<![CDATA[On this episode of "Things I Learned Today,” I’m talking about jobs. More specifically, the types of jobs we want, and the types of jobs we don’t. There are millions of jobs available with nobody to hire for them. Currently, there are nearly 12 million people without work in the United States (as of March 2013), and over 3 million jobs that need to be filled in only the following areas: plumbing, welding, electrical, and construction. The areas of trades, where work used to be dominant, is now considered some sort of second-grade class of employment. Why is this? How many of you out there know how to.. say… fix a plumbing problem, or route the pipes for a home? Could you run electrical for an apartment complex if you had some extra hands helping you with it? What about… fixing appliances, or building an addition to your house? Turns out, a decreasing number of people know how to do these things. I know I certainly don’t know much about them. For the rest of you who actually know how to do many of these things, or are experienced enough to figure them out without much issue, an even smaller percentage of you actually do that sort of thing for a living. That’s because of the mindset people have in this country, and the view we have on those types of jobs. They are no longer a desired area of work. People, speaking generally of course, simply don’t want to do them. Young people, myself included, feel better about jobs that simply don’t touch these areas. For the most part. There are still plenty of people I went to high school with who excel in these types of jobs, and do very well in them. I view it like this: You are more than your job, and a job is merely what you do to provide for your lifestyle. it isn’t who you are, nor what makes up your identity. That being said, I have no interest in any of those jobs. I’m simply not into the work involved in them, and the money that results from that type of work is, I guess, less “worth it” than other areas. Areas I consider to be the “future” of the world. But not everyone can think like I do, especially those who are unemployed. Surely, out of the 3 million jobs available for these areas, some of these jobless people could do well there. Regardless of the social element of working such a job, would you rather be a plumber or unemployed? A construction worker… or on welfare? We cannot do much without these people. They are so vital to our success, and they will continue to be for the foreseeable future. But I’d love to hear what you think about this? What is stopping some people from doing it, even when they don’t already have a job in the first place? Perhaps it’s simply the lack of education in the area, but if that’s the case, then what stops people from training and going to school to learn? [charliead]