Maybe I was wrong about 20/30 yr olds

[Pester]

I recently started downsizing the shop and was selling off some older tools that folks don’t use anymore. Die grinders, die filer’s, a big manual screw press, big vertical band saw, lathe, etc. This is all stuff that came off old military bases and ships machine shops.

What surprised me was the number of 20/30 year olds that were interested in buying some of the stuff and knew how to use them. And the majority had a good understanding of where it came from.

I was pleasantly surprised and, if I am being honest, pleased to see this. Compared to the chuckle heads you see so often it was great to see some people with a sense of history. Well done to the parents that raised those kids.

 

[akmike47]

There's a lot of younger people like this, older folks just refuse to believe it.

 

[HeavyAssault]

And to think there's people bitchin' about the drop in college enrollments.

 

[roostercogburn98]

Plenty out there, but not nearly enough. The next decades forecast looks bad unless more “younger” folks get involved

 

[Pester]

There's a lot of younger people like this, older folks just refuse to believe it.

That’s a fair point and I didn’t mean to insinuate that all in that age range are obsessed with their pronouns and nothing else.

These are tools that generations before me used to help win wars with and now there are people that are generations younger than I am that know about them.

Those folks stand in stark contrast to some of my nephews that work part time part of the year. Glad to hear there are more of them out there than my previous experiences led me to believe.

 

[Rthur]

They are exposed on youtube, replacing what was taken from high school.

R

 

[beetroot]

There are lots of good millennial out there, they just shut up and get on with it. Like always the squeaky/useless ones get all the attention.

A lot of employers complain that it's hard to hire good young people these days, that's because the good ones are already employed and have moved on to starting their own businesses. Good workers have the choice of where to work these days, especially the young ones.

I've just spent a few days at a "car show" and there is a huge amount of young people into older cars and machinery, even the old steam tractors had a healthy mix of old, middle age, and young people operating them.

 

[EddieNFL]

I suspect they have one thing in common...interested parents/grandparents.

 

[AngryKoala]

I recently started downsizing the shop and was selling off some older tools that folks don’t use anymore. Die grinders, die filer’s, a big manual screw press, big vertical band saw, lathe, etc. This is all stuff that came off old military bases and ships machine shops.

What surprised me was the number of 20/30 year olds that were interested in buying some of the stuff and knew how to use them. And the majority had a good understanding of where it came from.

I was pleasantly surprised and, if I am being honest, pleased to see this. Compared to the chuckle heads you see so often it was great to see some people with a sense of history. Well done to the parents that raised those kids.

All of us 30-40 year olds compromise a large portion of the experienced workforce. Younger than that and they are still learning, older than that and they are counting the years until retirement.

 

[myronman3]

my experience with the younger kids are viewed through the prism of my sons. the boys are GTG, the girls arent worth a cup full of cold piss. i've met 1 that has impressed me....she is my son's age and has worked at the hotel i stay at for over a year. rain, shine, day, night......she is at work and doesnt miss a shift.

 

[Maggot]

All of us 30-40 year olds compromise a large portion of the experienced workforce. Younger than that and they are still learning, older than that and they are counting the years until retirement.

No, no, and no. You'll never retire. The gub'mint is adjusting things right now so you'll slave away until you drop, be swept into a hole and replaced with another drone. Just go ahead and edit 'retire' right out of your vocabulary, nigga. Mine is the last generation that will 'retire'.

BTW, Happy Easter, slave.

 

[Maggot]

my experience with the younger kids are viewed through the prism of my sons. the boys are GTG, the girls arent worth a cup full of cold piss. i've met 1 that has impressed me....she is my son's age and has worked at the hotel i stay at for over a year. rain, shine, day, night......she is at work and doesnt miss a shift.

I see a lot more f them than that. Oddly, some of the most reliable, respectful, and knowledgeable, are the young black kids. Gives me a lot of hope.

 

[ggmanning]

There are plenty around here. Rural farm kids and tradesman's kids. No very prevalent in suburbia and virtually non existent in cities.

 

[Crgchck]

Plenty out there, but not nearly enough. The next decades forecast looks bad unless more “younger” folks get involved

It seems I’ve heard the above since I was a toddler.. maybe it’s a matter of the world evolving and people are evolving with it… us older folks are just stuck in what we remember which doesn’t seem right to us..

 

[roostercogburn98]

It seems I’ve heard the above since I was a toddler.. maybe it’s a matter of the world evolving and people are evolving with it… us older folks are just stuck in what we remember which doesn’t seem right to us..

Iffin I remember correctly, there are roughly 1 or 1.5 million people over the age of 55 currently working in the skilled trades sector. Over the next 10 years, how many you think are going to leave versus those coming to replace? Young kids don’t want to do this work right now, or they would be getting into the apprentice programs for their respective line of work.

 

[Maser]

Us millennials may not be perfect, but we're still better than boomers!

 

[Crgchck]

Us millennials may not be perfect, but we're still better than boomers!

Well aren’t you just a super friendly faggot

 

[Crgchck]

Iffin I remember correctly, there are roughly 1 or 1.5 million people over the age of 55 currently working in the skilled trades sector. Over the next 10 years, how many you think are going to leave versus those coming to replace? Young kids don’t want to do this work right now, or they would be getting into the apprentice programs for their respective line of work.

Evolution… I’m in fabrication/welding.. it’s not so much the people interested in skilled trades has shrunk. It’s the demand has outgrown the interested people.. therefore evolution is taking place.. look at my shop for instance. Started in VA… in 2007, I had 40 people and was slammed. By 2017, I had to build another facility and ramped up to 105 average, needed more people and 2020 put in a robotic line that would do the work of 25 guys, then in 2021 bought out a small competitor in NC to add 40 more guys….. still not enough. So we are now putting in more robotic lines… evolution..
Though it’s hard for me to imagine framers being replaced it was very hard for me to think we’d ever have a robot that could fit and weld custom “LARGE” structural steel

 

[roostercogburn98]

Evolution… I’m in fabrication/welding.. it’s not so much the people interested in skilled trades has shrunk. It’s the demand has outgrown the interested people.. therefore evolution is taking place.. look at my shop for instance. Started in VA… in 2007, I had 40 people and was slammed. By 2017, I had to build another facility and ramped up to 105 average, needed more people and 2020 put in a robotic line that would do the work of 25 guys, then in 2021 bought out a small competitor in NC to add 40 more guys….. still not enough. So we are now putting in more robotic lines… evolution..
Though it’s hard for me to imagine framers being replaced it was very hard for me to think we’d ever have a robot that could fit and weld custom “LARGE” structural steel

Increase in demand for workers is part of it, but there is a decrease in people that want to do it as well. There is a truck body fabrication company a few miles away from me that constantly has help wanted signs up for welders and cdl drivers.

 

[johnnyvw]

With three kids in their 30's, what I have seen is many of those that have an interest in metalworking don't typically work for companies of any size, they are building "boutique" businesses that they can put their hearts and souls into instead of just laboring for a paycheck.

 

[chevy_man]

I can't wait until I can charge $3-400/hr and get back to 1950s wages.

Fuck, it's no wonder everyone thinks being an electrician you're in the money. If I was able to pay $200/hr I'd have talent lined up around the block.


Labor shortage should help me get back up there and claw back a portion of what inflation has taken.

 

[Emerson0311]

Increase in demand for workers is part of it, but there is a decrease in people that want to do it as well. There is a truck body fabrication company a few miles away from me that constantly has help wanted signs up for welders and cdl drivers.

I find that the companies having the most difficult time getting employees usually pay the least. Often it is because the old guard are thinking in 1985 dollars and will not accept that their “feelings” are not based in reality.

 

[Holliday]

Plenty out there, but not nearly enough. The next decades forecast looks bad unless more “younger” folks get involved

Exactly. The plural of anecdote is not data.

 

[Holliday]

Us millennials may not be perfect, but we're still better than boomers!

Jesus. You have been hanging out with woke suburban white soccer moms drinking boxed wine, too much.

 

[Redmanss]

Fact: Every generation has bitched about the ones that came before them, and will bitch about the ones that come after them.

Fact: There are thousands to millions of individual exceptions to every stereotype, large and small. That includes generational, racial, economical, and all the rest of typical stereotypes out there. People are individuals, unbound by anything other than their own thoughts and actions.

Fact: Every age group and background are infected by a large percentage of lazy, stupid, and corrupt people.

Fact: The longer we enable those actions, the larger those percentages will become.

 

[roostercogburn98]

I find that the companies having the most difficult time getting employees usually pay the least. Often it is because the old guard are thinking in 1985 dollars and will not accept that their “feelings” are not based in reality.

That is probably the case in a lot of places, I’ll agree.

How many younger individuals would rather be a youtube sensation than get a real job? Ask yourself that after you go look at YT and see all the videos of people just hoping their latest video goes viral enough that they can start making money from it. If they out half that effort into finding a career they can move forward with, we’d be in good shape.

 

[AngryKoala]

No, no, and no. You'll never retire. The gub'mint is adjusting things right now so you'll slave away until you drop, be swept into a hole and replaced with another drone. Just go ahead and edit 'retire' right out of your vocabulary, nigga. Mine is the last generation that will 'retire'.

BTW, Happy Easter, slave.

I'll just pull my cock out at work.

 

[sandhiller]

No, no, and no. You'll never retire. The gub'mint is adjusting things right now so you'll slave away until you drop, be swept into a hole and replaced with another drone. Just go ahead and edit 'retire' right out of your vocabulary, nigga. Mine is the last generation that will 'retire'.

BTW, Happy Easter, slave.

My bride is a RN with a hospice organization.

When asked when she is going to retire.

"Probably noon the day of my funeral".

We used to laugh about it.

Now, not so much

 

[sandhiller]

We have a good set of that generation here.

On ranches mostly, raising families.

Quite a few are on our VFD and are stepping up and taking ownership.

I am bout seven years from aging out of our department and am comfortable knowing us OG's are leaving it in good hands.

 

[Bigfatcock]

Fuck work. AI is going to do it all, and I’m going to live large on UBI. Should be enough to pay for hookers and blow.

 

[Maser]

Jesus. You have been hanging out with woke suburban white soccer moms drinking boxed wine, too much.

Hey now! A room full of Karens drinking Franzia by the gallon would make for some great YouTube content!

 

[n2ishun]

It's deceptive.
They are all trying to be like their favorite "influencer" on whatever social media.
There are a ton of car hotrodding and *whatever* building influencers out there and the primary motivation is to "emulate".

I would place less than 5% as actually doing it from self motivation......if that.

 

[Pester]

There are plenty around here. Rural farm kids and tradesman's kids. No very prevalent in suburbia and virtually non existent in cities.

And I guess this the part that surprised me. Most of the folks buying the stuff were from the city or suburbs. Not sure if they came from families in the trades but given how much they seemed to know about the history of the items they probably did.

If I think about the ranch kids I know most of them are doing things like getting up at 6am, cleaning stalls/feeding, getting ready for school, catching the bus and then doing about the same when they get home. Hard for me to remember any real complaints from them.