Current economics
Once upon a time, when I was attending Hudson Valley Community College in scenic south Troy, New York, the landlord sent an electrician to the apartment.
I was the only one home, so I guess I showed him the problem — I forget now what it was. The one thing I do remember clearly is something he said.
“Study. Study hard, kid. So you don’t have to do what I do.”
This was delivered in deadly earnest, as if he had the most obviously undesirable job in the world. I found it peculiar at the time, having always considered being an electrician to be a perfectly good trade.
Recently, I had an electrician to my house to fix some small problems. Two hours later, I wrote him a check for $235 (all for labor, no parts.)
I studied pretty hard for at least some of my academic career, and that’s a better hourly rate than I made even during the Tech Boom.
So you can see what that electrician in Troy 20 years ago meant.
Yeah, me neither.
Not only is being an electrician a respectable trade, it's also a job that's relatively outsourcing-proof. You're always going to need someone with the right knowledge and tools to physically go and do the job. I'd conside the mechanical trades to be excellent career paths for the youth of today.
But there could be some good reasons for his comment. Electricians in the city are expected to be on-call 24/7/365. And they have to do a lot of work in cramped spaces in people's residences, which I'm sure can be less than pleasant in many cases. And I'd imagine they get a lot of abuse from customers who think they're charging too much. Or customers who take a long time to pay, or don't pay at all.
And there's the dreaded job hazard of running into the lonely housewife dressed only in a towel, who'd make them spend the whole day having sex with her and her hot neighbors... oh wait, that's only in the porno universe. But there could be physical danger from customers, their kids, their pets, or objects in the home. Not to mention the possibility of lawsuits if the electrician should damage something in the course of the job.
So, being an electrician isn't the worst job, but if you had to do it day in and day out for years, it might not seem like the best. And the grass is always greener on the other side.
Posted by Jimcat on August 9 2005 09:25
Oh Zed, Zeddy Zed ZED.
I have experienced the same ENLIGHTENMENT when hiring PLUMBERS.
The thing that really amazes me is that even at $50/hr. (my rate to remove Windows viri from otherwise usable PCs), I am vastly undercharging for my services when compared to my pipe-and-sewer obsessed fellow tradesmen. My wife's $36/hr. for advanced piano lessons only further cements the reality. Being a "schmoit guy" is not a high dollar commodity anymore. No siree.
If RPI truely was/is a "high dollar voc-ed school" then I'm ready for my $235/hr. job using my hands, please.
Posted by Steven R. Staton on August 12 2005 22:46
$235 for two hours is actually $117.50 an hour. If the plumber is self-employed, remember that he has to pay for his own insurance, Social Security, and business expenses. If he works for a company, some of that is a markup for the boss. But it still comes out to a healthy rate of pay.
Computer services are cheaper because of supply and demand. How many people do you know who work with computers on a daily basis, and are interested in learning and perfecting skills in that area? Now, how many do you know who are that way with electric wiring, plumbing, carpentry, or even automobile maintenance?
In the country of the button-pushers, the button repairman is king.
Posted by Jimcat on August 15 2005 05:34