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Snippets of Text and Hubris


Life and literature in the modern world.

Mike Rowe on Importance of Skilled Labor

Mike Rowe's testimony before the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on the lack of Skilled Labor and how current cultural opinions about what a good job is further discourage pursuit of those careers. For those who don't know, he is the creator and star of the Discovery Channel's "Dirty Jobs." It's witty, personal, and well worth the listen.

Two quotes worth repeating:

"I believe we need a national PR Campaign for Skilled Labor. A big one. Something that addresses the widening Skills Gap head on, and reconnects the country with the most important part of our workforce.

Right now, American manufacturing is struggling to fill 200,000 vacant positions. There are 450,000 openings in trades, transportation and utilities. The Skills Gap is real, and it’s getting wider. In Alabama, a third of all skilled tradesmen are over 55. They’re retiring fast, and no one is there to replace them."


"In general, we’re surprised that high unemployment can exist at the same time as a skilled labor shortage. We shouldn’t be. We’ve pretty much guaranteed it.

In high schools, the vocational arts have all but vanished. We’ve elevated the importance of “higher education” to such a lofty perch, that all other forms of knowledge are now labeled “alternative.” Millions of parents and kids see apprenticeships and on-the-job-training opportunities as “vocational consolation prizes,” best suited for those not cut out for a four-year degree.  And still, we talk about millions of “shovel ready” jobs for a society that doesn’t encourage people to pick up a shovel.


In a hundred different ways, we have slowly marginalized an entire category of critical professions, reshaping our expectations of a “good job” into something that no longer looks like work. A few years from now, an hour with a good plumber – if you can find one – is going to cost more than an hour with a good psychiatrist. At which point we’ll all be in need of both."


Find more at http://www.mikeroweworks.com/scrap-yard

My Lessons for the Week

If I am to be a "brand" should I not be a "brand" worth believing in?

It's easy to try to fit a persona with all the keywords intact. It's a
bit more difficult when that persona doesn't exactly fit. So, I am
going to stop trying to fit into a mold. After all, I'm not pretty
enough to start posting naked pictures, so you're either going to like
me for for being me or you're not going to like me.

I think that it's probably best we get that out of the way now.

Free Creative Writing Programs for Iowa Kids starting Late this March!

The Iowa Youth Writing Project is offering three different programs this Spring. Each one is completely free of charge! These program have each been designed for a specific age-range and are focused on encouraging and developing young creative minds. They are all taught by experienced and talented teachers who have a real passion for this type of education and outreach, but, most of all, the programs just look like a heck of a lot of fun. I would have killed for programs like this when I wasI was a kid. That's why I believe so heavily in pushing these programs and in the Iowa Youth Writing Project's core mission. I grew up as a poor kid, often living in rural areas where access to these types of programs was almost non-existent. If they did exist, they certainly weren't free. If you have kids, take advantage of what the Iowa Youth Writing Project is offerring. It really is too good to pass up!

View the programs and sign up here: 

 SPRING 2011 PROGRAMS

More on The Iowa Youth Writing Project and its Mission here:

 IYWP: Mission Statement

 

Iywp_spring

TOC 2011: Margaret Atwood, "The Publishing Pie: An Author's View"

via youtube.com

Oreilly's Tools of Change for Publishing Conference wrapped up a little while ago. Unfortunately, I was busy last week so this is all a bit dated, but Margaret Atwood's presentation was incredibly interesting and funny. She also helped to frame the conversation from the author's ( "the Primary Source" as she puts it) perspective and I think that was a real positive.

Honestly, I believe the best option she lists is the U.A. model. In fact, I really believe that is where we are headed when it comes to a variety of artistic endeavors, and I readily welcome it. The idea of content creators, of all types, organizing and coming together to produce, publish, and promote their own works just gets me excited.

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