Senior Project

Rachel Garbutt

April 27, 2017

English

Senior Project

Respect of the Blue- Collared Worker

Never follow your passion. Alone, this statement shakes the core of many people who are convinced their dreams are what should control their pursuits.  At this point leading up to my senior year, I have been working my hardest and constantly being reminded by myself and peers, that my future lies in my hands. The journey I walk from this point forward will be determined on the grades which I have earned, the activities I choose to do or not do, and the decisions I will henceforth make. According to the majority of the common mind, I am to do all of this in the hopes of achieving a higher goal; a degree: a piece of paper that will validate my work, give me an entitlement to my achievements, and remind me that I am successful. However, the common struggle our society has, including myself at one point, is the mindset we subconsciously have against the blue- collared career(s).  The automatic conclusion that a degree fits the perfect keyhole to success. My goal is to

By definition, the meaning of the skills gap is ‘the difference in skills required on the job and the actual skills possessed by the employees. With this information alone it doesn't seem this applies to you or me, but instead seems a rather a distant problem for someone else. However the reality behind this problem is closer to us than you'd think. As an example, at a public school rate, the high school graduation rate for students in the 2013-2014 year had around 82%, an all-time high. Out of those students who graduated, about 68% of them enrolled in a two to four year college for the fall. Now with this alone, there are millions of people that are going to go into a profession with a degree to compete for a small slot of opportunities we very politely call “good careers.” But now we run into a real problem, because with these millions of people fighting for a job, employers are still struggling to fill around five point eight million jobs that these students are not trained to do. “Truth is, a lot of well-intended parents still believe that kids who attend trade schools do so because they’re not ‘college material.’ That’s an absurd stereotype with no basis in reality, but for the millions of parents who want something ‘better’ for their kids, it’s reason enough to discourage a career in the trades. Unfortunately, this reasoning is not only faulty, it’s destroying economies large and small.”

According to the U.S. Department of Education, a data point taken students in 2003-2004 showed that 71% of them did not enroll six years later (2009). “The first outcome, employment rate, is the percentage of former students who reported that they were employed at the time of the 2009 interview. The second outcome, employment in a job related to one’s field of study, is the percentage of employed former students who reported that their job was related to their major or field of study. These outcomes are examined for students who did and did not earn a postsecondary credential, and for those who earned a credential (certificate or degree) in an occupational versus academic field of study.” "We've done a disservice in this country by suggesting that there's only one path to success, which is to get a bachelor's degree," says Mark Edwards, executive director of Opportunity Nation, a campaign to increase economic opportunity in America. "There are many good-paying jobs available today that, quite candidly, a four-year bachelor of arts degree does not prepare them for."

One thing that we forget to remind ourselves is that the product of being successful is not the same for everyone, yet millions of students choose the path society says you should do, but only few of them will succeed. The trouble with the skills gap starts at the beginning, meaning we need to change the mindset of students beforehand and adults who have already set their minds on it that middle class work is not “middle class.” These type of jobs are the ones that need more than the high school education, but perhaps not as much as a four-year college degree; and they are the most in-demand jobs with quite an appealing paycheck. We are just refusing to see and take them from the start.

During a Fox News interview with Mike Rowe in December, it is brought up that during the airing and peak of his show “Dirty Jobs”,  Donald Trump’s support and campaign  rates soared upward. The reason for this? Perhaps because the advocates Trump specifically spoke to are those similarly, if not the same, with those who have ‘dirty jobs’. Many Trump supporters have been accused of being racists, bigots, xenophobic, and even uneducated; but these titles are not the people nor reason why he won this year’s election. Like the show “Dirty Jobs”, “It didn’t become popular because it was fancy or funny, but because it was authentic.  it was decided by millions of disgusted Americans desperate for real change. The people did not want a politician. The people wanted to be seen. Donald Trump convinced those people that he could see them. Hillary Clinton did not.”

    “There is a mismatch between skills being taught in the U.S. and the labor pressure in the market. Psychology, history, and performing arts account for 22 percent of degrees earned in the U.S., but the corresponding professions don’t appear in any top rankings for labor demand,” he says. “Of the top majors granted in the U.S., only 5 percent fall within the high-demand areas of engineering and technology. Compare that number to India, where the number of technical enrollment is five times that amount.” Employers in California are continually facing four main challenges that their employees or future employees tend to be lacking: technical skills,basic literacy and numeracy, and most importantly, experience or qualifications. This common struggle is not only growing, but it is also not helping our economy. If we are a country founded on freedom and independance, how are to be free if we are so dependant on other countries to make and manufacture our things? There is a solution to this. Though it may seem an insignificant need now, the best problems are to be solved before they become out of hand. We need to place the life skills classes back into the education system so that young students are prepared for the life that lies ahead of them, trade school or not. In Fitchburg, Massachusetts, high schools seem to be on their way to fix this problem. Montachusett regional Vocational Technical School had a program designed to teach each student a skill or trade of their choice, such as plumbing, masonry, cosmetology or engineering, along with completing the academic core requirements. With vocational schools like this, not only does this prepare students for ensured employment after graduation, this fills the the jobs for employers who are lacking their required skills and knowledge for their workers.

In the Catholic church, research has shown that this issue is found important, and that bringing attention to the skills gap is greatly needed. Much talk about the career advice circling the phrase “do what you love” is not only hurting the economy, but is also putting a heavy amount of self focus on many dreamers. This mindset has done a deal of negative effectiveness on one’s duty and responsibility, to the community and families. It reads is Psalm 90:17, “May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us’ establish the work of our hands for us-yes, establish the work of our hands.” Regardless of what you do, your work matters to God. Which is why in the church, we need to remember that we are one body in Christ; it is not our right to judge a brother’s character and success by the work he does or the paycheck he receives. To bring this back to my main point, I must make it very clear on what I believe: your passion is something to be valued, and should always be apart of you, but that does not justify it enough for countless opportunities to pass by. You being happy with your job has a great weight of importance, but it has seldom to do with the work itself. Having an open heart for Christ’s light to shine through whatever you doaz is what will effect our work the most.  This brings me to a quote that has stuck with me, and has helped shaped me to the decisions I make today and for future days to come: “Never follow your passion, but always take it with you.”

Works Cited

Hurst, Alyssa. "‘Dirty Jobs’ in Danger? Mike Rowe Weighs in on America’s Growing Skills Gap."SmartCEO. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2017.

Rowe, Mike. "Off The Wall: The Right of Free College." Mike Rowe Blog. N.p., 28 Mar. 2016. Web. 2 Mar. 2017.

Chasmar, Jessica. "Mike Rowe Explains the Real Reason Donald Trump Won." The Washington Times. The Washington Times, 11 Nov. 2016. Web. 1 Mar. 2017.

Bidwell, Allie. "Vocational High Schools: Career Path or Kiss of Death?" The Return of Vocational High Schools. U.S. News, 2 May 2014. Web. 9 Mar. 2017.

Freifield, Lori. "Bridging the Skills Gap." Training Magazine. Lakewood Media Group, n.d. Web. 6 Mar. 2017.

College Completion.” College Completion. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, 2013. Web. 23 Mar. 2017

Colborn, John. "What Will It Take to Close California's Skills Gap?" California Economic Summit, 20 Jan. 2015. Web. 9 Mar. 2017.

Freifeld, Lorri. "Bridging the Skills Gap." Training Magazine. N.p., 07 July 2014. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.

Darling, Daniel. "Do Blue Collar Workers Fit Our Theology of Vocation?" Christianity.com. N.p., 22 July 2014. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.

Ryan, Liz. "The Most Serious Skill Gap Of All." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 18 Aug. 2016. Web. 19 Mar. 2017.

Pannoni, Alexandra. "Vocational High School Programs an Option for Teens." U.S.News, 20 Oct. 2014. Web. 21 Mar. 2017.

"Employment Status of Postsecondary Completers in 2009: Examination of Credential Level and Occupational Credentials." National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Home Page, a Part of the U.S. Department of Education. N.p., 15 Nov. 2016. Web. 21 Mar. 2017.

Why We Work

In today's day and age, our reasons for our work are much different than when they were at the beginning. When you think of why we work, thoughts generally go to the reasons of survival, shelter, and provisions for ourselves. So when we go out to our jobs with a just a goal of, "I need to have just enough," it's hard to deny that there's going to be room for slacking. 

When we live in a country where our basic needs are most likely always going to be at arms reach, why try harder? While reading an article on what the definition of "poverty" in America is, it not only made me think of what I have but also how much our perspective and theology of work really needs to change. It has been reported that around 30 million of Americans were living in "poverty" each year; but what exactly does that look like? Well to sum it up, the average "poor" person or family owns a car, air conditioning, one to two color- TVs, and a DVD player. They also reported those typical families did not go hungry and were able to receive medical care when needed. Now, let us go back to our definition of work, meaning trying to survive and find shelter for our needs; aren't we surviving plenty?

A common mistake made by Christians is that work and labor are products of the fall in the Garden of Eden, as a way of punishment. But in reality, it reads in Genesis 2:15, "The Lord took the man and out him in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it." This was before the fall, which if I remember correctly, the world was still perfect. God had created man to work to glorify Him and to bring man joy in doing so. After all, God does his work and makes beautiful things out of it, and if it's our job to be christ- like, we are to work just like he does. It wasn't until after the fall where God had then "cursed the ground which provides for you, and from the sweat of your brow you will eat from that ground until you return to it." Unfortunately, like many other things, sin has stained our view of work as punishment instead of a gift given by Christ. Phillip Holmes makes some very key points when writing in his blog about why we really should work. "Since God is ultimately our provider, our motivation and understanding of work must change. This honorable, meaningful labor is done as an act of worship, not unto man, but unto the Lord."

We our encouraged to remember the real reasons why we should work, and our attitudes towards it. Slacking is one the easiest temptations today with all that we have at our disposal, but great is the reward when we consider our labors a gift.