The Decline Of Specialization

We can see the decline of specialization everywhere from homeschooling to the self sufficiency movement, and that decline is accelerating.

[@travisbplank]

I go to a doctor and they ask me if I'd googled my symptoms. If I havent, they then ask my symptoms and compare them to a list of symptoms associated with common illnesses. If my synptoms dont match any of the common conditions, they charge me 700 dollars and send me home with a shrug until I collapse and go to the hospital later. If I ask a teacher why a student is failing they tell me "it all begins at home with parenting style". Bankers want to swindle me out of money rather than do what they can to protect their client. In almost every field, KNOWLEDGE AND SPECIALIZATION ARE USED TO LEVERAGE RESOURCES OUT OF PEOPLE RATHER THAN TO PROVIDE A SERVICE. This is capitalism: competition and trying to take resources from others. Eventually no one wants to produce and we all want to find someone to steal from. And yeah, I started my logistics career in the Navy, went to college for Supply Chain Management, and have continued to work in logistics for over 10 years. To this day, the job that used the most intelligence was the first one in the Navy. The private sector does not respect young people enough to give them positions to utilize their minds. They then dont learn anything and older people scratch their heads and wonder what happened.

[@mkeen1808]

45 years ago when we bought our 1895 house it had copper pipe and metal pipe drains, yep needed a plumber. The advent of cpvc and shark bites have made plumbing so much easier. All my water heaters, I own several rental houses, have flex connect and quick connect valves right there. No need to hire a plumber. Similar with electric and plug in electronics repair. This morning I accidently turned the tension knob on a sewing machine I was cleaning for my neighbor to far and it popped off. A quick you tube search and I found the exact style of assembly and the "trick" needed to get it back together..... Glad you are building a house yourself... It will keep you young. My 40 year daughter is a sterilization specialist for a pharmaceutical company and now supply train mess up fixer.....Her husband designs and builds the production lines....... My son and I do a lot of things well, as you say if you want it done right you need to do it yourself. My dad said the same thing and made sure we knew how to fix things.

[@Islandwaterjet]

These 'specialists' are still around but me personally I cannot afford their rates and in any case they do not want my business. I have to do everything myself no choice. I developed this land, built my own house, built my own shop, built my own small business, installed the water, sewer, electrical, I fix my own vehicle and maintain my own equipment. I do everything and I mean everything myself. For example last month dealer wanted $1000 for some brake parts for my shop forklift. Outrageous. Screw you buddy I made the parts myself for under $100 including made new brake shoes, made new brake rotors, new gaskets, etc. Too many 'specialists' they are just arrogant jerkoff's with a god complex. No thanks I will do it myself. But I do have to admit these 'specialists' have taught me the very valuable lesson - I must never treat my customers with the same shitty attitude too many of these 'specialists' have treated me. Another reason I absolutely despise "specialists" is that they lobby government to pass legislation to prevent us from doing the job oneself. For example many places one cannot do ones own home wiring, cannot do ones own plumbing, etc. "Specialists" ? They can get lost I do not need them.

[@daleyounk8005]

Another major factor I see as a millennial is that no one wants to mentor or teach anyone anything. We pay top dollar for an "education" that doesn't prepare us properly and puts us in debt. But no one wants to teach us, actually how or more importantly why things are done a certain way. Then, we shoulder the blame for our inadequacy. We want to be Really good at what we do, so we are depressed when we don't feel we are progressing. We get burned out spinning or wheels without adequate support. And it results in perpetuating lies that we are lazy and dont want to work. Brute force won't get you very far in a complex technical role like many of the jobs available today.

[@livingsimplewithtom9539]

Dale, you have some really good points there!

[@wkmac2]

Great stuff. I too was a machinist as the CNC era began, I remember the original punch card machines, but in the mid 70's I got the chance to switch to industrial maintenance and never looked back. I retired in 2020' after 45 years of working on mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, pnuematic, computer controls, automation and even robotics. Now? Bought 13 remote acres in 2021' and now building an off grid homestead myself. Funny how that all works.

[@livingsimplewithtom9539]

Wkmac2, I have often wondered how successful a self-sufficient community could be with the proper application of modern technology? This is just a pipe dream of mine but I thought it would be fun to start a community with that in mind?

[@justcallmejoeable]

Think about how many specialized workers that have been made totally obsolete by various technological changes in the economy. It's too risky to be that specialized anymore. It's safer and more beneficial in the long run to be ready to do whatever is available at any given time.

[@Fireballsocal]

I agree. I'm 47, have been gainfully employed for 25 years with the same company, and am in trade school. These certificates are for industrial electricity, motors, automation, etc. The students around me don't know how to use a screwdriver. It doesn't sound complicated but watching them with one of my kleins clumsily trying to get their fingers to smoothly turn a machine screw is agony. They just don't have the basic and common skills your generation and most of my generation grew up with. Troubleshooting is a lost art. Teachers have given up because even though they know the material, the students can't grasp the concept because of their lack of basic mechanical skills. The kids just about always pass the course if they show up. I'm worried that the skill level we see in the trades today is at a high level compared to what we will see in 20 years.

[@brianc9374]

Whatbi always thought was interesting was Growing up in Chicago it seemed everyone was specialized. We all knew one guy who was a mechanic or a construction guy or in accounting. Going to college in rural South dakota, everyone knew a little bit of everything. Which is great, but its still just a little bit vs specialized.

[@donaldmonroe8503]

👍Great video, thank you.

[@johndoe-xy4xq]

That will be a good trade off when i get older, because the next generations wont know how to do anything. I can try to educate them, but they must be willing to learn.

[@ImnotChuck.]

There is certainly a decline in the quality of workmanship available from paid sources at every level in all fields of endeavor. I am not sure if that is indicative of a decline in specialization. It may be due more to a decline of individual pride; I see a huge and rapid increase in the number of "working" people who simply don't care if they do a good job or not. They are not even slightly embarrassed if their effort is low and their results are poor, regardless of whether they are professionals, skilled technicians, or day laborers. As the old saying goes, their only concerns are "quittin' time and payday."

[@livingsimplewithtom9539]

Not Chuck, good point and I need to do a video one day on this very topic, the decline in the quality of workmanship and quality in general. And it seems fitting for me to talk about this because I've worked in quality control for a really long time. And the decline in quality isn't just limited to individuals. I've seen companies literally go out of there way to prevent employees from making quality products?

[@ImnotChuck.]

@@livingsimplewithtom9539 I have not worked in QC; instead, I was in product management and watched as products were "cost reduced" in ways that I knew would result in loss of sales and therefore loss of placement at major retailers. Employees were given small rewards for cost reduction suggestions, but the big winners were corporate bigwigs who got huge bonuses.

[@conawayjb]

I'm a 52 year old gen x'er and started out in residential construction then moved into tool and die work. Along the way have never paid a mechanic to do any work other than required inspections and things sure are different now. We were around when computers became common in the home and the internet began so we are as tech savvy or more than our children(not many parents getting tech support calls from their 20something kids😂😂). I've had to rebuild a CNC edm myself without instruction or documentation among many other things. Young people today are such a different breed, never taught how to do anything for themselves so I guess all we can do is try to teach the next generation as best we can if they're willing to learn but things are sure heading downhill with the world I'm afraid.

[@johndoe-xy4xq]

Same here. I came into cnc manufacturing in the early 90s. I understand what he's saying the previous generation knew more.

[@garylester3976]

Yeah its a decline and soon a fall of Rome situation. caused by decadence, and Nash's equilibrium being weaponized. Also Feminism was part of the problem in Rome, and increasing bachelorhood. Same pattern for Greek Civilisation, and for even Babylon. I've been planting the concept of people getting Hazel Hoes, and learning to grow wheat and dry beans in small plots. As a security measure in the crash and to have skills and seed going. Hazel Hoes are still being made, due to being a USFS approved fire tool, not cheap, but available online, and keep working when the tractor fuel stops coming. A Hazel Hoe is to Subsistence what an axe is to Bushcraft.

[@livingsimplewithtom9539]

Gary, I had never heard that term, Hazel Hoe. So I looked it up and that's very similar to what used to be called a planters hoe, and I have one of those. I used to do metal detecting around really old home sites and three three tools I most commonly found where old axe heads, hammers, and planters hoes. Well I know how useful axes and hammers are so I got a planters hoe just to try it and I was amazed at how much ground I could break up with it. Now they're usually called a planters eye hoe or just an eye how and I'm going to put them in the same category as a Hazel how. And you're right about them being extremely useful tools.

[@garylester3976]

@@livingsimplewithtom9539 Yes, different areas have different names for the same things. They were also called Adze eye hoes, and may have originated as Ship building adzes that got repurposed when building wooden ships of hewn lumber stopped. Theres also another called a grub hoe, it has an oval eye, and a longer bitt or blade. You can look those up in images and see, but I have never seen one for sale new, only used, so not likely still made. Also, you can use a standard pick hoe for the job, I cut the pick off one to lighten slightly for use busting sod and brush roots etc. they are nice with the longer narrower blade, for deeper digging like raised beds. Also the Asian cultures use heavy tillage hoes in several styles. But in the west mostly forgotten due to mechanization. And if tractor fuel stops, the average light weeding hoe will be poorly suited for subsistence work. And yes the heavy tillage hoes are way faster and easier than spading soil with a shovel to do turning and also for taking out roots etc. I also keeo a standard pickhoe for rocks, and remove and pile rocks as I go in new ground, and then shift to the Hazel Hoe or other lighter broad bladed hoes. But the heavy tillage hoes are the mother of Subsistence Agriculture. Thanks for the nice reply! G

[@crosslink1493]

I retired after 40 years of working and it seems its just the continuously evolving economy. I went through four different job fields in my full-time work life. The fields had some related knowledge bases and some similar skill sets, but I just had to selll the next employer on those similarities to get hired. It didn't allow me to specialize in any one field but it did keep me employed. As the economy evolves everyone has to adapt so specialization is a liability that will leave you behind everyone else.

[@livingsimplewithtom9539]

Great point Crosslink, and now that you mention it I've had to adapt a few times myself.

[@ellwoodwolf]

Its to survive these purpose manufactured "market downturns" people gotta keep bringing in income, you are doing exactly what they are doing, fumbling your way through a new skill because of the cost.

[@meatballmarinara6028]

I work as a CNC machinist at a large industrial factory. Obviously the way they have this set up is to make as much money as efficient as possible. There’s no learning in this and I feel like my time spent here is just going to waste and I’m another replaceable person learning nothing. I am 20 years old and I want to learn and learn some more. I’m thinking about maybe pursuing a different career now that there is pretty much nothing else to learn and what I’m doing I’m making the same parts over and over, and I know every single tool and every single order and it’s gotten very boring. I want to actually look at blueprints and use knowledge that I’ve learned to make from scratch. There are many people here young and old that like to just press cycle start and sit on their phone and I get it. We have 20 hour cycle times but this is getting old. I don’t want to be one of them and just sit idle for 12 hours a day , I make great money doing this at my age and it’s very easy but honestly, I am thinking about taking a huge pay cut just to do something more exciting where I can learn and pass on that knowledge. i’ve never seen your channel before and this is the first video of yours I’ve stumbled upon. what you say here makes a lot of sense. Thank you. I want to do what’s right for God, my country, United States of America and its citizens and my family.

[@vidviewer9727]

What are they capping out at for pay where you are? I'm thinking about going into CNC at a bigger name company here in Wisconsin but i don't know if it's the right choice. I want to set myself up to make 40$+ hourly when its all said and done

[@meatballmarinara6028]

@@vidviewer9727probably won’t find anything better than 30 unless your a programmer or doing something more than button pushing. Also more likely to make more than usual if you’re in the union obviously.

[@livingsimplewithtom9539]

Meatball, you touched on some very profound stuff there and your timing is impeccable. I was just working on a video about the importance of stepping out of our comfort zone and learning new things when I read your comment. With that said I've been in the position you're in many times and still am in some ways. The one thing I would say to you is take advantage of every minute you have on that job. I found myself in a job like that once and decided to get an associate degree in engineering because I had so much time on my hands and could do homework on the job, while still performing my job as well as it could be done. That turned out to be a really good decision. And I think what I'm going to do is make a video on blue collar career paths and the good and bad of the different jobs including the boring ones. And I say that because almost all jobs end up boring at some point. Alexander was said to have wept because there were no more worlds to conquer. His job was to conquer the world and eventually he succeeded and then even that job got boring.

[@jstrunck]

I am afraid that we are losing our skills. It seems that all consumer type products are becoming easier to produce, sell, and are then disposed of. And most products as we know are from other countries. Maybe most of us will have to learn it again under “different circumstances”. I think some other places could really benefit from having a low skilled workforce to exploit. Just a thought. I hope I am wrong. Please keep posting vids sir. They are great food for thought in my opinion. And I concour in regards to finding out soon enough.

[@charleywalker2982]

Amen Brother.

[@KeepingitAnalog]

I 100% agree!

[@greenkeeper448]

I've certainly dwelled where I don't know enough to know what I don't know.

[@livingsimplewithtom9539]

Greenkeeper, sometimes I have to wonder if I'm still there?

[@user-uv1pe4qh1k]

no value for the money

[@madstork91]

1) I am a "mellenial" 2) I have that same skillsaw table saw. It was the first tool I bought from a pawn shop when I was 24. 3) The millenials do have a lot missing in out knowledge set... but Gen X couldn't get a job because the Boomers either didn't want to teach them, or refused to let them advance. So they took office jobs and corporate jobs. Now, the boomers are retiring... and they aren't passing on the knowledge. There are plenty of us mellenials (gen Y mostly) who have either had to figure it out ourselves or have been fortunately enough to find a young enough boomers to teach us before they retired. But not all of us are fortunate enough to have those men. Your assumption that all of our ignorance is willful is in error, and your erroneous bloviation is alienating those who can and will to learn. 4) Fortunately, some of you boomers learned to make youtube channels to teach us. Unfortunately, some knowledge was lost because their over specialization and refusal to learn the new technology meant they took some of their knowledge to the grave.

[@livingsimplewithtom9539]

Madstork, you went and made a lot of assumptions there that aren't true. I never said or indicated that millennials not knowing much was intentional. And I actually did a video where I placed the blame for millenials not knowing much on the boomers and Gen x because it's the job of previous generations to educate the next. And I also said that for the most part millenials were extremely sharp and quick witted. And when I said millenials don't know much about the real world I also clearly said that there were exceptions to that. Obviously all millenials aren't clueless about the real world. And all of that is exactly why balovial talks are necessary. Go over stuff to quickly and it looses the nuance. You did point out something about Gen x that I thought was interesting. Many of us did end up in office type jobs but I don't think it's because of anything the boomers did? I think that's because we were much better with computers than the boomers and that gave us a competitive advantage over boomers in areas that relied on the then new digital technologies. So we natural went to those areas because of the opportunities and lack of competition?

[@madstork91]

@@livingsimplewithtom9539 Yes, lack of competition on their part, but also because they never vacated the positions nor advanced their own to build something larger. I work in structural engineering as a draftsman, inspector, and general problem solver. Once you hit about 50-52, there is a general gap in most trades until you hit about 62-65. I know more mid 60's running job sites, running metal shops, or having jobs like pest control and sprinkler repair than I could name from 45ish to 60ish. I know an engineer who just retired at 76, and a sprinkler repair guy who just sold his business to his grandson at 78. I also moved states from Texas to Kentucky recently, and that trend holds. The building crew right down the street has one older guy at 65, and then the next oldest guy is 42, and then a few in their mid 30's. The electricians who came to fix an issue with my house (still under warranty) - The master was 68, the journeyman was 36. The apprentices were 19-22. The gap is real. I've spoken about this with tradesmen in 3 states.

[@joshfrench6426]

Specialization is a trap

[@JoseGonzalas]

I had a teacher in tradeschool talk about getting pigeonholed in the union. I'm not union and I do everything there is to do and more regarding carpentry. Union may have its perks but at the end of the day the toil of variety and unfamiliar work will pay off. I agree completely.

[@charlescoe226]

We Eat Our Young. Cool song. Check it out. Lol

[@livingsimplewithtom9539]

Charles, I had to read the lyrics to understand what they were saying on that one. With that said, my thoughts on the song is it only focuses on the worst of humanity. Yes, there is a lot to focus on there but I think it's best when we focus on the best of humanity which ultimately is the entire purpose of this channel. We are all guilty of doing bad things which is what sin is ultimately about. But we have the potential to do great things as well and we should all be working towards that goal.

[@berglen100]

Well groundhogs days need to become more excellent way than in ticks of time get stuck in babbles or just bad coaches look outside themself where quick sand waits for old ways to still trap F Troops in repeats shadows still death king in tick tick tick realities do end time ticks last day and seconds for all births have them till a riddle wakes timelessness then death runs away from real life after death a liar in Eternal never dead nor say possible happens after mortals rewake. So Neville Goddard best coach about imaginations eternal spark in all man so we all babble when still in time where quick sand need food.

[@michaelscordo256]

Put the drugs in the garbage can!

[@berglen100]

Well governments don't like being real trash cans so good luck.@@michaelscordo256

[@randytidmore8021]

Has anybody ever told you you sound like Barney Fyffe and i'm not trying to be mean

[@livingsimplewithtom9539]

I haven't heard Barney before but I have heard I sound like Andy more than once. But I think my favorite is how many times I've been called the Bob Ross of the gun world on my other channel. LOL