It’s not okay to choose a career in heavy equipment
It’s not okay to choose a career in heavy equipment
Guest writer Isaac Rollor certainly gets our attention this week with his blog post, “It’s not okay to choose a career in heavy equipment.”
Recently out of curiosity I used Indeed.com and searched “Heavy Equipment Mechanic.” For location I specified “USA.” Immediately there were 30,000 opportunities that populated my screen. Pretty amazing. Many of these job postings were urgently hiring. I saw many job openings for technicians at heavy equipment dealers. I recognized these dealer brands and knew that they were great employers who valued their people. This is truly an exciting time to start a career in this industry, there are many open positions providing great pay, great benefits and great opportunities to see things like mine sites, and construction sites that most college age employees would really enjoy. I would have no problem encouraging my children to start a career in heavy equipment and have the same experiences that I have had in this industry. It’s a rewarding career and it’s especially fun when you develop a connection with the machines though repairing or operating equipment.
As I sat in my own little bubble thinking about how great this career choice would be for a college aged employee, I realized that I may be seeing things differently than most. When I see a job posting for a mechanic at a dealership, I have fond memories of repairing and operating machines. I remember feeling accomplished when a broken piece of equipment was brought back to life and placed back in production. These experiences make it “okay” for me to promote this career as a valid option for anyone. I suddenly realized that for most college aged workers it is “not okay” to choose this career path. Its “not okay” to work outside, its “not okay” to work in a dangerous mine etc. It is “okay” to pursue 100 other, indoor, office based job titles. Why? Because there is a great deal of social evidence that this is a viable career choice. Parents, relatives, and friends all work downtown in an office, they share stories about their work. They make it “okay” to work in an office.
As a technical college graduate, I remember attending an OEM event where I had the opportunity to operate the machines and speak with other professionals who worked in the industry. I was hooked because not only did I make a connection with the product by operating it I also saw social proof that many other people had made this career choice. At that moment it was “okay” for me to choose this career path over all other alternatives. I walked away from that recruiting event with a group photo, several personal cell phone numbers of professionals I could call with questions and a memory that would forever anchor me to the brand. The event was successful and I became an employee along with several others who attended that day.
If you observe carefully, you will see that certain industries are making it “okay” for college age workers to choose their industry as a primary career path.
How will you make it “okay” for great talent to join your team?