Ducan120 talks about his, "Party till ya Learn" solution to the loss of
talent problem we face.
This is EXACTLY what I plan to do with the house I'm buying, (Remember the
"Missile construction workshop?) 8>)
Anyway, I am, most likely, one of the youngest guys on this list. Still
years away from my 30th birthday. I've grown up in the "College or
Welfare" condition that we are currently in.
Luckily, I also loved computers growing up and was able to learn that
skill.
My high school has a Radio station, CABLE TV Station, multi-million dollar
computer labs, 2 Full television studios. But it is still holding on to
the older trades BARELY! (Auto shop/mechanics) However, to take one of
these, you have to give up 4 periods a day. Forget college if you do.
I have an older sister that I was able to learn LOTS from her boyfriends.
I learned to paint, weld (somewhat), repair engines from these guys. Her
husband is a carpenter and I am learning that trade now also.
What I found to help me learn was making friends with a local "total
handyman." I offer weekends to help him with his projects for free. In
return, I get his expert guidance and use of his tools when I need them.
This sort of a relationship has worked well for both of us. If you can
find someone who will agree to it, it is a great way to learn.
Back to the original post. This summer I also plan to open my shop up to
"Party till you learn" days. I have already been doing this at my current
location with motorcycle mechanics. It works great. People with all
different levels of experience come and everyone learns. The real
beginners get some easy tasks to do (most of the time it's the time
consuming stuff like scrapping gaskets, cleaning parts, sandblasting) This
frees up the people with the knowledge to move onto bigger problems.
Everyone shows up with bikes. We take each bike and do whatever it needs.
It may just be an oil change, or a brake overhaul. In the end, everyone
wins.
I'm located in Central NJ and will be offering the parties to anyone here.
Just my $0.02 worth
Inch
PS, if I'm invited, I'm heading out to Ducan120's place!
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