"A recent Wired piece cited Anirban Basu, chief economist of construction industry trade group Associated Builders and Contractors, who described how in earlier eras, tradespeople passed their skills down to their children, but eventually started encouraging them to pursue higher education instead."
"It felt like 'I was somehow not paying forward,' she told the FT. 'Am I the blip in my family's more traditional working-class journey?'"
"On the one hand, skilled trades like plumbers and electricians seem like safe bets amid uncertainty over how AI will automate white collar jobs ranging from writers, secretaries, doctors, to even the programmers building the AI systems themselves."
Plumbing has emerged as a symbol of job security in the face of AI automation, contrasting with societal views on skilled trades. A doctor's guilt over her son's choice to become a plumber reflects a cultural shift where higher education is prioritized over vocational training. Anirban Basu notes that the trend of encouraging children to pursue degrees has led to a shortage of skilled tradespeople. Despite this, skilled trades are increasingly recognized for their stability and importance, as demand for construction workers continues to rise.
Read at Futurism
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