Re: Interconnectedness of Employment Markets (was Bankruptcy

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On 4/03/06, L wrote:

> did you read that? see, there are plenty of high paying jobs out there. you just went
> into the wrong field. the plumbers, electricians, carpenters rake in the big bucks
> because there aren't enough of them out there to meet the market demand. their jobs
> can't be outsourced because their work is physical and must be done on site.
> don't be lazy. do some research and find out how you can become a plumber.

I'm not convinced that those claims are true and suspect that they might merely be claims
that the grass looks greener on the other side. Yes, the carpenters and plumbers who
succeed and start their own business are doing well, but do they represent the majority of
carpenters and plumbers or only the more visible top 10%? Is the $100,000/year Starbucks
quaffing plumber your typical plumber or a member of the 10% of the plumbers who were able
to open their own business or who inherited their parents' established businesses? Ditto
for the housing contractors. (The housing market will come back down to earth eventually.)
It's like when people in other fields say, "Get an MBA, they're all rich!" or "Lawyers are
rich." Yes--the MBAs and the lawyers that you see on TV and in rich neighborhoods, the
visible ones, are doing well, but people miss the less-visible masses.

If I really thought that being a plumber or a carpenter would provide an excellent chance of
a six figure income I would head in that direction (along with a mass of millions of other
Americans). I'd prefer to do knowledge-based work and to use my intellect, but I don't see
anything wrong with providing a blue collar service. However, I'm not buying into the hype.
The media loves to tout claims that certain fields have shortages and people like to think
that the grass is greener on the other side.

If you think it would be such a good gig, why aren't you working to become a plumber or a
carpenter and why are you inviting competition to enter the field?