Good Article and Book for treeworkers

[opposablethumb]

It's interesting to think about the things that cause "generation gaps", in other words, what makes it so that one generation has a difficult time relating to the previous one.

Don't you think that one thing that separates people in my generation (I'm 30 years old) from an older generation is that a lot of people in my age vicinity never had the opportunity to take shop class in high school? It had been dropped from the curriculum by the time I was being hustled through.

I never thought about the significance of this for my personal development or my career development, nor the significance for our broader society, until I read this article from the New York Times that my sister sent to me by a dude that has a Ph.D. in political theory(?), was at one point the director of a Washington D.C. think tank, but decided that his career should be spent as a motorcycle mechanic. Not your typical career path.

Anyways, I love doing tree work, and I found this article that he wrote to be helpful in recognizing the broader value that a job working with your hands has for a person's development as a human being and for society, beyond the fun of cool gear and the occasional adrenaline dump that we get being treecutters.

I hope you'll pardon my ramblings up to this point and still check out the article:
The Case for Working with Your Hands

The book he wrote that expands this idea is called
Shop Class as Soulcraft by Matthew Crawford

 

[cbugg]

that's cool thanks

 

[chris_girard]

I've read Shop Class as Soulcraft and enjoyed it, though I gave it to a friend of mine who said it was too deep for them.

I'll have to check out Crawford's article, thanks for the link.

I too never had a chance to take shop class (I'm 45) because my high school did not have it. I went to a Catholic high school.

 

[boreality]

This article is one of the best things I've read on tree forums.

I've had a drunk client tell me "your parents must of wished you went to school, or would you carry my golf clubs to the car".

I reply with I spent $100,000 on education to do what I do and I wouldn't trade it for anything. (I'm counting lost income in the education cost, because it's a real factor and that's a modest estimate.)

I wish there was a way to work this into my marketing because I'm sick of being looked at as a yard tard with a death wish.

 

[Tom Dunlap]

Excellent article!

I liked his note about not seeing 'Work Safely' in offices. Too often people think that safety is removed from them since there are no looming risks. The truth is, that driving is the most dangerous thing that we do...and we all drive.

Most office jobs don't have tangible, holdable results at the end of the day. Doing treework does...much different rewards and measurements.

 

[oceans]

"I reply with I spent $100,000 on education to do what I do and I wouldn't trade it for anything. (I'm counting lost income in the education cost, because it's a real factor and that's a modest estimate.)

I wish there was a way to work this into my marketing because I'm sick of being looked at as a yard tard with a death wish."

I think the manner in which one carries themselves, and the words one chooses to speak can greatly effect the perception of others. It can also help to think of it as their loss, not yours, when you feel less than appreciated. I don't mean to suggest that you lack in any regard, but sometimes, choice words will immediately affect the quality of an exchange. This business, like any other, is laden with frustrating stigmas. Perhaps we must "be the change". ~ pretty certain Ghandi said that...

 

[islandarb]

I love this thread, my whole life I have waged war on academics. Being able to handle maths and physics forced me towards engineering where I studied Land Surveying in university but by the third year I was hating every minute of it my grades suffered and I left after 4 years 2 credits short of my degree and heavily in debt. I fortunately always took shop both wood and metal, throughout high school and I have always been proficient with tools. I like working with my hands and love working outdoors would not have it anyway. Many of my friends have better paying jobs but I am not sure how happy they are or if they feel fulfilled in their current professions. I do very strenuous and most times dirty work, but my job gives me a sense of satisfaction when I see the fruits of my work at the end of the day. I love my job and God only knows I have done all sorts. By far working on trees and caring for them has been the most fulfilling job I have encountered thus far, and I only wish I had found it sooner. Paul.

 

[southsoundtree]

[ QUOTE ]

I wish there was a way to work this into my marketing because I'm sick of being looked at as a yard tard with a death wish."



[/ QUOTE ]

Kinda would be nice to say to those people, "I'm going to dumb this down a lot for you, so that can get an idea. Don't take these analogies literally. Its the best I can do to help someone understand that doesn't have an in-depth knowledge about the biology, physics, physiology, etc, that takes years and years to learn. I'll just leave all the vertical access and rigging out of it. You'd just be lost."

Would be hard to close the sale with that preface, though.

 

[islandarb]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

I wish there was a way to work this into my marketing because I'm sick of being looked at as a yard tard with a death wish."



[/ QUOTE ]

Kinda would be nice to say to those people, "I'm going to dumb this down a lot for you, so that can get an idea. Don't take these analogies literally. Its the best I can do to help someone understand that doesn't have an in-depth knowledge about the biology, physics, physiology, etc, that takes years and years to learn. I'll just leave all the vertical access and rigging out of it. You'd just be lost."

Would be hard to close the sale with that preface, though.

[/ QUOTE ]
Well said Sean.

 

[oceans]

"By far working on trees and caring for them has been the most fulfilling job I have encountered thus far, and I only wish I had found it sooner. Paul. "

WORD!

""I'm going to dumb this down a lot for you, so that can get an idea. Don't take these analogies literally. Its the best I can do to help someone understand that doesn't have an in-depth knowledge about the biology, physics, physiology, etc, that takes years and years to learn. I'll just leave all the vertical access and rigging out of it. You'd just be lost."

Would be hard to close the sale with that preface, though. "

AMEN, Sean! But don't forget to mention all the health conscious physical preparation and dietary decisions involved!