Back in February. At 17, she wrote a story for the magazine titled “As Tech Jobs Melt, Careers Begin. This Tacoma Plumber Makes Over $140,000.”
The letter has struck a chord with a number of you, including a business owner, a proud mother whose son has gone through an apprenticeship and is doing very well, and others.
Here is a sample of those letters. Included is an email from a woman who responded to my Backstory about the origin of the term “journeyman,” which is widely used in professions. She and another woman who emailed me pointed out the struggles of women in this field.
They point out that “flight level” is the correct term, not “handyman”.
Daughter’s Father: Yes, it is.
Plumber’s mother is proud
It is very essential for today’s students to know how good the trainee programs are.
My son lives in Utah and has gone through a plumbing apprenticeship program. It was four years’ work and evening lessons twice a week, but at every step of the way, there was a slight increase in wages. The carrot-and-stick method works better for some people than paying for four years of college and then: Will you like the job you get?
I am very proud of my son who works so hard and earns the family wage. As a supervisor, he finds satisfaction in a job well done, and trains several apprentices.
Susan HarmonAnd Kirkland
angry about the “debt trap”
The article is very needed
I’m reading “The Debt Trap: How Student Loans Became a National Disaster” by Josh Mitchell (Wall Street Journal reporter), and it’s the bleakest story imaginable. Greed, pure greed, has destroyed an entire generation – and our economy.
The next book on the must-read list is “The View from Flyover Country.”
The only thing keeping me from utter despair is anger at people who knew they were being scammed and kept pushing to secure their fortunes. It’s on the same level as people raising the price of insulin.
– Kate Bradley, Sammamish
Live on 23 hours a week
I hope Sunday’s article will open young minds to the opportunities available. I’ve been harping on this for years.
I have a friend who was a chef at an upscale steakhouse who joined a labor union apprentice program, where he could live 23 hours a week. He is on his way to the status of a day laborer. He says he will have earned about $80,000+ for 2024, even though he spent four weeks in an unpaid internship.
– George Seeback, Linwood
Language matters
Having worked in the construction trade in the 70’s and 80’s I preferred the flight level [to the gendered term journeymen]. As you know in your profession, language can be very important…
I remember the anger one of my male colleagues got into when he had to put up a new sign that said “staff” instead of “workmen.” He took his black electrical tape and the “crew” tape and put the “men” back. You’ll never hear the words “trip-level electrician” out of his mouth.
[A quote in the Backstory from a woman who said she was fine with being referred to as a “journeyman”] Reminds me of the many women I heard in those early days of positive hiring say, “I actually love opening the door for me,” or “I don’t think I get harassed when you tell me how sexy I look in my new jeans.” The worst is that they’ll get these. The great job as a result of affirmative action and they might earn a lot more than their husbands, and they’d say, “I don’t call myself a feminist.” It made it that much more difficult when I finally had another woman in the same shop or, more rarely, in the same crew, and they’d separate themselves from me. this way.Thank you for pointing out the obstacles and qualifications of the trainees. Some people still believe that affirmative action appointments do not have to be eligible.
Karen Meadows, Seattle
Not exciting, but profitable
My husband and I used to own a printing press and are now business brokers for small and medium-sized businesses. The current biggest problem for blue collar companies is finding young people to work in “unexciting” jobs, who don’t want to be influencers or in tech, even though the money can be very good. We sell plumbing and electrical businesses and a host of other service-oriented businesses, and those businesses can be profitable as well.
– Pat Detmer, Newcastle
Another option for children
I was very excited to read about the trades this past weekend. I teach in a Kent School District classroom, and your article got me thinking about ways it could be put to good use in teaching.
Back in October 2016, The Seattle Times ran an article asking if there was too much focus on sending all students to college. Education Lab reporters came to my classroom as part of an investigation into the pathways to productive adult life. Our program is still here. it’s the Kent Lab AcademyFormerly Kent Phoenix Academy, now houses grades three through twelve. We try to get kids exploring engineering and technical career paths through classrooms full of problem-solving, brainstorming solutions, design and prototyping. We’re always looking for real-world examples of how these STEM/CTE classes might relate. Your Pacific NW article is that proof.
– David SmithAuburn