I'm here to tell yoooo....

[Northwoods]

What this younger generation needs is fewer Xboxes and more Tool boxes! 

[jefftrin]

Never a truer word spoken

[krusty the clown]

and tackle boxes!

[Aunt Phil]

Should be mandated you can carry a 20 pound tool box and identify the tools inside as well as hold a flashlight for a mechanic to graduate high school or you stay in the so called school till you can.

We're going to have overcrouded schools and empty offices, but overall that ain't bad.

[Plyerman]

Last week I had to explain to the 19 year old neighbor kid which way to turn the wrench to loosen the bolts on the snow blower! How do you get to be 19 years old without knowing lefty-loosey-righty-tighty????

[international3414]

what about shop?,started in 7th/8th grade,mostly wood working...high school went on to power mechanics,metal or wood....if i remember correctly

[turnnut]

buy something for $ 12.11 and hand them a twenty dollar bill, a dime and a penny and watch the faces they make.

it's not them, it's the "modern math"

[Nolatoolguy]

That's the truth, for almost all of my generation.

I am 21 an I haven't played Xbox or any game type thing since 6th grade. Even then I wasn't big into it. Tools an family/friends are more important then some make believe screen. I like my friends here at tool talk as well. Things mechanical have always intrested me.

I did a 2 year construction trades vocational program. It was the last years offered at my high school. Honestly I struggled a lot in classroom settings but a vocational program really helped and I excelled. It was some classroom work but mostly hands on.

My high school always displayed signs saying "Wheaton students are college bound". I Was told many times from a teacher "without a degree you are useless" other teachers had similar sayings. Your treated differently if you don't want to get at least a 4 year degree.

I mean all these people can go get there degree in some field. It's often those same ones who don't have common sense. Same goes with not having integrity, work ethic, manners, etc. however they have a colloge degree so it's ok I'm most of society's eyes.

Ime just a couple years out of high school an making more money as a welder/fabricator then some people who get a job the first year out of college with loans to pay back. I also enjoy my career very much.

I mean I am all for continued education but it's not for everyone. If someone wants to work with there hands good for them. If someone wants to work with a keyboard good for them. It takes all types. I do however think everyone should have a basic mechanical knowledge like changing a tire or switching back a breaker after it trips. Running a chainsaw after a storm is a good one to.

[Northwoods]

Nolatoolguy, it sounds like you have your head on straight.
A bit of advice, and I bet the crew here will agree:  start saving for retirement now.  And never stop until you get there.  Enjoy your job, love and provide for your family, serve your community and fellow man, and look to the future.
If you waste your money on junk now, you won't be able to waste it on tools when you retire ;-)

[leg17]

Nolatoolguy, it sounds like you have your head on straight.
A bit of advice, and I bet the crew here will agree:  start saving for retirement now.  And never stop until you get there.  Enjoy your job, love and provide for your family, serve your community and fellow man, and look to the future.
If you waste your money on junk now, you won't be able to waste it on tools when you retire ;-)

What he said!

[EVILDR235]

You young people need to get out there and get to work. There in no limit to what you can do.

Henry Ford.

[Papaw]

Too many young people don't know about starting at the bottom and learning all you can as you rise in the profession. Too many think they "deserve" to start out higher than others. I don't know where this comes from.

[krusty the clown]

Too many young people don't know about starting at the bottom and learning all you can as you rise in the profession. Too many think they "deserve" to start out higher than others. I don't know where this comes from.

absoletly right.....they know everything and don't want to listen to us old farts.


we hired one kid who told me in the interview that he was a diagnostic expert and specialized in the "hard stuff". he couldn't find a miss if it was arcing to ground. came in late everyday and was normally so hungover he made me feel like crap!

[Northwoods]

Krusty, when he said "the hard stuff" he was talkin' 'bout 86 proof Wild Monkey Sweat. 

[Aunt Phil]

I'm very glad the professionals diagnosed me as retarded early on and didn't have high expectations for me to get beyond using basic tools to scrape up a living.
I'm also glad they didn't have wonderful drugs to zombie my disruptive non compliant ass to sit like a lump in a classroom and told me to go hunt Herb up so he could find something I could do.

Nola my boy, don't stop to breathe till you have a year of gross pay stashed in the bank, and more tools than you can carry in your truck in 1 trip.  Then you slow down a little and smile as you watch the "smart" people fail and make you more money.  I'm 5 years into retirement cause I was old and obsolete and didn't understand current superior technology, and I still get 6 phone calls a week asking me how to or how did from people with Degrees and no damn brains or skills.  Degrees belong on compasses, protractors and thermometers where they do some good.