One of the real pleasures of my job is the quality of people that now work for Frameworks Timber. I have a sharp memory, and I haven’t forgotten the days when fogging a mirror was a job qualification. Actually, I’m exaggerating; having a valid driver’s license was what I was really looking for. I think I spent my first five years as a boss hiring people with no experience so they wouldn’t have any bad ideas. (Which turned out to be a bad idea.) Then the next five years trying to hire experienced framers and wading through the minefield that that sometimes is. (Just because you’ve been around a long time doesn’t mean you’re any good at what you’re doing.) Somewhere I had heard that good managers hired people that were smarter than they were. It made sense to me, and I think I tried to do it, but it didn’t work very well until 2001 when we started trying to timberframe full time.
Some of the progress in staff quality is the timberframing industry’s culture compared to general carpentry/construction culture, at least in this area of the U.S. There’s a ying to this yang, but in general timberframing seems to attract better educated, more motivated, emotionally healthier, and in general life terms, more successful people than does stick framing. As some reference to what I’m saying, consider that of the five carpenters that currently work at Frameworks Timber, all five have more college education than I do. Four have at least one degree. I have managed to hire people smarter than me.
Education isn’t everything, although I do believe it makes people more patient, more reasonable, less violent, less biased, and more progressive. It seems to be true with my generation that the having of a degree is as important as what’s in the degree in terms of self perception, social perception, and job placement. At least in part as a result of that perception, it’s been tough to get smart, motivated, thoughtful, artistic people to stick with building buildings as a career. I’ve seen more than a few start, realize how short the ceiling felt, and move on.
In the last 18 months, our industry has made a potentially huge leap forward. The Federal Department of Labor now recognizes timberframing as a trade, and the Timber Framers Guild has an officially registered apprenticeship program. Until now, all this motivation, intelligence, drive, and passion in the labor pool had no means for official recognition or certification. In about 3 years, though, the Timber Framers Guild will produce the first ever federally registered journeyman timberframer. Approximately 30 people, (I was one of them), in the industry were established as journeyman timberframers to seed the population, but our certificates will never have the official Federal Department of Labor seal of approval. The official FDOL stuff is only for people who’ve completed the apprenticeship program. Our journeyworker status is a result of reputation, peer review, and self assessment.
I’m pretty excited about a future where people like me, (trust me I was not college material even though I was smart), have an opportunity to start a real career doing something they care about, and when they’ve put in their time, get recognized for their skill sets. At a level that has nothing to do with business or money, it seems important. For all the buildings we’re going to build and for all the people doing the building and for all the people who want to live in a home built by craftsmen. Thanks to all of you who do want that. You’re making a difference.
Its excellent as your other posts : D, thanks for posting . “Music is the soul of language.” by Max Heindel.