I wondered about this.

As a teen, my brother and I fixed a lot of stuff. My father wasn't that much of a fixer, but my mother's father was. Tinkerer.

My brother was a born tinkerer, while I was the one who wanted to "go places", so I focused on school, on achievement, etc.

We fixed stuff around the house, fixed our cars (shocks, brakes, carbs, fuel filters, etc.). My brother rebuilt engines, I didn't have the patience or the tools.

But, with the lack of "tinkering" in our society now, I think the trades may be in short supply in the next decade.

The unions have helped with the shortage, realizing that every apprentice they train is a lower-wage employee they compete with. So, they "wisely" limited the new entrants into their marketplace.

But, while I have a good paying computer job, I'm certainly not giving it up.

Glen Austin