>A few years ago, a strange phenomenon began to appear in polls that asked Americans for their opinions about higher education: …Democrats have continued to describe higher education as a mostly positive force in American life, but Republicans’ opinions of college, beginning around 2015, took a sharp turn toward the negative.
…
>Instead of college, their argument often goes, young Americans should pursue a career in the skilled trades. And there is one trade that gets held up more than any other as an example of the opportunities awaiting those who shun college: welding.
…
>One of the many odd things about the rhetoric that posits welding as the antithesis of college is that in order to become a welder, you actually have to go to college.
…
>According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual salary for an experienced welder in 2018 was a little more than $41,000 a year—which was only about $16,000 above the poverty line for a family of four. … Welders at the 90th percentile of income for the profession, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, earn $63,000 a year before taxes.
There should be a lot more tradespersons. The people who make and fix shit make the world go round. It is back breaking work. It should pay highly with healthcare and retirement benefits, and nobody should be asked to do it their whole life.
I have a two year degree in welding technology, worked as welder for years. It’s a super shitty occupation in every aspect. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.
People who complain that there aren’t enough people in the trades, are largely correct, and in my opinion, the number of people who *should be* in the trades/manufacturing, but are instead clogging up the higher-education system should be much, much lower. But, how do we honestly fix this, when the (white) working class base, seems inseparable from, and in lock-step with, the perverse whims of *college educated* vulture capitalists, who not only steer their party, but who would also gladly suppress the wages of all tradespeople, for the sake of siphoning even greater wealth to the top 1%?
I have been SCREAMING about this for a while now. Republicans have been telling boys not to worry, just go into the trades, you’ll make bank. So they skate through high school get a job in plumbing or HVAC or welding or as a mechanic believing they will make enough money to support a family. They are told guys in the trades make $100k or more. And while some do, the average pay for most in the trades is between $50 and $60k. The guys who make six figures either open their own business (you can’t do that if you can’t do basic math,) or do dangerous work or travel most of the year or work 80 hours a week in an oil field.
They also never mention that MANY guys in the trades are physically broken by the time they get to their 50s.
And this is my personal opinion, observation but a lot of these guys who believe they should be making $100k but make $60k are bitter, often blaming the world for the choices they made.
I see welders that make lots of money in fab yards. I also see “welders” that are poor by making yard art. Don’t confuse the two.
7 comments
>A few years ago, a strange phenomenon began to appear in polls that asked Americans for their opinions about higher education: …Democrats have continued to describe higher education as a mostly positive force in American life, but Republicans’ opinions of college, beginning around 2015, took a sharp turn toward the negative.
…
>Instead of college, their argument often goes, young Americans should pursue a career in the skilled trades. And there is one trade that gets held up more than any other as an example of the opportunities awaiting those who shun college: welding.
…
>One of the many odd things about the rhetoric that posits welding as the antithesis of college is that in order to become a welder, you actually have to go to college.
…
>According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual salary for an experienced welder in 2018 was a little more than $41,000 a year—which was only about $16,000 above the poverty line for a family of four. … Welders at the 90th percentile of income for the profession, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, earn $63,000 a year before taxes.
There should be a lot more tradespersons. The people who make and fix shit make the world go round. It is back breaking work. It should pay highly with healthcare and retirement benefits, and nobody should be asked to do it their whole life.
I have a two year degree in welding technology, worked as welder for years. It’s a super shitty occupation in every aspect. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.
People who complain that there aren’t enough people in the trades, are largely correct, and in my opinion, the number of people who *should be* in the trades/manufacturing, but are instead clogging up the higher-education system should be much, much lower. But, how do we honestly fix this, when the (white) working class base, seems inseparable from, and in lock-step with, the perverse whims of *college educated* vulture capitalists, who not only steer their party, but who would also gladly suppress the wages of all tradespeople, for the sake of siphoning even greater wealth to the top 1%?
I have been SCREAMING about this for a while now. Republicans have been telling boys not to worry, just go into the trades, you’ll make bank. So they skate through high school get a job in plumbing or HVAC or welding or as a mechanic believing they will make enough money to support a family. They are told guys in the trades make $100k or more. And while some do, the average pay for most in the trades is between $50 and $60k. The guys who make six figures either open their own business (you can’t do that if you can’t do basic math,) or do dangerous work or travel most of the year or work 80 hours a week in an oil field.
They also never mention that MANY guys in the trades are physically broken by the time they get to their 50s.
And this is my personal opinion, observation but a lot of these guys who believe they should be making $100k but make $60k are bitter, often blaming the world for the choices they made.
I see welders that make lots of money in fab yards. I also see “welders” that are poor by making yard art. Don’t confuse the two.
Cool… College degrees are better…
Go pay your own fucking loans.
Great article.