If you haven’t noticed, there is a skills gap that occurs in the population that graduated high school between about 1997 and…well, recently, at least. 1997 was the year I can best reference that classes such as auto shop, wood shop, metal shop, and even home economics got punted to the curb in schools across the country for the newfangled idiot boxes called computers. Instead of learning how to properly plane and stain wood, you learned how to have a robot arm build a popsicle stick bridge for you. Instead of tearing down the four-cylinder that used to be in the Driver’s Ed Chevy Celebrity for it’s annual “what the hell broke this time?!” inspection, you and three other bags of hormones instead tried to make an engine-like drawing using CAD-CAM software. And instead of learning how to balance a checkbook and how to cook a respectable meal, you learned how to type and how to surf the Internet, which is about the same as teaching someone how to abuse drugs if you ask me….it’s a time killer and the amounts of time wasted afterwards is simply shameful. And yes, I know that’s rich, coming from the guy who uses the Internet to eek out a living. I’m talking about Wikipedia junkies, Candy Crush addicts, and YouTube Zombies.
I got a note from a Store Manager I know, that simply spelled out how well this skills gap has matured into adulthood: “I just had to explain to a grown man how to go to a shop and have his spark plugs changed. Step by step.” And not how to actually change the spark plugs, either…he had to teach this individual how to drive to a shop that can perform the work and to inform him who this person needed to speak with in order to have the task done for him.
If you don’t want to work on your own car or don’t have the ability, I won’t hold that against you. Wrenching isn’t for everyone, and there are plenty of mechanics out there who could use the work. But for all that’s holy, the concept of a shop eluded an adult? I’m willing to bet that the person in question was somewhere between twenty and thirty years old, well-spoken and educated, but as clueless as a freshly hatched chicken. And they have a driver’s license…and a two-ton box of metal, rubber and glass they are responsible for. Do you suddenly want an additional test or two for a driver’s license? I sure do.
Lord help the doctor who has to inform and teach this person how to use a suppository. A simple “Shove it!” might not be enough information…they may need a pamphlet that looks like the safety card on a commercial flight, complete with detailed pictures on how far and with what amount of force.
When I was starting to wrench electronic ignition wasn’t here yet. And the Delco-Remy plant they came from was only 2 miles down the street!
To finish, you have to have a skill set to get by in life. Even if it’s just day to day living, like washing clothes or fixing a meal that didn’t come from a microwave.
A large part of the reason for the decline in regard to do-it-yourselfism or even the basic understanding of how things work goes back way past 1997. Fewer and fewer children growing up on farms. I didn’t grow up on a farm but my dad did and while I never milked cows or tilled fields, I did pick apples at daybreak and shoveled cow shit for money as a teenager. Why? Cause Dad told me it was the only way I was gonna get that new, live Rolling Stones album I wanted. Education and experience are important but an instilled work ethic and a good attitude, learned early and at home, are the best resources a youngster can have. Now I’m old and fat, don’t get up under much anymore but I still know how to try. And Get Yer Ya Yas Out is still one of my favorite albums. Just sayin’.
I’m as car savvy as the next guy but I can tell you if I had to have a SHOP work on my car I have no clue who to trust around here.
I graduated in 1980.
Class of ’81 here, and I hear ya. I WORK at a dealership (parts guy, go figure) and I don’t trust any of our techs that are under 40…
Growing up in a world based mostly on abstract information accessible from any space tends to make people less aware of their surroundings.
Class of 08 here……not proud either. I couldn’t agree with this any more. My dad raised me with the “you want it? work for it” attitude. I bought my first car when I was 15, I broke it a lot, my dad taught me how to fix it. Key word, taught. He refused to do any fixing by himself, but he was more than willing to help and guide me through what needed to be done. We patched the floors in my first car, rebuilt the carb, did intake and exhaust manifold gaskets, set the valves, set points, read a dwell meter…the works. He spent a lot of time in the shop with me teaching me how to weld too, and wasn’t afraid to tell me when my welds looked like “birdshit”. To this day I’m literally out in my shop every night doing something. My daily is a 78 powerwagon, my tow rig is a 74 powerwagon, both are big block trucks. my car is a 66 dart (my first) that I’m building for a street/track beast. Its just what I like to do. Best part is, I don’t have internet or TV at home, I don’t care for it. Who needs em when one has a shop!?
We need more people like you Brandon, and you have my respect, as I was raised the same way.
Class of 08 – my daughter is not a gear head – but …took AP Bio as a Junior +
got a 5.0 on the college boards , is a great artist and went to college on a 4 year merit/talent scholarship -has a BA and no debt.
She worked for 4 years w/ the drama club in HS designing and building sets – as a senior took ‘ cabinet building ‘ as a filler and built a great coffee table we use – was teaching the lower classman dweebs how to use planers , jointers saws , etc .
High school is not a waste of time if the child applies them selves and the FAMILY support what they want to do – but if they are taught aww fuck it in the home they will reflect that
If a family has no automotive smarts that’s not the kids fault…..
That’s not to say the gene pool doesn’t need a little chlorine too.
Here when you get in the ghettos… Ghetto wrenches divide up the AutoZone parking lots. Spend 8-12 hours a day working on cars in the parking lots. AZ lets it go on too. Nicer areas the police and zoning prevent it.
The ID-ten-T. probably read on the internet you go to a auto parts store and some ‘mechanic’ will fix your car for cheep. the internet probably also miss-diagnosed it for him… you know with the wisdom of people that couldn’t get the lid off the peanut butter with out googles advice.
You had to learn if you wanted to go out on the weekend. Old cars broke and had to get fixed.