This is why millennials will never grow up

[A HERETIC I AM]

54. Out of curiosity, how much does it cost to learn how to weld?

Or to operate a 3 axis Knee Mill? (OK, a CNC mill, but I digress)

Of course a 4 year degree, mush less post-graduate study is becoming prohibitively expensive, but what the motherfuck ever happened to Shop Class? Why is it no 18 year old is interested in becoming a fabricator? Or a welder? Or a Plumber, for fucks sake?


Like him or not, I agree with Mike Rowe. We need more of a push toward the skilled trades in this country. There are openings for competent machinists, welders, mechanics, pipe-fitters, boilermakers and all the rest ALL OVER THIS COUNTRY that go unfilled because our education system (not to mention parents) is geared toward getting a 4 year degree in something that won't get your hands dirty.

Metal melts at the same temperatures in the USA as it does in Hong Kong. One of the reason I became a Truck Driver (an industry experiencing a severe driver shortage these days because it is having difficulty attracting young people to it) is because I realized I could do that job anywhere on the planet.

It seems to me that 4 year college degrees and higher are intentionally being priced out of the reach of most American families. Still, we need people who can take two lengths of copper tubing and join them in your backyard or basement, in such a way that it will last for 50 years. (among many, many other such skills)