Mike Rowe's SWEAT Pledge and Why YOU Should Support It
For those who don't know, Mike Rowe of the show Dirty Jobs has been a huge advocate of the notion that some people simply aren't suited to go to college.
Now... before you get all butt hurt, he means that some people do MUCH better in jobs that require physical exertion, manual competency, technical understanding of physical structures, etc. You know... 'dirty jobs'.
Mike Rowe recently received a letter from the Trump White House in regards to an initiative that will increase emphasis on young (and old) Americans to pursue trade skills that can't be learned without hands on experience... you know, the sort of hands-on experience you rarely receive in higher institutions of learning.
He recently published, what I consider, to be a brilliant declaration of the 'Ideal American Worth Ethic'.
Known as the S.W.E.A.T. (Skills & Work Ethic Aren't Taboo) Pledge, Mr. Rowe is following through on his oft repeated promise to bring back pride in American trade skills, physical labor, and technical knowledge of critical infrastructure like electricity, vehicle repair and plumbing.
While these jobs may sound icky to some, a good number of the people told by their counselors and parents (and seemingly every bit of media available), the only way to true success is with a 4 year college degree in something. Don't worry about the debt. Just pay the minimum for 25 years and they'll forgive you of it!
Yes, I have heard this. My wife even believes it.
Anyway, enough of my ranting -- here's the text!
“THE S.W.E.A.T. PLEDGE”
(Skill & Work Ethic Aren’t Taboo)
I believe that I have won the greatest lottery of all time. I am alive. I walk the Earth. I live in America. Above all things, I am grateful.
I believe that I am entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Nothing more. I also understand that “happiness” and the “pursuit of happiness” are not the same thing.
I believe there is no such thing as a “bad job.” I believe that all jobs are opportunities, and it’s up to me to make the best of them.
I do not “follow my passion.” I bring it with me. I believe that any job can be done with passion and enthusiasm.
I deplore debt, and do all I can to avoid it. I would rather live in a tent and eat beans than borrow money to pay for a lifestyle I can’t afford.
I believe that my safety is my responsibility. I understand that being in “compliance” does not necessarily mean I’m out of danger.
I believe the best way to distinguish myself at work is to show up early, stay late, and cheerfully volunteer for every crappy task there is.
I believe the most annoying sounds in the world are whining and complaining. I will never make them. If I am unhappy in my work, I will either find a new job, or find a way to be happy.
I believe that my education is my responsibility, and absolutely critical to my success. I am resolved to learn as much as I can from whatever source is available to me. I will never stop learning, and understand that library cards are free.
I believe that I am a product of my choices – not my circumstances. I will never blame anyone for my shortcomings or the challenges I face. And I will never accept the credit for something I didn’t do.
I understand the world is not fair, and I’m OK with that. I do not resent the success of others.
I believe that all people are created equal. I also believe that all people make choices. Some choose to be lazy. Some choose to sleep in. I choose to work my butt off.
On my honor, I hereby affirm the above statements to be an accurate summation of my personal worldview. I promise to live by them.
throwback. dirty jobs was awesome
Was a great show. It showed how people work hard to earn their living, and sometimes it was a little bit fun too :)
I spent 3 years pumping liquid manure. I was thinking of inviting Mike to our job sites, But The oil patch dried up and I lost that job. LOL
Seems oil men will pump shit cheaper than me when no oil is flowing hehe
Cheers
Now following
I agree with most of the points in this pledge, and I do believe more people should pursue trade schools over colleges at this point, because having a degree in most fields is the equivalent now of having a highschool diploma basically.
My girlfriend got her bachelors degree in Biology and after 6 or 7 months of applying to places she ended up settling for a job not related to her field whatsoever. So, now she has 30k of debt she has to pay off, and her degree really hasn't helped at all thus far.
At some point, I firmly believe RICO files will be charged on a number of folks in the 'higher education' cabal. The amount of money being syphoned from that is staggering.
My wife has a $250k debt... fortunately her career pays well since she was in school for a very long time in a field with very few practitioners and high demand.
Sucks about your GF though... one would assume that the world needs biologists, so WTF? :( best of luck to you and her.
tell her to get on here and blog about her misery :)
Yeah, she applied to dozens of labs, as well as other positions related to the biology field, and I think she got back maybe 4-5 interviews over all of those months. I've told her to just keep putting in applications with labs and companies while she works this current job she despises, and hopefully something good comes along.
Haha, if she had the time/energy to do so I'm sure she would. We barely get to spend more than 2 or 3 hours together a night during the weekdays when we live together, the rest of that time is eaten up by either work or sleep, lol.
Also, wow, 250k? My girlfriend thought about going to dental school for a few years, and we thought having around 100-120k of debt would be horrible, lol. I'm glad your wife has a good paying job though at least to balance that out a bit.
Wow. Mike seems like a insanely intelligent man. He wrote some words of wisdom on that paper, that everyone could learn from.
I love this. I believe in all of it. That works, even for creative enterprises, even for things that take education. Mike Rowe makes a lot of sense, and you did a good thing by posting this.
Signed.
Many of these things I follow already. I'm finding every way to improve myself. I think saving this and putting it on the background of my phone and computer to remind me would do wonders for my mental state.
Thanks for posting this.
I completely agree with this. We need a diversified workforce, and we need to encourage people to find where they fit in society. In my mind this is one of the many problems with for profit universities.
Those are my roots. My father exemplified every single line in that pledge. Long live Mike Rowe. Imagine how great America could be again, if everyone in America lived their life with these guide points.
Upvoted and followed.
Have to love STEEM for making this type of content more visible.
How many millenia would it be before you ever saw this on yahoo.com or cnn.com?
STEEM On!!
Dave
A college degree tells a future employer that you are capable of completing a task and able to learn. As a medical student with a degree in Ecology, I will not use 98% of the information I obtained. But I showed medical schools (in your case software companies) that I'm a qualified applicant. Also, if you strive for perfection in your studies. You will obtain the necessary qualities and discipline that will make you successful in post-academia.
Unless, you have a very driven mindset and persistent attitude with a great business model to input a "start up company." Stay in school and bust your A$$ off. It will pay off. Peace
Your points are good. Mike Rowe is just saying that a 4 year degree isn't going to be the right answer for everyone. So-called trade schools are a much better answer producing better outcomes for some people. There are no "bad jobs". Only bad attitudes that will hold you back from improving
I've always been a huge fan of Mike Rowe. Once again, he is totally on point. Thanks for the post!
I agree with every point he makes. I was taught those things by my dad and all of my first bosses. I had several jobs as a teenager and throughout my life now. I applied all of those principals to my jobs and I was always in high demand and never out of work. People are coddled and told that they are being held back by "the man" and they don't believe that hey can achieve their dreams. I believe that anyone can achieve their dreams if they put in the work and have the discipline, regardless of their race, religion, or family connections. Some of those things can help, but too many people have proven that not being born with a silver spoon in their mouths can be overcome.
Mike Rowe for President 2020!!!!