3 ms·

Ask HN: Niche high skill trades?

Recently, a commenter on HN pointed out that high end watch making/servicing is under increasing pressure to find and train novice watchmakers due to the retirement of Baby Boomers. This turns out to be true and training to become a watchmaker appears to be fully subsidized by industry. I find these kinds of niche, high skill jobs fascinating and would love to hear about others that are seeing a similar generational turn over. There must be other niche opportunities to be exploited in this significant demographic shift.

danielvf 9y ago
The best surgeon’s knives and scalpel’s are still made with humans manually doing a bit of the precision manufacturing. This is almost all older people, and companies are delighted to get young blood in.
- jxub 9y ago
  > made with humans Sounds scary... I don't think this is an example of a good field to get in... :grin:
- germinalphrase 9y ago
  That's exactly what I'm talking about. I would completely assume this is an automated task. Edit: are there specific companies that live at the top of that niche?
hackermailman 9y ago
There's a knife sharpening business here that seems to print money they have so many restaurant/salon contracts.
- germinalphrase 9y ago
  Where's here?
DoreenMichele 9y ago
I don't know if this is still true, but I have heard for years that certain key jobs in the fashion industry are held by a shrinking number of mostly elderly immigrants with significant sewing and draping skills. Draping apparently being the art of mocking up an initial design with just cloth on a figure. /handwavy vague memory and understanding (someone more knowledgeable than me please chime in)
cimmanom 9y ago
Cobbling - aka custom shoemaking and shoe repair. Shoe repair still exists, though almost every shop I've visited is staffed entirely with people over 50. Shoemaking is almost a lost skill, though there are 2-3 places in NYC that still do it (mostly custom high end work for rich people or sometimes stuff for people with foot problems, paid for by medical insurers). Stone carving. The Cathedral of St. John the Divine had so much trouble finding carvers when they got funding to resume construction 15-20 years ago that they instituted an apprenticeship program for underprivileged youth in the neighborhood. I don't know how successful that was, but the program's presumably been ended, since their funding ran dry again.

danielvf 9y ago

The best surgeon’s knives and scalpel’s are still made with humans manually doing a bit of the precision manufacturing. This is almost all older people, and companies are delighted to get young blood in.

jxub 9y ago
> made with humans Sounds scary... I don't think this is an example of a good field to get in... :grin:
germinalphrase 9y ago
That's exactly what I'm talking about. I would completely assume this is an automated task. Edit: are there specific companies that live at the top of that niche?

hackermailman 9y ago

There's a knife sharpening business here that seems to print money they have so many restaurant/salon contracts.

germinalphrase 9y ago
Where's here?

DoreenMichele 9y ago

I don't know if this is still true, but I have heard for years that certain key jobs in the fashion industry are held by a shrinking number of mostly elderly immigrants with significant sewing and draping skills. Draping apparently being the art of mocking up an initial design with just cloth on a figure. /handwavy vague memory and understanding (someone more knowledgeable than me please chime in)

cimmanom 9y ago

Cobbling - aka custom shoemaking and shoe repair. Shoe repair still exists, though almost every shop I've visited is staffed entirely with people over 50. Shoemaking is almost a lost skill, though there are 2-3 places in NYC that still do it (mostly custom high end work for rich people or sometimes stuff for people with foot problems, paid for by medical insurers). Stone carving. The Cathedral of St. John the Divine had so much trouble finding carvers when they got funding to resume construction 15-20 years ago that they instituted an apprenticeship program for underprivileged youth in the neighborhood. I don't know how successful that was, but the program's presumably been ended, since their funding ran dry again.