[AT] Agricultural Equipment Diagnostic Technicians

Mon Aug 26 03:52:47 PDT 2019

I'll chime in here since we recently we down this path with my sons. My oldest son was very bright and got accepted to many fine schools. 2 weeks before he headed off to Virginia Tech, he told us he was not ready and wanted to join the Army. We made a a compromise and he joined the RI Army National Guard as a helicopter mechanic. This turned out well and he grew up overnight. He got back from a years deployment in Iraq and now works for the CT National Guard in Groton fixing all kinds of helicopters. The training he is receiving is wonderful and I won't have to worry about him having a job. My youngest son wanted to go the trades route and started as a CNC machinist but got bored with the repetition. After talking to his brother, he is now in school for his FAA Airframe & Powerplant license(A&P). This is an intensive 15 moth 40 hour per week program but the rewards are great. There is a big shortage of trained personnel in the aerospace field now. I work with the FAA on a weekly basis and the always mention how difficult it is to get people in the filed despite the great pay and benefits. They even want to draft me in as a FAA Repairman! Both boys will have their A&P licenses. Aerospace is very good field to get into as it will be very difficult to outsource overseas and the lack of good candidates due to the strict no drug testing program. 

  Antique tractor reference, the oldest son mentioned above made the journey to Portland when he was 2 years old back in 1999. That was our second trip to Portland. He loved it but I had to keep a tight hold on him especially with the big steam tractor and the Baker Fan running. I am awaiting to hear stories about the show in the coming days.

Jim Thomson
Rehoboth, MA  
> On August 26, 2019 at 12:11 AM Spencer Yost <spencer at rdfarms.com> wrote:
> 
> 
> True words Jim.
> 
> First, I must tell everyone that I will bring this back to antique tractors a little later.   Secondly I feel compelled to tell this because geology sort of started this.   Thirdly, and coincidentally, I told this story at Portland just last week.
> 
> I went to school for geology. Short version of a long story is that halfway through my sophomore year I decided I didn’t want to be in a boom and bust industry.   But earth science was all I cared about and I had no idea what I wanted to do next.
> 
> Several weeks of career counseling, personality and aptitude tests, and visitation with the deans and assistant deans of many departments led me to computer programming(which is what I still do to this day).  I had never even considered it prior to this.  Thank God for a great career counseling center at my alma mater, Appalachian State University.  (BTW I graduated with a minor in geology and a major in computer science).  
> 
> I definitely lucked out with the economics spectrum. It was not clear in the early 1980s this field would be a hot bed of career growth for the last 33 years but I went into it anyways.  So luck plays a role.
> 
> As for antique tractors?  They exercise the other interests and skills I have and I am no poorer nor more unhappy because I didn’t turn them into a career. Also, I have always been as strong in English as I was in math. The antique tractor books I wrote were my way of employing the skills that I love and enjoy but couldn’t in my career field.  
> 
> In the end we make our choices but everyone has scrap and fight to build the life we want; and with no exception in any life I am acquainted with does it lead you down roads you planned for or expected.  In defense of college  I will say my education armed me with the tools and weapons needed to choose and navigate those roads.  It honed my reasoning, critical thinking, and most definitely my communication skills.  Most importantly, it taught me how to adapt and grow regardless of the circumstances.
> 
> I once was asked by someone why do so many jobs require a college degree when clearly in many cases it is not entirely necessary? At its most basic level, a degree tells employers you know how to see a long-term, expensive project all the way through to the end. That’s an important skill in today’s world and rare among 22 year old folks.
> 
> Interestingly, and against the prevailing wisdom of the times, my general college classes ultimately ended up having the most lasting value. My computer classes? They’re so out of date I laugh at the stuff they used to teach us. But my logic, history, philosophy and language classes?  The topics and discussions we debated and learned are relevant to this day.
> 
> But if I didn’t go to college I would be a welder. I am certain I would probably be just as happy; albeit with a few more burn marks :-)
> 
> 
> Spencer Yost
> 
> > On Aug 25, 2019, at 8:38 PM, Jim Becker <mr.jebecker at gmail.com> wrote:
> > 
> > "Not clear cut" doesn't mean no positive correlation.
> > 
> > BLS already publishes the data you are asking for.  All you have to do is read it.
> > 
> > -----Original Message----- From: James Peck
> > Sent: Sunday, August 25, 2019 7:19 PM
> > To: Antique Tractor Email Discussion Group
> > Subject: Re: [AT] Agricultural Equipment Diagnostic Technicians
> > 
> > I was in an Economics course in 1970 when the Professor mentioned to the class that the relationship between economic success and university program completion was not clear cut. Some in the class expressed disbelief.
> > 
> > [James Peck] If we were setting up training programs for our country from scratch we might take a census by employer of every job. We might then get a definition of all the skills or skill sets a person needs to do each job. Compiling all that, we could create a massive list of training needs.
> > 
> > One thing that occurred in the past was the creation of the national skills standards board.
> > 
> > My guess is we would end up with a massive lists of training needs and very few degree needs.  Training for Ag Mechanics would probably be a gainer.
> > 
> > 
> > [Al Jones] Starting my 23rd year in education.  It seems that a lot of people have a real disdain for four year degrees, a lot of that seems to be political but I won't go down that road.  While I think this is wrong, the mindset is slowly, very slowly shifting away from the notion that a four year degree is a requirement to be successful, which I think is good. The most important thing a person preparing for life after high school needs to consider is what their goals and interests are and go from there.  With the costs of four year schools now, you have to have a plan and it has to be realistic, and it has to have several back-ups if Plan A, B, or C doesn't work out.  A psychology or similar degree just doesn't pencil out for most people.
> > 
> > All the statistics I have seen in forever point to increased demands for skilled tradespeople. There are and will be some real opportunities for young people if that is their interest.
> > 
> > I was fortunate in that I knew what I wanted to do.  If it was 1992 again, and if I didn't know what I wanted to do, I'd go into the military and let the government pay for my education once I had a plan together.
> > 
> > [Jim Becker] I have a BA in Mathematics and I did OK.  At least half the things I worked with didn't exist when I was in school.  A good 4 year degree helps you be flexible and be prepared for a lifetime of learning.
> > 
> > The half life of a troubleshooting procedure is maybe 5 years.  If you don't start using tech school training almost immediately, you'll find the only part still applicable is lefty loosey, righty tighty.
> > 
> > [ James Peck] I have an in-law that spent 6 years in the Navy and got sent to an A level school and trained as an Electronic Technician. After he got out of the Navy he got a BS degree in Mathematics using the Gi bill. After graduating from the Math program he was dissatisfied with the jobs being or not being offered to him and returned to study Electrical Engineering. Probably he could have used his Electronic Technician training to get a related job and then use his Math degree to get into an engineering level job at that same employer.
> > 
> > People choose academic programs with no idea that they will like the career or be good at it. Even worse, they choose programs for which there is NO career or is overfilled.
> > 
> > [John Hall] Interesting comments on trades vs 4 year schools. My son just began college, Math major. He has book sense way more than most--gifted in brains and the desire to learn on a higher level. On the other hand, he can't change the oil in his truck without my assistance. I tried very hard to teach him the basics of farming and mechanic work, but thats just not how his mind works. For folks like that, 4 year degrees are where its at. Myself, I didn't have the brains or the desire to go to 4 years of school, so I went to community college and have spent the last 30 years in a machine shop.
> > 
> > Schooling should match the student, that is my families take on the situation.
> > 
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