Mike Rowe Speaks To Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee [05-11-11] 

This is a little late coming, but I hope there are people who will still visit this in 2020. I will soon turn 66 (in 11 days). When Mike talks about his grandfather he could be talking about me. When I was growing up I never considered that we were poor. Looking back it is more obvious to me that we were. It wasn't until my older brother went into the Army in 1968 that I got the chance to have clothes that were new. I never once thought twice about that in my youth. My friends all got new bikes from time to time. My first bike was one I built from parts of old bikes I found at the curb on garbage day. As it turns out I was pretty good with my hands. As I got older bikes turned into cars. There I was still picking up cars from the curb for the parts. I learned how to remove and rebuild engines. I learned how to weld by trial and error. It should be no surprise that I didn't go to college. There was no money for that kind of thing. So I went in the direction of the money, not the direction of debt. At age 19 I met the girl I wanted to marry. At age 20 I got engaged and purchased my first house. Fast forward to 2016 at age 62 I was able to retired as Operations Manager for Safway Scaffolding. Never having gone to college I retired debt free. Together, me and my wife purchased a new pickup truck and a new travel trailer. We paid cash for both. My wife retired two years later from her job as Assistant Vice President at Huntington Bank. She also didn't go to college and went to work for the bank at age 17. Together we have built a pretty good life by working hard and making good choices. Later this year we will celebrate 45 years of marriage. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against college both of our adult children are college grads and are doing very well working in their chosen fields. My point is that I agree with Mike Rowe on this one fact. There is more than one way to be successful. Don't go to college unless you know what you want to do in life and fully understand what it takes to get there. There is no free ride in life and success takes hard work. There are people who tell me it was easy for me and that same thing can't happen today. At age 66 I still have my health and I still have my skills and I have no doubt I could get another job if I wanted to. I just don't want to.

Enjoyed hearing and seeing this Mike. Great work.

Mike Rowe is my favorite TV personality ever. He is a real person.

Nailed it. Pass this one around. Every American needs to see this.

Very sympatic and warm guy, Mike Rowe. I Like peoples like him !

I love that mike's mom is in the background smiling and knotting

This man is truly one of the best orators of current generations.

MIke, that was a wonderful presentation. We are so lucky to have worked and been around family members that liked to do everything themslves and teach us the same things. I am an Instructor now at Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology Okmulgee where we train and teach the student to build and maintain high voltage electrical power to customers. We have students in Alabama helping with the rebuilding of their system now. You are so Correct. Thanks, Gene

Well said Mike Rowe!

I met him in an Airport. the nicest guy i've ever came across.

Well spoken! Absolutely agree!

its amazing how he has the power to make me just stop and listen whenever he talk. Mike Rowe is awesome ^^

intelligent man, well spoken and truly cares about what he does...

Totally agree. It really is sad that blue collar guys (even though many are making an average of 50k-70k per year) are looked at as failures because they work these jobs. I am sure probably 90% of these people could make it through college if they wanted to. Today's society views someone who does not have a 4 year arts degree or business degree as a lower class uneducated citizen. You can't have a nation full of people with psychology, humanities, writing, and business degrees. Many, such as myself, felt they had to go with the flow and go to college after high school instead of perusing a hands on trade and looking like a failure. Halfway through my second year, I was fed up. I was already swimming in debt, and more was building up. Not to mention the fact that there was not very many jobs out there for people with regular 4 year arts degrees, since everyone and there mother has one. I read how there were thousands of high paying "blue collar" jobs out there that simply were not being filled. I dropped out, and decided to get a certificate as a Wind Turbine Technician in my home state of Oregon...I now have full benefits and make 65k a year (and on the rise the more experience I get), I've payed the 2 years of college debt off, I own a home, I recently got married and now have a first child on the way, and I am living VERY comfortably. "BLUE COLLAR" IS NOT DEROGATORY TERM!

Well done Mr. Rowe!

Good for you guy, that's great.

The man's right on so many levels.

Mike Rowe is the man!

Wow, he is SO right! I went to college because it was what was expected of me, got my 4 year degree and then..nothing. I hadn't learned any skills, I was useless. Then I went to vocational school and learned a great skill that has the potential to earn me lots of money. I just wish that I hadn't wasted 4 years of my life on college. What he's saying is very important and more people need to realize what he's saying is true.

Way to GO, Mike ROWE!

Recently on O'Reilly factor guest George Ratzenberger said the same thing. He was quoting stats showing how we are discouraging young people from going to the skilled trades. High schools are no longer teaching shop classes. My kids and stepkids have been discouraged when in high school from skilled trades. This has been going on for over 20 years. I thank God I learned how to fix and build things when I was young.

My dad was the same way. I do miss him

Mike Rowe has such an awesome voice. I wouldn't mind having him as a president.

@TheTimster4life I may be in college myself but even I know the importance of vocations. My dad was a mechanic and I study engineering. He's the one that fixes and maintains the things I will oneday design. It takes many different people to make machines work. I was mad when I heard my high school got rid of auto shop class, even though I never took it, because I knew they were getting rid of something important, especially in an urban city where auto skills are extremely valuable thing to have.

Well said, Mike.

As a (young) Technology Education teacher (24 years old)...thank you Mike Rowe. I am a 3rd generation bricklayer during the summer and teacher during the other three seasons and kids don't understand there is good money to be made in the trades. Society today is struggling with the fact that they think they can go to college, get a degree and get a job. It is rough after college finding a job, but if you can weld or operate a machine you will be making more than most kids right out of school.

thank you Mr. Rowe. as a 42 year old, 20 years in the construction industry, i can confirm that there are many jobs that i do for a living that teachers in grade school, belittle the position, "do you want to dig ditches for the rest of your life?" turns out, one can make a very good living "digging ditches". my GF sons have no idea how to work a saw or a hammer and i see this with most young males today and, that frightens me.

Well said Sir!

I can attest that working construction between semesters or before attending college is an amazing motivator for those who wonder if they are wasting their time going to school. In my experience of roofing in south Texas in July led to good grades for several semesters to follow. I would also say that the socialization and reality check is good for those with a path in "academia."

Yes! Amen.

i got hooked on 'Dirty Jobs" from the first show! Mike Rowe is one of the best documentarian/journalist in broadcasting. He keeps it REAL!

It has always amazed me that our leaders insist that everybody should go to college so they can get and hold a job. I have friends with masters degrees walking the pavement, some for over a year, looking for work. Mike Rowe hit the nail on the head with his testimony. Too many very bright people have no ides how things work, they are lost when a switch breaks or a faucet has to be replaced. We have to restore vocational education so everybody understands basic mechanical concepts.

@Mathew1985AZ I'm a college student. One day, I went on a road trip with 7 of my friends. One of the car had a flat and nobody except me knew how to change a tire. They always joked about me because I never was the guy with the best grades (mostly because I didn't give a shitt). That day, they all silently stood still around me has I was jacking up the car and changing the tire (which took lest that 10 minutes). 7 Master's degree students all astonished by how they knew nothing about life.

This reminds me of when he spoke on TED.

Hell ya! He and I are Baltimorons!!!

so true

Telecom infrastructure here. Thanks man.

4:19 The proposal.

Mike Rowe = Boss

He's completely right. All of the college graduates are starting off in IT or sales, and the people who dropped out of high school have no other option than to work retail. Trade schools all over the country are closing, and the people who currently keep our infrastructure running are starting to retire. These jobs are important. I remember when I was a kid, our local butcher used to cut our steaks especially for us. Now it's some kid that wheels out frozen steaks from the back of a Kroger

I vote Mike Rowe as President! When I heard him speak it reminded me that life is not about how much money I can make quick but, about the experience's that happen in between the money making process that make up who we are. What happened to pride in our work? What happened to being happy with what you have and who you are? We need to move away from American paid back to American made. Well....that's my 2 sense.

I had lots of fun in college and really don’t regret going. BUT, I was pushed into going to college. I wanted to get into a skilled trade. Now we have 1k people applying to the same job requiring a college degree. Just let everybody be and do what they want.

In case y'all weren't aware, Mike has his own website, mikeroweWORKS to promote the skilled trades, etc. Drop by and visit!

@ducpetiaux Exactly! Have you seen his TED Talk on "work"? It's excellent :)

@mordred612 And by the way, the ranger engine was changed at about 650,000 and still ran OK but I was having doubts so decided it would be the best thing to do.

I agree with you. I grew up on a farm and learned at a young age what work is. I am know in college studying mechanical engineering because of my knowledge of how things work. I was told that colleges struggle to find engineering students who know how to use there hands. And they were right. Most of the kids I have classes have never worked. They have no work ethic, no attention to detail, and they play on their damn phones all day. People need to expirence real work to appriciate what they got.

I am a 19 year old machinist, and this is very true. Everyone I work with is 30 or older.

I aggree. In my area though, even the migrant workers are having a tough time finding work. I am in the process of getting my CNA/GNA licence so if I get laid off again at least I will have a halfway decent job to fall back on. I would recommend that everyone have a backup field or plan just in case the job market remains rocky.

Mr. Rowe I think you are a great guy.. Dirty Jobs..The narrator of Deadliest Catch...TUF ( The Ultimate fighter) his Reddit Q/A... Funny, down to earth and is humble...

I am an electrician from Maryland. One of the major problems with the skilled trades is the fact that none of the companies out there want to hire anyone. The unemployment rate of trade and construction workers in the MD/VA/DE area is about 20% and is much higher for registered apprentices. Most companies are embracing the do more with less mentality because of the economy and to increase profits.

My Family has worked with our hands since before World War II. Steel Mill works, HVAC, you name it. We're good at it. Yet I'm an unemployed writer. Part of me would love the cut and dry life of a welder or electrician, but I would have started to late for my guilding, etc. And by cut and dry I don't mean simple. I grew up working the family campground, fixing and maintaining a fifty acre plot of land in up state CT. I learned how to drive not in a car, but on a John Dear 710.

@stetsonwalker It seems to me that if a Toyota or Honda needs maintenance less because their parts fail less then you do have lower repair costs. I had an 88 toyota truck which never needed work done to it other than normal maint. and a timing chain, thenI had a 90 Ply Sundance that had the CV joints replaced a few times, a drivers side window which fell into the door, a power sterring hose that leaked, and a voltage regulator of some sort in the computer which made me get rid of the car.

@mordred612 But the problem with your theory especially with the Honda is the price of the seats in many of them. You see someone steals the seats out of them and they call the insurance company and the car is totaled due to the cost of the replacement seats, the insurance company writes it up as a theft total so that Honda becomes stolen. So you cannot really consider those numbers either as most of them are repurchased at auction, have wrecking yard seats installed and resold as good cars...

this is why i hate it when everyone says "go to college"

I would vote for this guy to be our next president! This man has worked in the trades and knows what it is to get dirty and make life acceptable for us.

im becoming a carpenter/mechanic and yea hes right all the other guys ive worked with are over 50 years old..

@stetsonwalker 35 years? Impressive. I have owned a few American made cars that were great. My 84 Jeep CJ7 with the in line 6 comes to mind, but I've also owned a few toyotas and you can't beat them. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a Honda or Toyota, but I would be very reluctant to purchase an American brand without doing some research on the make, model, and year. I'd love to get my hands on another CJ7...I could climb in the engine compartment almost and get to everything. New cars-no way.

My dad has been saying a similar thing for years. He's a millrite at a steel factory and basically fixes any mechanical problems in the shop. America has gone from actually manufacturing and creating goods with the majority of employees being skilled laborers to a country of failed college grads that end up working at walmart when they can't find a job in their field and are too underqualified to work at a skilled labor position. The vocational programs in schools have disappeared.

He's right. I was told the same thing, almost word for word, when I was in high school back in the late 80's. The guys in my class who didn't go to college all have nice houses and cars. Those who did aren't doing the best.

Mike has a unique way of getting his point across in a witty yet poignant way. Everyone is not meant to sit at a computer. This country was built by skilled tradespeople. My husband's best friend is a plumber and he makes a great living. He never has to worry about being unemployed. Why don't more parents encourage their children to go into the trades? There are thousands of unemployed college graduates.

Mikes a BOSS

Where can we find the original video?

Thats why going to Lincon Technical Institute solved my situation.

@mordred612 Now the really interesting fact was that the Toyota had almost 300,000 miles on was still going when it was stolen while the 90 Plymouth Sundance had less than 100,000 before repairs made it too costly to keep. So my Toyota had lower maintenance costs than my Sundance did even though the Toyota had almost 3 times the miles on it. That seems like a savings to me, but go ahead and argue the costs of ownership are the same.

Rowe: "I'll vote." Rockefeller: "You can't. You can try, but you can't." What a country.

@joshros i doubt many people still know who that is... i remember hearing him on the radio when i was younger you're quite correct though.

well like i always say, what I lack in book work, I make up for with hands on work. I can do the formulas, but I prefer to have my hands dirty tearing something down and rebuilding it.

Rowe for President.

I am 65; in high school we were encouraged to pursue "college prep" classes, and we could avoid Vietnam by getting a deferment. This was the beginning of the class separation we now experience between white/blue collar; it was insinuated that the labor force was easily replaced. Shortly after, auto makers began to design parts to be replaced by dummies, rather than repaired by experts. Wonder why repair bills are high? Not due to labor--all because of part cost. GM led the way with CAT 2nd..

Thank you Mike for being the voice of American workers. i think every president should do what you do for 6 months.. before they work at the oval office. That way they can be in contact with the real life of real americans. They seen to forget once they take office what it takes to keep this country running. Its not just politics folks.. its real life

@mamaway We were talking about the auto industry and most of the cars were made in Japan. I read a statistic that foreign parts make up more than half the parts used in the assembly of vehicles from the big 3 in the US so it isn't about inferior quality, but it is about cutting cost. Quality? I would much rather buy elec. made in Japan than in the US because the quality is superior and so are the features in many cases. Japanese worder have pensions and health care also... maybe superior.

@stetsonwalker ...Or you could say they had to cut corners so they could afford to pay CEOs huge salaries. If your business isn't working you need new leadership and a change of business plan. In the US if your business isn't working and it is big enough you can rest assured that the public will bail you out if you make poor decisions. The rest of us have to make sure our books balance.

@mordred612 There is no lower repair cost on imports, hate to let you in in this fallacy. As I said I have been a wrench for 35 years and any savings you may have in actual labor cost (very little) is very quickly paid out in exorbitant parts costs (some Honda seats at about $3,500 each) very expensive routine maintenance (timing belts costing over $400.00 to change) no repair cost are not lower. You may go a little farther between maintenance but when you get it done it is a mother!

@MoneyIsSilver What I like about your comment is how you imply that it's a law of nature that government can only get in the way of domestic business growth.

@eyeinpalm I think this happened before they implement that functionality. At least it was before I noticed that google had implemented it.

@ReluctantZer0 I really didn't imply that at all, but yeah, it's not just a law of nature, its inherent.

@mordred612 The only reason for the higher resale values is those 2 corporations will provide financing for their "pre owned" vehicles. This provides a falsely inflated value that is not really there. You can still find roughly the same years of American or imports for the same value of pennies on the dollar...except Porsche but that is not a car it is a work of art...

What do they say at the end? I can't quite understand them.

I just wrote a paper on this topic last year. I seriously talked about exactly the same thing. Skilled labor is downplayed and has a negative connotation in our society. It's ruining both the economy and not only widening the skills gap, as Mike talked about, but the economic gap as well. I feel hypocritical saying it, as I am currently pursuing a college degree, but I've worked with electricians, plumbers, and machinists for a while now, and I've never met people whom I respect more.

My cousin is a skilled carpenter. He can't get a job that pays more than $15 an hour, because it costs $25 an hour for an employerto legally pay him with insurance etc. Meanwhile, anyone can pick up an illegal laborer at Home Depot for $10 an hour. Stopping illegal workers is the best way to help our skilled tradesmen and women.

Just to clarify what I was saying; I am NOT talking about hiring less expensive illegal laborers. I just meant in many places you are not "allowed" to hire fine men like Mike's grand dad to do certain jobs. Just more proof that the government and unions have all but killed the basic labor industry. We didn't seem to have a problem back then when his grand dad was doing it, so what changed? Government restrictions and unions.

@mordred612 You might want to also type in Honda transmission failure just because...

@mordred612 ...to the fullest extent of the law. As a customer you will be more likely to recover any loss from a union employee than some guy you found on craig's list since his business may not be around in a month. We need to change the way we think about work and compensation in the US. Remember, unions built the middle class and costs have risen in these industries even though unions aren't as prevalent as they once were.

@TheTimster4life Part of the problem is the sheer cost of secondary education these days. We have elevated the esteem of the degree program in part because many people put themselves dramatically into debt in order to reach their goals. Univesities in many countries charge an arm and a leg, and to attend vocational studies is comparitively extremely cheap. Society has to see the more difficult and expensive path as the superior one, it's a sociological phenomenon. Otherwise, why do it?

Our job preferences are based on the wealth distribution of our country. People in the upper percentiles of income are doing much better than those below them. CEOs make hundreds of times what their employees make. If doing a "trade" was viewed as a way to get ahead economically maybe it would be more appealing. It isn't people looking down on these trades, but are economic system doing so. The Walmart family earns more than 40,000 plumbers from owning stuff.

@morph995 Dude, it's Mark Rowe. He's probably the most honest man in the business and he's speaking from experience as someone who has done the most active hands-on investigation into what it is to be a skilled laborer in america for several years now. You might discount it because he did that through a tv show, but it's not like he's speaking before congress about healthcare just because he "played a doctor on tv." At least as an actor he has more experience than Reagan did.

If one who is Wanting to get a good 2 year education after High school. Check out the ford asset program .

@stetsonwalker "The only reason?" Supply and demand has nothing to do with it? Better gas consumption ratings? Lower costs of repair and reliability has nothing to do with it? Wow, you learn something new every day.

@mordred612 Like the Toyota? Type in Yahoo Toyota transmission failure... go get you one!

@MELANIE1001 I wholeheartedly agree. Too often college is thrust down our childrens throats and the ONLY option if you want to get ahead in life.

thanks reddit

Many "Jack of all trades" workers such as Mike's grandfather and many of our dad's and grand dads got bullied-out by unions. Don't get me wrong, I like what unions stand for, but they got out of control and in many areas, you are FORCED to use union labor, which many people simply can't afford. Yes, union labor is higher because it's more skilled (in some cases), BUT, we should also have the CHOICE to hire someone like Mike's grand dad to do jobs here and there for us, but that's not the case.

As a courtesy to you, I wanted to let you know I’ve included this video on our RU-vid Channel: Mining Oil and Gas Jobs. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me. We’re always looking for good content and thought this video was a good addition.

@RazsterTW Hell yes. 100 times yes.

Most people are being trained for work that involves some form of computer knowledge. And not that there is anything wrong with that, but the problem is; hypothetically speaking, is if all this computer stuff were just crash for some reason, and you're not skilled with your hands, then how do you expect to survive? It's great to be smart, it's great to be intelligent and to constantly seek knowledge. But when it comes to work, you not only have to be smart, you have to be skilled. And going back to the hypothesis I just mentioned, if you don't know how to work with your hands, how then are you gonna be able to make a living? I'm gonna tell you right now, there is no shame in working with your hands. It doesn't matter what you do, if you're working hard to support yourself and/or your family; provided the work you're doing is honest, there is no shame in it. You can be a welder, a laborer, a farmhand, a mechanic, a roofer, an asphalt patcher, or a guy who works down in the sewers, whatever it is, if you're doing that to support yourself, BE PROUD OF WHAT YOU'RE DOING, STRIVE TO DO A GREAT JOB, and DON'T LET ANYONE PUT YOU DOWN FOR DOING IT.

@mordred612 ...The truth is that the guy climbing up a ladder and risking falling, risking cutting his hand off in a saw, or risking future health problems associated with his job risks just as much or more than someone sitting at a desk giving directions. You also have the risk of fewer chances for upward mobility. These days you have contractors using sub-contractors who often 1099 employees as sub-contractors. Everyone wants to limit liability and cost...

I think part of the point is that we (as a society) have become enamored of quick wealth. We idolize hedge fund managers, CEO's and reality show winners. Government isn't the problem, Moms and Dads telling their kids that dirty hands=low goals and failure is the problem. Everyone is so focused on the top end of the green economy, for example, that they push their kids into engineering and no one tries to get their kids to be wrench turners or welders.

Thanks for posting this. The American Dream is happening now in countries like India, China, and any other suitor/country that will pay low enough wages for ever greater profits for the companies. Without jobs discussed here, no one can buy these made items here. How to bring these disparities to reason. Homeless shelters, unemployment checks are filled up and out... and running out as craftsmen and tradesmen are no longer trained to work here. Not just in the U.S. either. Thanks.

@eXcommunicate1979 aren't the majority of millionaires c+ average student i thought i read that somewhere that while the average of top student go on to be doctors etc. c+ student usually go on to be ceos and entrepeneurs

Mike Rowe 2016