Needed now and next decade: Electricians, roofers, plumbers

[MADem]

68. I live in an historic neighborhood where the houses are "wired together."

It's a real pain in the ass and difficult to impossible to fully "upgrade" one's system. And if you saw the existing system, you wouldn't touch it with a forty foot pole (and I would not let you near mine) --the electrician has drawn detailed instructions on a board in the basement mounted next to the boxes, and this is with the full understanding of the local authorities who have been in every basement in the neighborhood and also know that it's Rube Goldberg-ish but the fix would cost hundreds of thousands, if not a million or more, for this whole neighborhood--some of which would have to be coughed up by those very authorities, not just the homeowners. It looks like something Frankenstein would have in his lab. My electrician makes sure this hodgepodge system is SAFE and that is why I value him. As we move more and more to LED technology the system is less and less stressed, and that's a good thing.

Permits are not readily issued to change anything--for example, if you swap out a window it takes a ten month process and permission from a committee, a visit from a nosy parker during the process, and, of course, payment of a fee.

We have one section of our electrical system that is integrated to the house to the left and the right, and another section of the system that comes straight in from the street. So, for those of us who live in this very proscribed historic area, we're all grateful for our knowledgeable, old school electricians who understand what the issues are. I don't allow just anyone to fiddle with the place; the one business we've had for years is fine, and they're called if we need a fan installed or a new porch light. Also, the house is built like a fortress; it was a designated bomb shelter during the duck and cover days. You're not just drilling through a crappy wood wall to get in or out of this place, or even pull wire to certain sections of the house --you've got to get through a foot or more of stone and brick.

I think they thought there was some utility to it, perhaps because the neighborhood used to run on a "private" electrical system, or maybe they thought it was easier or cheaper, who knows, when the neighborhood was built, but not so much nowadays. We're all just hanging on until the technology develops that will allow us to have our own independent systems off of any grid (including our own neighborhood one) but that is probably a decade or more away (but we can't have solar panels on our roofs, because, ya know, "looks&quot . We also don't have grand lawns so doing anything on the property is out unless it's very small and not visible from the street. It's very much a one-off situation, but the district has its charms so we put up with the constrictions upon us.

I don't know how many ways I can say this, but I'll try again for a third (at least) time--it's not about NEEDING a degree--it's about WANTING one. Take "needing" out of your equation, here. Some people like the idea of having more than one track or one choice. Some people like a practical application AND a "knowledge for knowledge's sake" approach to learning that appeals to people hiring specifically for that broad, liberal arts, know-a-little-about-a-lot, kind of understanding.

Most kids I know these days like to do different things, they don't stick with the same gig for "a full career" and they might like to bounce in and out of areas of specialty. They like the idea of changing it up, taking a risk. They also like having a "bread and butter" backup. This sort of dual track approach would be appealing to that type of person--as an OPTION, not as the "only way."