Millennials don't want to be coddled, they want jobs!

[Lurker Deluxe]

19. It is a different world.

Well I am not as old as you, being only 45, when I came out of high school with no degree my options were varied.

My options were all in the trades, but all the trades had opportunity.

There was no doubt that the contruction trades was how I would begin my life. The minimum wage was $3.35 and basic unexperienced contruction labor paid $6, I was young, strong, and not about to work retail. I began as a straight up laborer, digging, carrying, and whatever else I was told to do. I learned quick, and before I knew it happened I was the lead laborer, I worked for that company for two years before I took a job as a form carpenter with a bigger company. By that time I was pulling in $9/Hr, almost three times the minimum wage. I continued to work for the next two years figuring out what my niche was, it ended up being metal fabrication. Beginning as a field welder I progressed from there into workshops, learning every aspect of welding in all process and metal types, my early experience had already taught me how to understand drawings and prints and that experience grew from there. Eventually I moved into the machinist trade and from there to where I am now, first class fabricator, aka millwright ... first class welder/fitter/machinist. I now make well over $30/Hr and could walk out of my job right now and have another one within the week, there are few people like me and the industry is not building more.

I do not know when exactly it happened, but the trades were shunned. I can actually remember my ex telling me in my early carpenter days that I needed to "go back to school and get a real job". My skills were not considered valuable, my talents were thought by many to simply be something "anyone can do". Make no mistake I worked hard to get where I am, I learned from those around me, and often did things "above my pay" just to learn. The carrot was there, I worked with men who always had money, drove kick ass cars, and had solid families ... I wanted those things and I got them.

Damn sure glad I was that age when I was.

Today those same jobs pay ... minimum wage. Construction labor pays shit, and there is no desire to teach anyone a trade or skill set. I have no idea why that is, but it is. There is little out there for a high school grad.

By the same token, I was told two years ago that I needed an apprentice. I am, literally, the only person in our shop who can do what I do. Granted, they could hire in someone if I were to leave, but the learning curve would still be there. So, as the business has grown management did the smart thing and made me look to find a person. I went to the trade school portion of the high school, the auto mechanic class and made my pitch.

Entry level machinist with a mutli-national firm, starting at $15/Hr with full benefits and two weeks paid vacation after 90 days. Out of the class of 30, 3 people were interested, 2 sent me resumes, 1 showed up for an interview. The company hired that kid, he has been here 1.5 years. He has had two raises and now makes (assuming I don't truly know) $17/Hr. He is 20 years old.

I was informed by HR that he has threated to quit if he did not get a raise in January (significant raise $6-8/Hr), I sat down and talked to him and his response was simple ... he had learned all he could from me and was now capable of doing what I do and should be paid for it.

LOL, I wish him the best of luck where ever he ends up. He will find that 1.5 years of experience will get him ... minimum wage.

Truthfully, I have no idea when all this happened, I was busy working and did not really pay attention that the people I was working with were getting older. There are some young guys here and there, but really here at the shop everyone is my age. Maybe it is that the young people do not want to put in thier time, maybe they feel they are being exploited.

I remember when I was 19 and said something stupid to the boss and he told me, "you right ... I remember when I was a kid and knew everything, I just grew old and forgot it all".