View Full Version : Mike Rowe on Work, Plain and Simple
Some very interesting observations on work, epiphany and the importance of the trades:
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/mike_rowe_celebrates_dirty_jobs.html
I listened to this a couple weeks ago. Very interesting to hear his perspective on work and its change throughout the years. Especially since he has had the unique experience of doing a lot of the jobs most people wouldn't dare give a chance.
Great Post.
I often dont grow too fond of TV folk....Mike seems to be a down to earth guy.
I looked around a little and found this one
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/john_wooden_on_the_difference_between_winning_and_ success.html
The Coach, what more can I say. I very much liked the story of the umpire with one 'I'.
aegisnavy
03-30-2009, 21:44
I've been in the construction industry for over 14 years now. Yeah, I'm an engineer, but I owe the largest measure of my success to getting out in the field with the people who actually build what I dream up, and learning what works and what doesn't. What I've noticed over this short time span, is that every year, there are less and less people willing to do the complicated, difficult, and sometimes dirty work. The pool of true tradesmen/craftsmen is drying up. The twin capabilities of intelligence and a hard work ethic is becoming a rarity. Maybe that's why I admire the QP's so much. They have the inherent qualities that appear to be dwindling in general society, at least from my POV.
Thanks for the post, it made my day :)
I've been in the construction industry for over 14 years now. Yeah, I'm an engineer, but I owe the largest measure of my success to getting out in the field with the people who actually build what I dream up, and learning what works and what doesn't. What I've noticed over this short time span, is that every year, there are less and less people willing to do the complicated, difficult, and sometimes dirty work. The pool of true tradesmen/craftsmen is drying up. The twin capabilities of intelligence and a hard work ethic is becoming a rarity. Maybe that's why I admire the QP's so much. They have the inherent qualities that appear to be dwindling in general society, at least from my POV.
Thanks for the post, it made my day :)Stay safe.
Ken Brock
03-31-2009, 05:46
Dirty Jobs is one of the only shows I care to watch on TV
I've always gotten the sense that Mike Rowe was a solid guy
thanks for the video
Work is what built this country.
My Dad was a master carpenter for over 30 years. He designed and personally built the house I grew up in. He bought the land, moved a trailer out there, had a well drilled, built a septic tank system, dug the foundation and built the forms for the house/garage, mixed and poured the concrete, put in the plumbing and wiring, laid the brick and built the fireplace, put in the windows and furnace, roofed it with cedar shakes, stuccoed it, etc. It took him - with the help of a neighbor - two years to complete and he paid for it all as he built it. He and the neighbor helped each other build their two houses and barns. The garage was finished first and had a sink, toilet and shower. We moved into the garage and then into the house as it was finished. The flooring is tongue and groove 1/2" thick maple from a JC Penney store which was built in the 1920s and torn down in 1951, and beautiful. The house is still a modern looking ranch and solid as a rock.
When he was the foreman of the construction company he worked for, I used to watch my Dad in the evenings poring over blueprints of construction projects and refiguring things which the architect had designed but were unworkable. He had a set of Audel's manuals he used which literally taught you how to build anything - if you could read and had the desire to learn. He had a desk at the back of the living room made from a 7' oaken door so he could roll out the blueprints for reading/editing. My oldest son, an environmental chemical engineer, now uses the desk in his office.
My Dad was wiry and had worked all his life, and after he retired as a carpenter, he continued to farm with my brother until his death in 2001.
The pic is my Mom and Dad standing behind the house in 1953 (kitchen window behind Dad's head).
His lesson to us (my 2 brothers and myself) was that we could do about anything if we really wanted to do it and we went about it in the right way. I've tried to pass those same lessons on to my sons.
Richard's $.02 :munchin
Mike Rowe is one of the few guys that I think are real on TV today. I love watching Dirty Jobs when I am in the states. I drives my mother crazy but she likes reality TV so you know where she is in life.
I enjoy listening to him talk and most people think he is not educated because of what his show does but he is and listening to this video drives the point home how well educated he is.
Thanks for the post.
Great video and great web site. I thoroughly enjoy hearing some of the "out of the box" thinkers that excel in their particular field.
Hartzco
When he was the foreman of the construction company he worked for, I used to watch my Dad in the evenings poring over blueprints of construction projects and refiguring things which the architect had designed but were unworkable. He had a set of Audel's manuals he used which literally taught you how to build anything - if you could read and had the desire to learn.I'd go to the FOGs of each trade and they'd sit me down with the blueprints and explain every little detail then; they'd have me work on that particular page of the blueprint.
After some time, you could actually look at blueprints and envision it in 3D. It's a skill that I currently use when assessing clinics here now.
BTW...there was a "right of passage" you had too endure in order to gain the old-timers' respect. Pouring and finishing concrete was a bitch, 4x8 3/4" plywood ain't light and the various other things they'd have me do sucked!
I SURVIVED!:lifter
Stay safe.
Bill Harsey
03-31-2009, 09:47
I'd go to the FOGs of each trade and they'd sit me down with the blueprints and explain every little detail then; they'd have me work on that particular page of the blueprint.
After some time, you could actually look at blueprints and envision it in 3D. It's a skill that I currently use when assessing clinics here now.
BTW...there was a "right of passage" you had too endure in order to gain the old-timers' respect. Pouring and finishing concrete was a bitch, 4x8 3/4" plywood ain't light and the various other things they'd have me do sucked!
I SURVIVED!:lifter
Stay safe.
Guy,
I've seen pictures of some of the projects you've done. You didn't just survive...you excelled.
Razor,
Thank you for posting this.
The trend I've seen in public education, at least here in Oregon, is to separate out the students between those who would work with their minds or their hands.
If you are "hands" this used to mean going to shop class to learn how to pound a nail, weld some steel or wrench on a car.
Not much was expected of these students as they were placed in the holding pens of the shops while the schools real energy was dedicated towards getting the rest into a college.
Now the the shop classes are mostly eliminated and few exist. Students are being taught that it is sub-class to get their hands dirty.
Here is the big mistake the public schools have made, it is not understanding you have to work with both your hands and mind. Where do they think the hard workers who drive this nation come from?
Where do the real innovators and entrepreneurs in industry come from?
Anyone hear the story of some old boy in Italy named Ferruccio Lamborghini?
He ran "Lamborghini Trattori", they made farm tractors and still do. Now the Lamborghini name is associated with something that rolls a little faster all because Ferruccio decided to turn his skills in another direction. I'd bet he's gotten his hands dirty once or twice.
As has already been stated in this thread, the United States of America was built by those who worked hard and got dirty and I will add, using their brains and hands.
Thank you Mike Rowe.
ZonieDiver
03-31-2009, 10:06
Now the the shop classes are mostly eliminated and few exist. Students are being taught that it is sub-class to get their hands dirty.
Here is the big mistake the public schools have made, it is not understanding you have to work with both your hands and mind. Where do they think the hard workers who drive this nation come from?
One of the main reasons I enjoy teaching in the school in which I teach is that it is the "vocational magnet" school for our district. We have students pursuing careers in culinary, cosmetology, carpentry, auto mechanics and body work, computer technology, floral design, and many others. Most of these students are focused and goal-oriented. We also require a higher degree of academic performance than our sister schools - and get cooperation from the students' CTE teacher in achieving this. My previous job was in a school such as this one, and I wouldn't want to teach anywhere else.
In regard to Mike Rowe, I always told my daughters that there were NO "demeaning" jobs. People in your workplace or supervisours could demean you, but the work you did held the dignity that you brought with you to it - no matter what it was.
aegisnavy
03-31-2009, 11:00
What a great thread.
Richard, your dad reminds me of my grandfather who passed away in 2000. He was a tanker in WWII and owned a heavy construction company until about 1989, when he retired. He was always hard at work. I miss him immensely. I guess I can “blame” him for the construction bug in my blood. It led me into this field rather than into other fields of electrical engineering.
Bill, I grew up in Oregon, and I noticed that trend when I was in high school there (back in the mid ‘80’s). These days, a friend of mine that I grew up with teaches classes at the junior high school in Tualatin, that are a combination of design, hands-on building, and integration of high-tech. It restores my faith in the Oregon public schools, a little. (Sounds similar to what ZonieDiver is doing). He is also a hands-on Scoutmaster who spends his free time building canoes with his Scouts every year for the 50-miler. Mike Rowe reminds me a lot this friend.
Thanks to all those who survived and are passing on the ethics of hard work to the next generation. We all need it.
Now back to less posting and more searching/reading. Thanks again.
Bill Harsey
03-31-2009, 16:11
ZonieDiver,
Great news what you do. That gives me hope.
aegisnavy,
Thanks for the information. That also gives me hope.
I've been told by high school counselors that there is no need to encourage a student to think about learning how to be a machinist because that's a dying trade. Where the h*ll do they think those who will end up driving the outfits that are both innovative and productive come from? That's why I wrote about the Italian tractor maker.
My opinion is having other countries do all our food growing and manufacturing is a special form of treason or at the least exposes us to other problems.
Mike Rowe shows us there is still some America left.
ZonieDiver
03-31-2009, 16:21
ZonieDiver,
Great news what you do. That gives me hope.
aegisnavy,
Thanks for the information. That also gives me hope.
I've been told by high school counselors that there is no need to encourage a student to think about learning how to be a machinist because that's a dying trade. Where the h*ll do they think those who will end up driving the outfits that are both innovative and productive come from? That's why I wrote about the Italian tractor maker.
My opinion is having other countries do all our food growing and manufacturing is a special form of treason or at the least exposes us to other problems.
Mike Rowe shows us there is still some America left.
A friend of mine stayed at an "agri-turismo" in Italy last year and brought me a picture of a Lamborghini <sp> tractor. Waaaay cool!
frostfire
03-31-2009, 21:53
If I already enjoyed the show before this talk, I am now a fan. I don't see it as mere sensationalism/entertainment anymore as there's a deeper and profound lesson. Maybe there's still some left of that ol' fashioned, hard-working America that I had come to look up to and love dearly.
Mike Rowe sure is well-spoken and down-to-earth guy, I should write him a recommendation for the next dirty job episode: A recycling plant that processes waste products from beer manufacturing. Hands down, I think that was the most nauseating stench I have ever come across. Worse than PVA vapor or those meat refrigerators at New Orleans post Katrina.
Students are being taught that it is sub-class to get their hands dirty.
I must confess, I was taught this way. However, spending a few years in environmental/chemical engineering in both private and government sectors changed that rather quickly. There was nothing clean about priming and repriming a sump pump to recover suspended product in the ditch.
Also, meeting and working with people all over the state in various plants and factories, I think Mike Rowe is right. I saw more sense of contentment, joy, and pride in their work than what I see in academics, offices, and labs. Like some of the comments on the page, I would highly doubt that had I not seen it myself.
I've been told by high school counselors that there is no need to encourage a student to think about learning how to be a machinist because that's a dying trade.
I think that counselor needs to reread the statistics and figures. IIRC, I'd go as far as saying that expert machinist shortage matches that of registered nurses.
Bill Harsey
04-01-2009, 08:31
I think that counselor needs to reread the statistics and figures. IIRC, I'd go as far as saying that expert machinist shortage matches that of registered nurses.
That would be dozens of counselors. I've heard it myself on several occasions and I have a friend who's day job is programming and running machines to make commercial and military aircraft parts. His evening job is teaching CNC machine technology at a community college. He also hears many students complain of the same comments by their counselors.
In parts of Oregon there is a trend of those who have done nothing counseling others to be like them.
aegisnavy
04-01-2009, 12:13
In parts of Oregon there is a trend of those who have done nothing counseling others to be like them.
I experienced this in high school and university. In high school (in Oregon, at least, Utah was a little different) it was "Why would you want to join the military?". In universtiy it was "Why would you waste a EE degree in the construction field?" It isn't always apparent at a young age to weigh the counselor's background against the advice given. I just count myself lucky that I was born with an integral BS meter. ;)
Utah Bob
04-01-2009, 14:55
Dirty Jobs is one of the most entertaining and educational shows on TV. I've always liked Mike Rowe. His wit and insight are a delight. The show should be required viewing in most high school classrooms.
Surf n Turf
10-11-2013, 08:01
Mike Rowe, from DIRTY JOBS, has established a scholarship program for Hi-School Seniors that seems to be a great answer to young people finding work, and possible a career for jobs that are "available" in America. He also blasts the "Don't get your hands dirty" crowd, that pushes kids away from blue collar jobs.
I love his SWEAT pledge :D
SnT
http://www.video.theblaze.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=31120297
“The jobs right now that we have available, people don’t seem to want — and it makes no sense because we’re lending money we don’t have to kids who can’t pay it back to train them for jobs that no longer exist,”
Each mikeroweWORKS scholarship is worth $15,000 on average — a nice chunk of change. However, any high school senior interested in the program must first take the “S.W.E.A.T. Pledge” (Skills and Work Ethic Aren’t Taboo) and make a case as to why they are deserving of the scholarship in the form of a video.
“If your not willing to sign it, this particular pile of free money is probably not for you,” Rowe said.
Here’s the pledge via Rowe’s website, profoundlydisconnected.com:
1. I believe that I have won the greatest lottery of all time. I am alive. I walk the Earth. I live in America. Above all things, I am grateful.
2. I believe that I am entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Nothing more. I also understand that “happiness” and the “pursuit of happiness” are not the same thing.
3. I believe there is no such thing as a “bad job.” I believe that all jobs are opportunities, and it’s up to me to make the best of them.
4. I do not “follow my passion.” I bring it with me. I believe that any job can be done with passion and enthusiasm.
5. I deplore debt, and do all I can to avoid it. I would rather live in a tent and eat beans than borrow money to pay for a lifestyle I can’t afford.
6. I believe that my safety is my responsibility. I understand that being in “compliance” does not necessarily mean I’m out of danger.
7. I believe the best way to distinguish myself at work is to show up early, stay late, and cheerfully volunteer for every crappy task there is.
8. I believe the most annoying sounds in the world are whining and complaining. I will never make them. If I am unhappy in my work, I will either find a new job, or find a way to be happy.
9. I believe that my education is my responsibility, and absolutely critical to my success. I am resolved to learn as much as I can from whatever source is available to me. I will never stop learning, and understand that library cards are free.
10. I believe that I am a product of my choices – not my circumstances. I will never blame anyone for my shortcomings or the challenges I face. And I will never accept the credit for something I didn’t do.
11. I understand the world is not fair, and I’m OK with that. I do not resent the success of others.
12. I believe that all people are created equal. I also believe that all people make choices. Some choose to be lazy. Some choose to sleep in. I choose to work my butt off.
On my honor, I hereby affirm the above statements to be an accurate summation of my personal worldview. I promise to live by them.
frostfire
10-11-2013, 12:43
Mike Rowe for congress!!!
twistedsquid
10-11-2013, 12:49
I have always lived by 4 working tenets and echoed these to the young men (and women) who have worked for me.
1. Hard work is it's own reward.
2. Thank God that (this) work is hard, because if it wasn't, this would really suck.
3. I wouldn't know what to do with an easy day.
4. Reject any soft ride unless earned and necessary for recovery.
I have always liked Mike Rowe.
In regard to Mike Rowe, I always told my daughters that there were NO "demeaning" jobs. People in your workplace or supervisours could demean you, but the work you did held the dignity that you brought with you to it - no matter what it was.
Very well said ZD!!! That can be applied to any field, anywhere, and at anytime, IMHO!:lifter
Holly--->A fan...
Team Sergeant
10-11-2013, 18:24
Mike Rowe for congress!!!
Screw that, Mike Rowe should be President...... :munchin
I appreciate the fact that he has brought some light back to the blue collar world and away from the 10 channels of "Housewives of the rich and shameless" that we are bombarded with every day.
The Reaper
10-11-2013, 20:57
Mike Rowe for congress!!!
I am afraid that there are some jobs, too dirty even for Mike.
TR
The idea that "I'm too good" for an available job is pernicious and is destroying the nation. I've dug holes (what a satisfying job btw...my kids still point out to their friends the lights along the I-94 that I dug the footing holes for), cleaned grease traps, bagged groceries, driven a school bus, welded water treatment tanks and started three successful companies. All work is honorable. There are jobs going begging around here and the unemployment rate is sky high. Baffles me. Mike's the man.
When I bought this shack over three years ago, I signed up for enough dirty jobs to last, literally, a decade. Didn't realize it at first, because my mission planning was off. ;)
Not whining about it; just observing: the older I get, the harder it is for me to psych myself up for each task, but-when I finish one-the sense of accomplishment is just as gratifying as it was when I was a button.
I believe that's why those outdoor programs work so well for the inner-city kids.
I retired to my hometown in rural Illinois.
You cannot hire a fucking kid to turn over a rock, cut a blade of grass, or about any other thing.
They won't do it.
Big change since I left in 1965.