Factory workers making more than many online adjuncts and other doctors.

I read an interesting report from CNN Money stating that many factory workers, who may not have any college degree, are making six figures. This beats what many professors make. This is after only a two year apprenticeship instead of eight or more years of university. According to this article, there are more jobs than there are takers.

"An aspiring machinist -- a popular factory job -- can start training at 18 and then do a one- or two-year manufacturing apprenticeship. In five years, he or she could be making more than $50,000. In 10 years, that could double to $100,000.

Not a bad salary for a 28-year-old.

"If you're really good at your work, you could remain employed for a very long time, because there are so few of us," said Sedlak.

Sedlak's top worker makes $30 an hour. And annual pay at his company ranges between $70,000 and $80,000 with overtime. In 31 years, only three workers have retired from his factory."

 

I don't have a problem with that.

 

I volunteered to help people with unemployment issues in Michigan a about 2 years ago. We had A LOT of former General Motor employees that came through. They all mentioned that they made a decent living but very few were anywhere close to 100,000 dollars a year. That's including some that had 10+ years with GM. Granted, I don't know know if any where machinist.

 

I do not have a problem with this at all. Some of these individuals are highly skilled and poses large amount of technical knowledge. I think you will see the salaries of these types of professions only rise. They are not what they use to be. Look underneath the hood of your modern car, many of these have more computing power than the Apollo 11 moon rocket. Many of the "trades" are hurting because everyone is being told to go to college/university. Just as any other type of commodity, when there is a shortage, prices rise. The trades is that way now. If I were 18 again or 28 I would try to get in, which is easier now because few go this route. Imagine learning your profession, getting paid while you do it, with health insurance and money paid into your retirement fund. In four years or so you have been out and are making good money and have NO DEBT. Not a bad deal if you can do the work.

 

I think "factory worker" might be misleading. Perhaps instead they should put "tradesmen" or "skilled laborers" or even "craftsment". A factory worker could be anyone from a guy wiring an F-35 fighter jet for electronics to a guy pulling a lever to stamp out license plate blanks. The skill level is the critical factor.

 

Yep, it's all about being useful to society. There's nothing to stop scholars from getting a useful skill for their day job. Lots of artists, writers and musicians find work that pays so they can pursue their passions. Get your PhD and if no one wants you go to tech school and learn HVAC or whatever else will pay the bills. Maybe you'll adjunct and get your big break one day or maybe you'll write a book that everyone wants to read (which is another way of being useful).

Also, let's not forget that there are a lot of extremely bright and educated people who have personalities that make them absolutely worthless in any setting.

 

I'd do it for a klondike bar! Oh, I'm full time now, so I don't have to adjunct anymore! :cool2:

But to echo everyone else, I don't have a problem with it either. Having taught high schoolers, they have this sense of entitlement that they A) MUST go to college and B) WILL get into college. Both are incorrect. Even when I try to talk people into going to our community college, they just write it off. As MC said, it's a supply and demand issue. Skills are in demand, and yet students aren't getting them.

-Matt

 

I think it's fine right up until your factory gets outsourced to Thailand or China or some other place. Then you might wish that you have some more formal education. Ask the people in Detroit.

 

Interesting thing about factory workers. Some of us on the corvette forum actually pay $7500 to assemble our own motor in the factory as part of the engine build experience. Why not get paid 100k to build motors with 2 years of experience instead and build your own Vette's motor?

 

What will happen when "online adjuncts" and "other doctors" gets "outsourced to Thailand or China or some other place"? ... you might then wish that you have something useful to offer.

 

You are right. Just in England, adjuncts get paid even lower than the US. A full time professor in England gets paid around 30,000 pounds a year.

Internet can be a dangerous thing, it is not so difficult to outsource education to places with high education standards like England, India, etc.

 

I can picture academic sweatshops where downtrodden scholars slave over a table filled with monitors, grading papers and keeping up with discussion boards.

 

It seems that Australia has the same issue, from my conversation with some Australian professors, it looks like the enrollments are going down in Australia because people are making more money working in the mines and other trades.

Jobs for high educated people are becoming scarce due to automation. Only some degrees are still worth the effort and money including engineering, accounting, medicine but most other fields might not be worth the effort.

 

It makes me wonder if strongly encouraging our children to attend university is always the right thing to do. That was the conventional wisdom, but it may not always apply these days.

 

The economy changes very fast nowadays. Right now, it is not worth the effort but things might change in the future. I think a good general education is not a bad thing in any case, you can encourage someone to do an Associate at least and then go to work in the field. With distance education, someone can continue later in life if they decide to do so.

 

I am an Aircraft Technician for the past 20 years or so. I work for a major airline. I probably make more than most BA college graduates. We are UNION so our collective bargaining is done via our union. Not all factory workers make six figures. I agree with the poster in that it all depends on the skill set, and also, where your factory is located. Is it in a right to work state such as in the south or is it located in heavily unionized cities such as in New York. Guess what? Hate to admit it but being a member of a union pays alot more with much better contracts and benefits. Guys handing out tools in the tool room with low skills make up to 22 bucks per hour with flying benefits and medical insurance, dental, retirement ect....On the outside, or a non-union job, would probably be a 7.850 an hour job......
I also want to point out that I do have an FAA license, and also an AAS in aviation mx technology.

 

A true point indeed but I see management getting hit first in layoffs where I work. We are so specialized at what we do, they never seem to touch the ones that actually touch airplanes. (This is not to say I am always safe though. It is an airline business.)

 

You may want to look into ERAU. It will run you about 8K per year. (This is answering another post of yours) ERAU is a well respected university that specializes in Aviation.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - World's Leader in Aviation and Aerospace Education

 

Looked into that a long time ago. Not interested in paying that much for a 4 year degree. Way to much of an investment I really don't want to play with. Thanks.