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Message started by zipidachimp on 08/18/21 at 21:54:02

Title: Question for our kids !
Post by zipidachimp on 08/18/21 at 21:54:02

'would you rather stare into a screen all day, or make cool stuff?'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKiHgBhW8UQ

Cheers! 8-)

Title: Re: Question for our kids !
Post by Tocsik on 08/20/21 at 09:40:59

I just stared into a screen watching someone else make cool stuff. I wonder what that says? ;D

Title: Re: Question for our kids !
Post by Serowbot on 08/20/21 at 10:59:16

You're one of the rest of us. :-?

Title: Re: Question for our kids !
Post by Dave on 08/21/21 at 03:59:28

I think one of the problems is.......almost no kids go and find a mentor anymore. When I was in high school my dad got me a job at a lawn mower shop, and the fellow who owned and ran it was a great man and a good teacher. He was a good family man with great christian values, an old school roadside garage mechanic before changing his business to lawn mowers and chainsaw sales and service. In the winters when the lawn care business was slow he rebuilt Ford Model A and B engines (I got to do the disassembly and cleanup and he did the repair/rebuild).

I didn't have video games or the internet as a distraction - and the only way I could have the motorcycle I wanted was to have a job to pay for it. It was a kinder and simpler and more gentle world back then when you lived in the country........and thankfully my job and boss both taught me valuable skills that I am still using today!

I just don't know if there are any small businesses that would hire and train a young person to do things anymore......or if there are many kids even want to spend time with an old adult learning skills. I think a lot of this still goes on in the rural areas - last week I was at a fair and at the tractor pull there were a lot of young men with restored tractors.....I have a feeling they likely were involved in the restoration and maintenance with their dads.

Title: Re: Question for our kids !
Post by engineer on 08/21/21 at 07:11:02

That eight ball is cool. Dave's experience is especially interesting to me because I also had a mentor. A neighbor was manager of a mechanical shop for cars and light trucks and they also sold and serviced a few motorcycles there. He took an interest in the two wheeled junk I drug home and taught me much about basic mechanics. He also owned a farm that had no house or outbuildings so he managed to rebuild a tractor in half of his two car garage. When he had to, he could fix about anything on the cheap and with little in the way of tools and equipment.

Title: Re: Question for our kids !
Post by zipidachimp on 08/21/21 at 11:34:14

Another observation: where I live there are a million condos with no garages, basements are a thing of the past, so where can anyone do stuff?
I live in an apartment and rent a huge garage from a nice korean family. In 3 years I have had zero inquiries from anyone in the family about what I'm doing. Good for me, everyone else is stuck into a screen.
Modern life is tough if you are mechanically inclined, not to mention the digital conversion where even John Deere claims ownership over what you just bought.
'Right to repair' ? pull the other one!
Cheers! 8-)

Title: Re: Question for our kids !
Post by Tocsik on 08/22/21 at 14:00:17

Growing up before the internet and mobile phones is a blessing not to be dismissed.

My Dad is from a small mill town in NC and was a Navy man. When we ended up in San Diego, he had a goal to buy a home with some space around it and somehow made it happen. So I grew up in rural East County San Diego where I had a mini bike, my sister had a horse and we raised a steer and rabbits. I always had an interest in how things worked and loved to take stuff apart and took metal shop and small engine repair in high school. The small engine repair class is what kept the spark alive in me. I still do most everything myself, even when I don't know how. That includes plumbing, electrical work, drywall, fixing appliances etc.
That's the other side of the internet. Now, I use it to learn how do stuff or get better at other stuff. I'm not a real master of anything (except cardiac ultrasound for congenital heart defects), but it just seems right to try to do things and learn as you go. I would love to have a mentor, even at my age!

Title: Re: Question for our kids !
Post by Ruttly on 08/23/21 at 13:17:13

Mechanics are a strange breed , most revel in their own skills , then there are the few that have polished the skill of watching , listening & learning the new skills. Usually from some older guy(s) with a mentoring attitude. I figure I have learned 80% of my skills from only 5 to 10% of all the mechanic I have worked with. So I have had way more than one than one mentor , absorb information whenever , wherever & from whoever you can.
You are in charge of your education , but nothing replaces a true mentor. Now that I’m old I’m sure some youngster is trying to steal my skills.

Title: Re: Question for our kids !
Post by zipidachimp on 08/24/21 at 19:10:00

Here's another idea for the kids: blue collar jobs may seem lower status, but as I've observed, lots of smart blue collar people have left factories after some years and started there own businesses. Rarely hear anyone talking about this, electricians, machinists, carpenters, welders etc.
Most of these jobs will still be needed in the future. College? Maybe not!
Cheers! 8-)