The Entrepreneur Forum | Financial Freedom | Starting a Business | Motivation | Money | Success

Welcome to the only entrepreneur forum dedicated to building life-changing wealth.

Build a Fastlane business. Earn real financial freedom. Join free.

Join over 80,000 entrepreneurs who have rejected the paradigm of mediocrity and said "NO!" to underpaid jobs, ascetic frugality, and suffocating savings rituals— learn how to build a Fastlane business that pays both freedom and lifestyle affluence.

Free registration at the forum removes this block.

Don't Follow Your Passion! (feat. Mike Rowe from "Dirty Jobs")

Anything related to matters of the mind

The-J

Dog Dad
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
264%
Aug 28, 2011
4,199
11,079
Ontario

"I looked around to see where everyone else was headed. Then... I went the opposite way." - a multimillionaire septic tank cleaner
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

YoungPadawan

Miles to go before I sleep
Read Rat-Race Escape!
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
280%
Nov 7, 2015
498
1,392
30
Holy crap, I just watched this exact video yesterday. Good stuff
 
Last edited:

Alxander

Bronze Contributor
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
174%
Mar 5, 2015
228
397
26
Only saw the post on reddit and saw someone commenting something along the way:

"You shouldn't do what you like. You should work and do the fun stuff in your spare time".

Seriously something like that. It made me angry and sad for the person at the same time, at the end of his life he will probably say: ""Life went so fast bla bla" and die with regrets.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

JDx

Bronze Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
230%
May 11, 2016
161
371
Amsterdam
Only saw the post on reddit and saw someone commenting something along the way:

"You shouldn't do what you like. You should work and do the fun stuff in your spare time".

Seriously something like that. It made me angry and sad for the person at the same time, at the end of his life he will probably say: ""Life went so fast bla bla" and die with regrets.
You should probably watch the video(s).
Doing what you like is what is creating this skill gap between graduates and the working field - nobody grows up wishing to be a feces cleaner; the opportunity/need presented itself and by becoming very good at that (prospering), the enjoyment (and passion) grew.
That's probably what the person in the comment meant. I agree that work should be some kind of fun though, but I also believe that even cleaning up feces can be enjoyable once you are appreciated for it and rewarded.

"Never follow your passion, but always bring it with you"
 

SEBASTlAN

Marketing Wizard
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
149%
Dec 22, 2014
1,888
2,813
Los Angeles
I think this image sums it up best

worksweetspot_oscarramosorozco.png


It can't be all about our "interests"..
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

Dbbuzbee

Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
86%
Jun 8, 2016
43
37
Washington DC
Loved both the videos. Would you rather be an artist making $20K a year or own a septic tank business worth millions? If your doing what others aren't willing to do you'll get what they will never have.
 

Thiago Machado

Gold Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
324%
May 20, 2014
357
1,158
30
Mike Rowe's concepts definitely resonate with us here on the forum.

However, I just wanted to know the opinion of the people on this thread in regards to the following ....

Should people be worried about things like this?
Do you guys think that the evolution of such technologies could potentially contribute to the "end of manual labor?"




He frequently talks about welders, but based on this article... Are they really making 80 to 100k? - http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Welder/Hourly_Rate

I have a relative in the NYC carpenters union. He clears over 100k a year. However, notice that I said UNION. Most tradesman who work in small to mid sized businesses don't make that kind of money.

I can see the trades being decent if one were to become a contractor / start his own business. But working for the man? I can't agree with Mike... And that's why I seem to challenge a lot of his beliefs.

Don't get me wrong. I clearly understand the concept of this video. Look for needs, not passion. However, I have a hard time believing all the uplifting things Mike has to say about blue collar workers.

Maybe it's just the exposure I've received from other people in the industry.

Jut wanted some input from you guys.


P.S.

 
Last edited:

The-J

Dog Dad
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
264%
Aug 28, 2011
4,199
11,079
Ontario
Should people be worried about things like this?
Do you guys think that the evolution of such technologies could potentially contribute to the "end of manual labor?"

Yes, 100%. But it goes further than simply having huge swaths of layoffs.

My prediction?

In 2020-2050, there will be the greatest number of new 'jobless' people out there. 'Jobless', as in, 'don't need a job because my bills are paid'.

Think about it.

Self driving cars are here to stay (Tesla has one on the market right now, and within 5 years, so many will sell for as little as $30k).

Uber is gaining traction. Soon, there will be driverless taxis that never get into accidents, pay the lowest insurance premiums, and pay the least amount of gas money.

And anyone can do it.

I predict fares will go down to, on average, $3 per 20 minute ride. That's $9 per hour. Average sedan holds 5 people. Minus the driver, that's 4 passengers. $36 per hour, just to operate the vehicle. Many of these cars will be electric, meaning NO GAS BILL. Insurance and the car payment will be the biggest fee (unless you pay cash for it, then just insurance).

Hire a 'driver' to literally sit in the car and do nothing for minimum wage. Boom: a $30k asset cashflowing better than most rental properties. And far more liquid than a property.

It goes further.

AirBNB is getting huge. Any urban dweller can rent out a bedroom in their house, condo, or apartment for hotel prices. That could be as much as 3x your rent or mortgage.

Yes: there's variance. Yes: there's locales where this will not work (if Uber is illegal, if minimum wage is too high, if real estate or rents are too high, it won't work).

But for many people, it will work.

It goes further.

There are labs currently developing automation technologies that work with 3D printers. A 'smart robot' currently costs $30k, but these robots will go down in price... and so will 3D printers.

This is disruption of a huge degree: the supply curve is not just shifting, the shape is changing to a point where there is no minimum efficient scale.

That means small houses will be able to compete with big houses because economies of scale is slowly dissipating.

Regular people will be able to have makeshift manufacturing houses. Hell, they already do in some industries. But this time, it's different.

You know how anyone can start an Amazon store and become an entrepreneur selling takoyaki pans or whatever the F*ck? Well, soon anyone will be able to MAKE a takoyaki pan.

This will happen to nearly every industry out there.

People are crying doom and gloom because lots of people are going to lose their jobs. (And no, people aren't going to 'lose their jobs'... jobs are going to disappear, and people are going to lose their utility in the workforce.)

However, what a lot of people don't realize is that entrepreneurship is only going to get easier and easier. It's already easier than it was 10, 20, 30 years ago. And guess what?

The demand will still be there. People travel and need to use Uber and AirBNB. People will need things they can't make. People will want things that they can't make as efficiently. Some people will have to use these services because they won't be able to afford owning some things (lookin at you, Toronto real estate). Some people will disavow owning these things entirely and live a 'rental life', which will be cheaper than ever in the coming years.

We're entering a brave new world, and yes... humans need not apply.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

Azure

Perpetual Motion
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
189%
Mar 12, 2016
439
829
32
I find tha
Mike Rowe's concepts definitely resonate with us here on the forum.

However, I just wanted to know the opinion of the people on this thread in regards to the following ....

Should people be worried about things like this?
Do you guys think that the evolution of such technologies could potentially contribute to the "end of manual labor?"




He frequently talks about welders, but based on this article... Are they really making 80 to 100k? - http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Welder/Hourly_Rate

I have a relative in the NYC carpenters union. He clears over 100k a year. However, notice that I said UNION. Most tradesman who work in small to mid sized businesses don't make that kind of money.

I can see the trades being decent if one were to become a contractor / start his own business. But working for the man? I can't agree with Mike... And that's why I seem to challenge a lot of his beliefs.

Don't get me wrong. I clearly understand the concept of this video. Look for needs, not passion. However, I have a hard time believing all the uplifting things Mike has to say about blue collar workers.

Maybe it's just the exposure I've received from other people in the industry.

Jut wanted some input from you guys.


P.S.


I find that trade incomes are often vastly overinflated by those in the trades. The amount of roofers I know who brag of 2k week earnings but somehow neglect to mention the 3 week downtown in between the month of work.
 

Tapp001

Bronze Contributor
FASTLANE INSIDER
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
191%
May 24, 2016
130
248
37
Mike Rowe's concepts definitely resonate with us here on the forum.

However, I just wanted to know the opinion of the people on this thread in regards to the following ....

Should people be worried about things like this?
Do you guys think that the evolution of such technologies could potentially contribute to the "end of manual labor?"




He frequently talks about welders, but based on this article... Are they really making 80 to 100k? - http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Welder/Hourly_Rate

I have a relative in the NYC carpenters union. He clears over 100k a year. However, notice that I said UNION. Most tradesman who work in small to mid sized businesses don't make that kind of money.

I can see the trades being decent if one were to become a contractor / start his own business. But working for the man? I can't agree with Mike... And that's why I seem to challenge a lot of his beliefs.

Don't get me wrong. I clearly understand the concept of this video. Look for needs, not passion. However, I have a hard time believing all the uplifting things Mike has to say about blue collar workers.

Maybe it's just the exposure I've received from other people in the industry.

Jut wanted some input from you guys.


P.S.


Well, that's fine and dandy. I didn't need hope. Maybe if we are lucky the robots will be nice, and assign us totally useless but fulfilling careers at birth....

Robot sales?
 

Thiago Machado

Gold Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
324%
May 20, 2014
357
1,158
30
@The-J

Spot on brother!

Thanks for the reply.

"Uber is gaining traction. Soon, there will be driverless taxis that never get into accidents, pay the lowest insurance premiums, and pay the least amount of gas money."

Honestly? I'm all for making things easier. And this is one of those things that will do just that.

Believe it or not, Im not really a car guy at all. I think I've always looked at cars from a "losing money point of view".

Sometimes, the expense of having car is similar to the expense of taking care of another person in your life.

Seriously.

Add the monthly payments, insurance, maintenance, parking, gas, car wash, etc and see how much money that racks up. Oh, and btw, try not to crash while you're at it. Not only will you pay a large sum to fix your car, but your insurance will go up as well (yay?)

So going on about what you said: "I predict fares will go down to, on average, $3 per 20 minute ride."

If this ought to happen, I'm super pumped.
For $3 you get your very own "personal chauffeur"
No more worrying about the costs associated with a car and the time you waste maintaining one.

You know who I see utilizing this "philosophy" often?
Gary Vaynerchuk.
A while back I stumbled upon his [HASHTAG]#askgaryvee[/HASHTAG] show and noticed that he never drives. He doesn't flash anything. He takes the subway and yellow cabs in NYC. He's practical.

This also reminds me of Felix Dennis in his book "How to Get Rich"
He says: "If it flies, floats, or fornicates, always rent. And I must say... I completely agree.

As for the 3D printers, I agree as well.

Just look at the home computer. Remember how much it cost 15 years ago? Today we have the same thing (even better actually) in the palm of our hands. It's such an accessible item to the masses, that when a new one comes out, many people just throw their old ones in the drawer and forget it.
3D printers will get cheap, and they are sure to revolutionize many things we do.

Looking at that video in which an entire house is made out of 3D printers, makes me wonder how long till manual labor jobs will exist.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.
Last edited:

Thiago Machado

Gold Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
324%
May 20, 2014
357
1,158
30
I find tha


I find that trade incomes are often vastly overinflated by those in the trades. The amount of roofers I know who brag of 2k week earnings but somehow neglect to mention the 3 week downtown in between the month of work.

Totally agree.

The thing that bothers me a bit with Mike Rowe's way of thinking is that, somewhere, not so long ago, I stumbled upon an article of the person he speaks of in the video.

He's a young kid, welder, and makes over 100k a year.

But essentially, what Mike doesn't reveal to his audience, is that the kid was working somewhere between 100 hours a week.

Definitely not Fastlane in my opinion and completely violates the time rule.

I don't know about you guys, but I'd hate to work as a welder for 100 hours a week.

What bother's me a bit about his speech is that he makes blue collar jobs seem like the solution to all of the problems in our economy and in people's lives.

It's not.

The entry barrier is extremely low in manual labor jobs.

Low entry barrier = Low pay.

Yet, here's Mike bashing about how if you become a welder, you'll make 100k a year.

To me, this gives false hope to a lot of people. He doesn't tell it like it is. He glamorizes blue collar jobs. (Did I mention that some people claim that he is a lobbyist for companies such as Caterpillar?)

Sure there are guys that make that money, but the majority don't. And whats worse? The majority of people who JUST GET BY with these jobs.

So this essentially gets me thinking: " why is he preaching about manual labor in a world where robots are essentially going to take over the workforce?" Seems a bit weird doesn't it? Mike does help in removing a large chunk of the negative connotations associated with the trades, but I can't believe his optimism, and the positivity he spreads about choosing a trade as a career.

So what is the solution in my opinion?

I think it's to become a linchpin.
A person who is indispensable at his job or within his company.
A person who people depend on. Who can't live without.

What should Mike be preaching to the masses?

In my opinion sales + marketing + leadership. (and some coding to work on those robots)

Nail those 3 and you'll never go hungry.

I'd choose a sales job over a welding job any day.

With sales:
  • I'd learn a valuable skill.
  • Would realistically able to make 100k.
  • And can transfer my skills to other areas. (I don't think being a good welder will help me get more clients).

Just my two cents.

What do you guys think?
 
Last edited:

JDx

Bronze Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
230%
May 11, 2016
161
371
Amsterdam
(..)

I'd choose a sales job over a welding job any day.

With sales:
  • I'd learn a valuable skill.
  • Would realistically able to make 100k.
  • And can transfer my skills to other areas. (I don't think being a good welder will help me get more clients).

Just my two cents.

What do you guys think?
Welders don't magically get customers, you know. Sales are in every job, sector or profession. It's all about sales.
From what I understood from the posted videos, mr dirty jobs talks about filling needs. (I must have missed the blue collar welding part somewhere)
Let's say more people are like yourself; aiming to get a sales job at a company somewhere.
What happens is exactly what mr rowe talks about in one of his videos: skill gap. Some big oil company wants to expand and add an ocean pipeline. However, this can only be built by scuba welders.
I guess that won't happen, since everybody is selling office printers to the corporate world and dropshipping the latest Disney lunchboxes on eBay, lol.

However, say you recognize the need somehow and are to jump in to fill the need of the welders. Since there are barely any good ones out there, and you put in the work, you start building a reputation. Soon, you'd get so many job offers you need extra personnel to help you out. A company is born.
See what I mean?

Sure, starting off as a welder isn't fastlane (CENTS) by any means, but you can get it there. And yes, you'd need sales. To sell yourself.

2c
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Thiago Machado

Gold Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
324%
May 20, 2014
357
1,158
30
Welders don't magically get customers, you know. Sales are in every job, sector or profession. It's all about sales.
From what I understood from the posted videos, mr dirty jobs talks about filling needs. (I must have missed the blue collar welding part somewhere)
Let's say more people are like yourself; aiming to get a sales job at a company somewhere.
What happens is exactly what mr rowe talks about in one of his videos: skill gap. Some big oil company wants to expand and add an ocean pipeline. However, this can only be built by scuba welders.
I guess that won't happen, since everybody is selling office printers to the corporate world and dropshipping the latest Disney lunchboxes on eBay, lol.

However, say you recognize the need somehow and are to jump in to fill the need of the welders. Since there are barely any good ones out there, and you put in the work, you start building a reputation. Soon, you'd get so many job offers you need extra personnel to help you out. A company is born.
See what I mean?

Sure, starting off as a welder isn't fastlane (CENTS) by any means, but you can get it there. And yes, you'd need sales. To sell yourself.

2c


I understand your point.

I never said they magically get clients though.

That's why I said in order to make blue collar work great (as Mike Rowe deems it to be), in my opinion, one must become skilled in his trade and then become a contractor / business owner.

What do these guys do? Close deals. (after all, it's how they get clients right?)

Don't know if you've ever stumbled upon my content in any other thread, but I say that everything is sales. That's why I feel like getting a job in sales or any other area that will improve your skills in sales + marketing + leadership + management etc, would be better off if you want to earn while you learn, and then use those skills in your future fastlane business. (and no, one does not have to sell office printers and dropship from ebay. There are plenty of things to sell throughout various industries.)

"However, say you recognize the need somehow and are to jump in to fill the need of the welders. Since there are barely any good ones out there, and you put in the work, you start building a reputation. Soon, you'd get so many job offers you need extra personnel to help you out. A company is born.
See what I mean?"


I see what you mean. I just don't see what Mike Rowe is talking about. He mentions a kid making 100k a year but doesn't mention how many hours he works a week, where he works, for who he works and etc. So by leaving these things out of the equation, I feel like he may give off the wrong impression to a lot of uninformed people.

And my point is? Most people tend to believe everything they see on TV.

You see, I love the guy and his insights, but knowing blue collar workers on a personal level, the only ones making decent change are the business owners (Mike talks about getting a job).


My doubt is: Will manual labor work cease to exist in the future? If so, why should a person focus on developing a skill set on something that may become obsolete. (Yes, there are various forms of blue collar work. Some won't. But by looking at that 3D printer (which builds a house in 24 hours) I think it's only a matter of time before they perfect the process, make them more affordable to construction companies, and let machines do all the work.

- Thiago
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.
Last edited by a moderator:
D

Deleted78083

Guest
Just wached the vid on youtube, it was so "fastlane" that there were a 100% chances someone had already posted it! Great vid.
 

Post New Topic

Please SEARCH before posting.
Please select the BEST category.

Post new topic

Guest post submissions offered HERE.

New Topics

Fastlane Insiders

View the forum AD FREE.
Private, unindexed content
Detailed process/execution threads
Ideas needing execution, more!

Join Fastlane Insiders.

Top