3 ms·

On point. You want people just give then good salaryies, benefits, and career growth.

toomuchtodo 8y ago
But that costs money. Where’s my pool of desperate labor willing to accept medicorce pay with no benefits and job security. /s Welcome to a tight labor market. May it last as long as possible until public policy catches up.
0x8BADF00D 8y ago
Some construction jobs are better than others. In SF, for example, there are many undersea construction jobs that pay very well. The CTO of Coinbase envisions that construction[0] as an industry is ripe for disruption, reaping the fruits of technology like VR controllable drones[1]. If you make construction like a video game, “young people” will flock to it. [0] https://medium.com/conversations-with-tyler/tyler-cowen-balaji-srinivasan-tech-bitcoin-crytocurrency-silicon-valley-management-b8db383c9cef https://medium.com/conversations-with-tyler/tyler-cowen-bala... [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W18Z3UnnS_0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W18Z3UnnS_0
- null000 8y ago
  > If you make construction like a video game, “young people” will flock to it That's not why "young people" aren't getting into construction. Fact is, there are easier jobs that pay about the same that are way easier to get into and won't destroy your body by the time you're 40. Taking the "destroy your body by the time you're 40" out of the equation might help, but the problem with construction definitely isn't the lack of video games.
patrickaljord 8y ago
I know a few people in construction, they started working for someone by fixing doors, do painting etc. until they learned enough to find their own clients. It's easier than you think to find a friend who needs something to get fixed and get more clients from there by doing local advertising or even door to door knocking to check if people need some fixes. These people I know now hire their own workers (and still work themselves too) and make more than many college graduates I know. Not saying anyone who gets into construction makes millions but there definitely is a path for growth and good pay is possible. It is however not a glamorous job, you need to get your hand dirty and work with some unhealthy products you need to protect yourself from (as much as you can at least...). It's a tough job but it does pay well. I personally wouldn't do it because of the physical aspect but financially it is definitely interesting.
- lowercased 8y ago
  > It's easier than you think to find a friend who needs something to get fixed and get more clients from there by doing local advertising or even door to door knocking to check if people need some fixes. And... treat it like a business. Show up on time. Answer your phone/text/emails. If you need to cancel, give notice. I'm continually flummoxed at how generally bad service industries are in many areas. We had one guy cutting our lawn. BEST EVER. Younger kid - showed up on time, notified ahead when he was coming, would notify if he couldn't make it re: weather delays, then would give us updated time/date. Even more "professional" than professional services we've used. We had one good year, then "I'm going to college, and can't do this any more". He could probably earn more expanding out his operation than he will from whatever college degree he will get. :(
  - lotsofpulp 8y ago
    At what cost might he earn more money? He loses socioeconomic status by being a landscaper, so his value in the dating market drops. He sacrifices health by being out in the sun all the time, inhaling fuel, increased risk of injury from driving around everywhere. Maybe he can have his own business someday, and have others do the work, but is he wise to play those odds if he also has a decent chance at becoming a doctor/lawyer/engineer/trader/banker?
    - lowercased 8y ago
      Nothing saying he couldn't hire more people now. There's (imo) an unmet need for quality service providers. Maybe it's just local to my area, and everyone else is doing great(?)
- CydeWeys 8y ago
  That requires entrepreneurship though, which is a whole collection of semi-related skills that most people don't have. "Just start your own business" works for some, but not for most. HN is biased more towards those types of folk by its nature, but we aren't a representative sampling of the population at large in this respect.
- 8y ago
lotsofpulp 8y ago
There is a very high price to pay to make up for ruining your body in some types of work involving repetitive and straining motions. Only reason is until now people didn't have options and had to do it, and didn't know about it. But now people are living longer, and there's lots of data about how different occupations fare in their later years. Any kid can see the lifestyle difference between the kids of manual laborers versus office workers. Being able to see your family on a regular basis, being home, not risking your life driving everywhere, all of these have to be made up for in pay.
Finnucane 8y ago
The day the Wall Street Journal advocates for those things is the day hell freezes over.

But that costs money. Where’s my pool of desperate labor willing to accept medicorce pay with no benefits and job security. /s Welcome to a tight labor market. May it last as long as possible until public policy catches up.

0x8BADF00D 8y ago

Some construction jobs are better than others. In SF, for example, there are many undersea construction jobs that pay very well. The CTO of Coinbase envisions that construction[0] as an industry is ripe for disruption, reaping the fruits of technology like VR controllable drones[1]. If you make construction like a video game, “young people” will flock to it. [0] https://medium.com/conversations-with-tyler/tyler-cowen-balaji-srinivasan-tech-bitcoin-crytocurrency-silicon-valley-management-b8db383c9cef https://medium.com/conversations-with-tyler/tyler-cowen-bala... [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W18Z3UnnS_0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W18Z3UnnS_0

null000 8y ago
> If you make construction like a video game, “young people” will flock to it That's not why "young people" aren't getting into construction. Fact is, there are easier jobs that pay about the same that are way easier to get into and won't destroy your body by the time you're 40. Taking the "destroy your body by the time you're 40" out of the equation might help, but the problem with construction definitely isn't the lack of video games.

patrickaljord 8y ago

I know a few people in construction, they started working for someone by fixing doors, do painting etc. until they learned enough to find their own clients. It's easier than you think to find a friend who needs something to get fixed and get more clients from there by doing local advertising or even door to door knocking to check if people need some fixes. These people I know now hire their own workers (and still work themselves too) and make more than many college graduates I know. Not saying anyone who gets into construction makes millions but there definitely is a path for growth and good pay is possible. It is however not a glamorous job, you need to get your hand dirty and work with some unhealthy products you need to protect yourself from (as much as you can at least...). It's a tough job but it does pay well. I personally wouldn't do it because of the physical aspect but financially it is definitely interesting.

lowercased 8y ago
> It's easier than you think to find a friend who needs something to get fixed and get more clients from there by doing local advertising or even door to door knocking to check if people need some fixes. And... treat it like a business. Show up on time. Answer your phone/text/emails. If you need to cancel, give notice. I'm continually flummoxed at how generally bad service industries are in many areas. We had one guy cutting our lawn. BEST EVER. Younger kid - showed up on time, notified ahead when he was coming, would notify if he couldn't make it re: weather delays, then would give us updated time/date. Even more "professional" than professional services we've used. We had one good year, then "I'm going to college, and can't do this any more". He could probably earn more expanding out his operation than he will from whatever college degree he will get. :(
- lotsofpulp 8y ago
  At what cost might he earn more money? He loses socioeconomic status by being a landscaper, so his value in the dating market drops. He sacrifices health by being out in the sun all the time, inhaling fuel, increased risk of injury from driving around everywhere. Maybe he can have his own business someday, and have others do the work, but is he wise to play those odds if he also has a decent chance at becoming a doctor/lawyer/engineer/trader/banker?
  - lowercased 8y ago
    Nothing saying he couldn't hire more people now. There's (imo) an unmet need for quality service providers. Maybe it's just local to my area, and everyone else is doing great(?)
CydeWeys 8y ago
That requires entrepreneurship though, which is a whole collection of semi-related skills that most people don't have. "Just start your own business" works for some, but not for most. HN is biased more towards those types of folk by its nature, but we aren't a representative sampling of the population at large in this respect.
8y ago

lotsofpulp 8y ago

There is a very high price to pay to make up for ruining your body in some types of work involving repetitive and straining motions. Only reason is until now people didn't have options and had to do it, and didn't know about it. But now people are living longer, and there's lots of data about how different occupations fare in their later years. Any kid can see the lifestyle difference between the kids of manual laborers versus office workers. Being able to see your family on a regular basis, being home, not risking your life driving everywhere, all of these have to be made up for in pay.

Finnucane 8y ago

The day the Wall Street Journal advocates for those things is the day hell freezes over.