Dean Kamen, Manual Laborers, and You

[Doc Wu]

I worked as an autoworker for over 30 years. About half of that was assembly of components. The bigger half, about 18 years, was as an electrician.

Now, an electrician certainly does a lot of manual labor, but also has to have a lot of knowledge. Much of my work was done with a computer, not a screwdriver.

The work I did when I was first hired was brutal manual labor in hot, wet, dangerous conditions lifting heavy loads for long hours. Those jobs no longer exist. (At least in that plant.)

Today, manual assembly jobs aren't anything like they were. No heavy lifting without some kind of mechanical device. Almost every aspect of it has been improved. The unions and OSHA have been responsible for some of it, but mainly, it just makes sense to let machinery do the more demanding work and spare the expensive human worker. (Unfortunately, it also has reduced the numbers of human laborers.)

But technology made this possible. People today wouldn't do the jobs I did in the 70's. Some of them didn't then. I saw new-hires walk out and quit! It's still hot in the plant I worked in, but most jobs are pretty tolerable by comparison.

Along with that comes a higher level of technological understanding required by even basic laborers. To operate those machines, you had to pick up some understanding of how they operate. Many of them have some sort of computer screen. If you can't read, you're pretty much out of luck. It's not rocket science, but a basic understanding of how things work can make the difference between being someone who has to be trained on one machine for weeks and being someone who can pick up a new machine in a few hours. Which is more valuable to an employer?

So it even trickles down to the lowest level of the workforce. I don't know what Dean was thinking or meant when he said what he did, but I'm sure in his mind he knew and simply raced ahead, making his point, not thinking we all needed more details to follow along.

I'd certainly take time to write Dean a letter explaining how his remarks cost you a sponsor. Give him specific details and contact information and let him have the opportunity to explain his remarks and repair the misunderstanding. I'd be surprised if losing even one sponsor wouldn't concern him greatly.

There is nothing wrong with being a manual laborer, but even if that is your choice of careers, in today's workforce, every bit of education you get gives you more choices and more opportunities. I worked with a number of skilled trades people who either had college degrees or were part way through getting one. There are even degree programs for farming. Even Garbagemen have become Sanitation Workers, and even "Environmental Social Workers." I can't think of any jobs at all that haven't been improved by technology.

FIRST should be about being an opportunity and inspiration to anyone, whether they intend to pursue an Engineering Degree, or not. I think one of they beauties of the program is how it can include so many different interests our students have.

Science and Technology is like the tide in the ocean, it raises all ships together, whether they're an engineering ship or a manual labor ship.