[Townhall] Mike Rowe Scholarship Highlights the Lost Virtues of Hard Work and SweatSeveral months into her education, Wilson found out about the Work Ethic Scholarship Program from the Mike Rowe WORKS Foundation. The program provides financial support to students enrolled in trade school training programs who have demonstrated a continuing commitment to personal responsibility, a positive attitude, and a strong work ethic.
"I was like, 'Hey, I am a huge 'Dirty Jobs' fan,'" she said of Rowe's wildly popular Discovery Channel show, in which he does every trade job created that makes the clocks, trains, planes, and automobiles run on time and keeps your toilet flushing, too. Rowe made a reality show out of unglamorous yet essential jobs that make everyone's lives safer and more comfortable. He brought to the forefront not just their existence but also the value these jobs have for the people who do them.
For generations, high schools have geared young people to apply to universities and colleges. They have largely ignored and dismissed trades as either beneath them or not part of achieving the American dream.
As a result, many young people obtained expensive degrees that have few job prospects, and their debt lasts them well into their 40s. This has also created a culture that has lost its connection with the value and appreciation of skilled labor and the joy of getting your hands dirty.
"But everywhere I went on 'Dirty Jobs,' I saw 'Help Wanted' signs. It slowly dawned on me that high unemployment did not necessarily stem from a lack of opportunity. I remember being surprised to learn that 2.3 million jobs were open when the unemployment rate surpassed 10%."
When a financial reporter at the Wall Street Journal asked his take on how such a skills gap could exist during times of high unemployment, Rowe shared his theory.
"Much of society had waged a war on work," he said. "And I talked at length about the stigmas and stereotypes that surrounded many of the jobs we featured on the show, along with the myths and misperceptions that keep so many people from exploring a career in the trades."
On Feb. 23, Rowe's scholarship application process opens for 2022. Across the country, there are thousands of Tracy Wilsons out there attending community colleges, trade schools, and apprenticeship programs, eager to show their value, even when so many do not acknowledge it. Wilson encourages anyone who is even remotely considering applying to do it.
"Not just for the money -- which was nice by the way -- but because you also get to experience expressing and understanding the importance of work," she says. "It is a virtue we don't value enough in society, but we can change that one job at a time."
I worked with engineers for 30 years, then with construction dudes for 15. Good folks.