Dean Kamen, Manual Laborers, and You

[StuMac]

Making money with your mind is rewarding, awesome, and should be encouraged in every possible way.

But making money with your hands is (or used to, depending on the economy sadly) a way to feed you and yours, and feel just as satisfied with life.

There are a lot of jobs people don't want. I have yet to meet a 16 year old who's aspiration is to grow up flipping burgers. And yes, some jobs aren't as pretty or glorious as others. But if I have chance to work with my hands, I'll take it every chance I can get. It's not only an awesome way to learn how things actually work (I'll learn more about a motor by taking it apart and experimenting than just looking at schematics), but also a way to realize that putting in a day of hard work is satisfying, knowing that you've done a good job, weren't afraid to mix things up, and earned your pay.

FIRST does a fairly good job of that. Not everyone will grow up to be an engineer, but everyone can have a place in FIRST.