With all respect to Andy – and I sincerely respect him as leader in journalism and commentary – this piece lacks timely investigation.
I have suspected for most of my working career that he is right about our country needing more people who master skilled labor of all sorts. Most of us know now that a college degree does not guarantee a good wage. (At least most of us who got degrees in journalism, English and psychology know this is true!)
Plumbers and electricians demand good wages, but what Andy omitted is that skilled labor takes years of study, practice and certification. I would just as soon be a master gardener, an expert cake decorator or a metal arts creator as continue to be a writer. But alas, those accomplishments require courses (which cost money) and much practice (which I won’t get without apprenticing or interning).
As for picking up garbage on the county payroll, Andy apparently doesn’t realize we have unpaid workers, aka inmates, doing that already. His point that people can be productive without being managers is valid, yet it has been too long since Andy himself searched for work.
If Andy were digging for a job today, he would find that employers want a good fit – someone who will stick with the company more than six months. Even if you can afford to live on fast food wages, it is unlikely that someone with an MBA is going to be the top pick.
Furthermore, a large percentage of unemployed people were in fields connected to construction at some level. I financed machines and trucks that moved dirt. When building ceased, so did my job – twice.
Plenty of skilled workers probably wish they could stomach a week in a cubicle so they could apply for office jobs. Others might long for the strength to lift boxes to stock shelves. Yet, we are who we are. The best we can do is continue to look inside to the set of skills we own and enjoy and pray for a chance to use them.