of these jobs.

Kind of a spin off to that is society WAY over sold the "college education".

My age group was forced in to college credit classes in high school and given no alternatives. We were told it was the only way to prosperity.

Now we have a bunch of young people with pieces of paper and no skills demanding what was promised, and basically forced upon them, by the education system. Good or bad, many of them are not will to settle for less.

We are seeing a big push to the trades, now, and it seems like they are trying to correct it. It will be a rough until the correction happens.

Amen!! I worked in academia for 20+ years and saw it daily. The everyone needs that piece of paper thought process has helped create the student loan crisis as well . Most of my friends in the trades do way better financially than the PhD brainiacs.

 

[gcreekrch]

A lot of younger people are so lazy you could give them a job sleeping and the would wake up and quit.

 

[gcreekrch]

There are still those not afraid to get dirty and with a flame burning inside. I hold my hope they become more numerous.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

People are also realizing there is more to life than work and then work more OT.

My wife was an ER/ICU nurse until our hospital closed. So she took a job doing home health, that she was told was 40 hours a week. She's been doing the job for 9 or so weeks now and hasn't worked less than 55 hours a week and her bosses would like more. They can't seem to figure out why she isn't happy about all the OT.

Needless to say she's looking for something else to work less hours.

Is the OT money great? Yes.

Is being away from our 3 little boys worth it? NOPE.

Guys who brag about working 80 hours a week from 18yo to 80yo have missed out on a whole lot of the finer things in life. IMO.

 

[Travlr]

There are multiple issues starting to catch up with us in the work place.

One is, a lot of young people do not possess the skills to do a bunch of these jobs.

Kind of a spin off to that is society WAY over sold the "college education".

My age group was forced in to college credit classes in high school and given no alternatives. We were told it was the only way to prosperity.

Now we have a bunch of young people with pieces of paper and no skills demanding what was promised, and basically forced upon them, by the education system. Good or bad, many of them are not will to settle for less.

We are seeing a big push to the trades, now, and it seems like they are trying to correct it. It will be a rough until the correction happens.

Kids usta build their toys. Forts, treehouses, downhill gravity fueled carts... And as time went on they graduated to fixing their bikes and motorcycles and cars. Now parents just buy them new replacements for whatever gets broken.

Even the educated and the trained don't have the experience that young kids acquired by doing.

 

[SmokinM]

I went a lot of years with the same attitude as Kenny. Figured to make my fortune. Lost my Dad, Brother and a daughter all within about 24 months. I place value on things in life a lot different now. I work hard but I play hard too. I still work a lot of 12+ hr. days but I take a lot more days off. When time comes to do something I want or my family does then I tend to make time now. I agree work ethic isn't what it used to be but I don't blame people for reprioritizing a good bit too. I sure have.

 

[Lucky]

It seems like people and especially younger people put more emphasis on having fun or experiencing new things than working or trying to get ahead these days. I personally don't have a problem in the world with this. I do have a problem with them expecting to do as well as those of us that work for everything we have.

I've got two nephews that are 25 and 23yrs old One went on the road for work and ended up going to crane training and now operates a crane during shutdowns. His base pay is $40 plus perdiem. He works allot of 7/12's and makes good money. His older brother wants to ref ball games on the weekends then lay around all week. I'm good with both of their decisions until the one laying around all week calls the other Richy Rich and talks trash. I always tell him he can go to a 5 day school and start making all the money he wants. I just get the look.

 

[Brute 23]

People are also realizing there is more to life than work and then work more OT.

My wife was an ER/ICU nurse until our hospital closed. So she took a job doing home health, that she was told was 40 hours a week. She's been doing the job for 9 or so weeks now and hasn't worked less than 55 hours a week and her bosses would like more. They can't seem to figure out why she isn't happy about all the OT.

Needless to say she's looking for something else to work less hours.

Is the OT money great? Yes.

Is being away from our 3 little boys worth it? NOPE.

Guys who brag about working 80 hours a week from 18yo to 80yo have missed out on a whole lot of the finer things in life. IMO.

Absolutely. Remote work is the big one now two. People are leaving current jobs that require them to come in 3 days a week for completely remote jobs.

The days of... you should be lucky you have a job... are long gone.

 

[Lucky]

The days of... you should be lucky you have a job... are long gone.

I've got what would be considered a high paying hourly job. Last year out of the blue they gave us a 5% raise. I was glad to get it but made me wonder........

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

That's another thing being a salaried employee used to be the pinnacle of success. People felt being salaried put you above the blue collar "commoners".

Now the salaried people I talk to have a good salary but end up working all kinds of crazy hours. So when they sit down and do some truthful division they find out that they aren't making what they thought they were. Companies haven't replaced workers that retire or quit, then just pile their work onto their existing employees, and salaried folks typically get the brunt.

 

[kenny thomas]

When I started working forestry full time there were 5 people in my office. When i retired there was 1. Customer service had gone away.

 

[SmokinM]

One other thing to touch on Kenny is the talent, skills and intelligence to do all those tasks. I fear barring a few outliers my generation or perhaps the next one was the end of jack of all trades master of none. Most kids today struggle to master one skill much less the 10-15 you have made a living with. If there isn't an app for it they are lost.

 

[kenny thomas]

One other thing to touch on Kenny is the talent, skills and intelligence to do all those tasks. I fear barring a few outliers my generation or perhaps the next one was the end of jack of all trades master of none. Most kids today struggle to master one skill much less the 10-15 you have made a living with. If there isn't an app for it they are lost.

The skills i learned had no app. But things were much simpler then. In the 1970's i could repair anything on a tractor. Clutch a Ford tractor in 4 or 5 hours. I can turn the key on now is about it. Anything else needs a computer.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

I'm just a baby compared to most of you at only 36 years old. I can rebuild an engine, build fence, handle cattle, run equipment, hammer nails, fabricate, weld, but also cook dinner, do laundry, clean house, etc. So I feel I'm a jack of all trades. And I know plenty of young people that can do the same.

Sometimes I feel people see a few younger people that "need an app for that or they are lost" and just assume that everybody in that age bracket is the same.

 

[kenny thomas]

I'm just a baby compared to most of you at only 36 years old. I can rebuild an engine, build fence, handle cattle, run equipment, hammer nails, fabricate, weld, but also cook dinner, do laundry, clean house, etc. So I feel I'm a jack of all trades. And I know plenty of young people that can do the same.

Sometimes I feel people see a few younger people that "need an app for that or they are lost" and just assume that everybody in that age bracket is the same.

Very proud of you. Here you would be a rarity. Glad there are a few left.

 

[redcowsrule33]

Have you seen the commercial where there is a company that has virtual handymen? The lady is dancing around because he fixed her toilet. The chain had fallen off. I can't imagine not being able to figure that out yourself. But there must be plenty.

 

[puzzled in oregon]

I have to say I have found YouTube helpful. Have been able to repair dryer, washing machine and minor things on my vehicles thanks to some of the better done videos.

 

[Twisted]

I'm in construction, have been for over 40 years now, and am on salary. The industry has changed so much through the years but never so much as the last 5-10. everything is computers and computer generated. I'm not knocking the computers, they are a good thing, the major issue is the people who are hired to operate them have absolutely no construction prowess. They have been trained to push the right key and things will happen. Doesn't work that way. The paperwork (it's not on paper anymore) for the field teams has more than doubled since Covid because the management teams have been taught that they can sit at home and work from computer. You can't effectively run a construction project over the internet, even if you actually knew how to build, much less when you don't. The skilled trades in the US are nearly extinct. This is the reason the people are pouring over the southern border and they will continue to no matter who the president is. It's the same reason that drugs will never be stopped, there is a huge demand for them and the people, me included, have depended on this labor at the same time hating the situation.

Edit to add this: I have become accustomed to having to depend on border crossers to accomplish my goals, I just wish that for every one of them that crosses over the fence to work, they would throw two of the lazy from here back over the fence in trade.