Hey young people, tell us what you can do!

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JOhnH

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The thread about Dr. Chien and Dr. Lou got me to thinking. There are a lot of threads on POA about how young people can't do anything any more. They can't change a tire or change their oil or fix almost anything. I have even participated in many of these.

But I know it is not universally true. And I know that young people have skills I never did and never will. So tell us what you can do. It can be a hobby or your job. And for reference I consider anyone around 40 or younger YOUNG.

As an example, I have a young nephew (28) that worked his way through school until he gained his Doctorate of Physical therapy. Even though his parents were moderately wealthy, he didn't depend on them. He started a company called "Cat 5 Carpentry" and he does wonderful work. He continues to do this on his time off form physical therapying. (yeah, I made that word up).
 
Well, short list:

- Was a professional Jaguar mechanic, and can turn my own wrenches on pretty much anything I own. Sometimes I choose to let someone else do it, but that's out of convenience not capability, whether it be around the house or in the garage
- Building a car now (extension of above)
- Been a professional pilot, ratings in my signature
- Own and operate various pieces of heavy equipment
- I'm a mechanical engineer by training and have ended up in an aviation career. I've worked on programs on both piston and turbine engines as well as avionics

Computers? I can work with them, but mostly do so in the context of supporting above activities. I don't like software and am not a software monkey.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
Well, short list:

- Was a professional Jaguar mechanic, and can turn my own wrenches on pretty much anything I own. Sometimes I choose to let someone else do it, but that's out of convenience not capability, whether it be around the house or in the garage
- Building a car now (extension of above)
- Been a professional pilot, ratings in my signature
- Own and operate various pieces of heavy equipment
- I'm a mechanical engineer by training and have ended up in an aviation career. I've worked on programs on both piston and turbine engines as well as avionics

Computers? I can work with them, but mostly do so in the context of supporting above activities. I don't like software and am not a software monkey.
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Would you be willing to participate in a cloning experiment?
 
JOhnH said:
Would you be willing to participate in a cloning experiment?
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Pretty sure that when they made me, they broke the mold.
 
Bill Jennings said:
But, I have to say from what I've read here, you're doing a fine job with the youngins.
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After I hit post I realized I should've added that those three are the best attempt at a cloning experiment I can get.

Best of all, they've got their mom mixed in them, which should make them turn out much better than me.

Seeing as they can already drive tractors, go karts, and trucks, not to mention do painting and riveting, I think they'll be ok.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
Pretty sure that when they made me, they broke the mold.
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As long as it was AFTER they made you. :)

You are clearly an extremely capable person and you're giving your kids a great start on those real world skills. Good on ya.
 
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I'm too old for this thread, but I'll brag on my kids a little.

My oldest son had got very good skills in most anything mechanical, electrical or plumbing. He's pretty good with computers as well. And can he cook! (And smoke meats!)

Next in line is my oldest daughter who can 1) dance & teach it, 2) use computers for nearly anything business related and 3) (Lately acquired) wrench on her own car. (I help, but she's doing more every job we do.)

My second son is willing to tackle pretty much anything on his car (and I'm not just talking oil changes and brakes!), carpentry, electric, appliance repair, and he's in the restaurant business. He's also a great and adventurous cook.

My youngest daughter dances. She's also very good at organizing teams (herself perhaps not so much yet).
 
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JOhnH said:
But I know it is not universally true. And I know that young people have skills I never did and never will. So tell us what you can do. It can be a hobby or your job. And for reference I consider anyone around 40 or younger YOUNG.
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I grew up with a dad keen on saving a penny and fixing everything himself and he was an engineer so I got a lot of good experience growing up. I also am naturally curious and have a sense that I can do anything I want, no one, especially not my own abilities, will stop me.. so for my list:

-speak hungarian fluently
-understand german, probably 4/10.. not great but enough to get my if you dropped me in Munich
-basically any kind of automotive work, change tires, oil, brakes, replace a rotor, air filter (cabin and engine), and I have a little OBDII computer so can read and reset codes as needed
-good skiier
-understand computers
-eat red meat
-mounted both flat screens in my apartment, with all cables hidden inside the wall and routed
-installed a modest lift on my FJ (2.5 inch)
-installed a safari snorkel
..and more

I'm convinced people in my "generation" can do much more than they think they can.. but they've never really received the encouragement for it.. there are genuine people who can't figure out how to replace a car tire and will wait 2 hrs for a AAA guy to come do it for them
 
It's a different world now. I grew up dodging my dad because if he found me doing nothing he invented chores. My brother and I cleaned more fence rows with a hand scythe (sickle) than we cared to. The least dad could have done was sharpen it. But there was very little I couldn't do with a car, repair-wise, before I had my license. I'd rebuilt a number of engines by then. Dad was a construction contractor so I was fairly handy there. Plumbing is a given, but I never grasped electric wiring.

My kids, now 18, 21, didn't grow up in that world. I tried to show them how to do a few things with tools but they had no interest. I also used to make my daughter and my wife change a tire in the garage every several months, but it ended up being a lost cause. Now they just call me, which I prefer since it's so much safer.

I've mentioned that my daughter is now studying HVAC at State Tech. She came to visit a couple of weeks ago, so proud that she could solder, sweat copper, braze, etc. Her female cousin has been a commercial welder for ten years or so. On my best day I couldn't even come close to her skills.
 
Ted, hate to say it. You aren't young anymore.
And I'm tool old to say what it is I can or can't do.
X'er
 
I am willing to bet money that I know and work with way more young adults than any of you. They're fine. They do what they do. Some wrench on cars and bikes, some play music, some do other things. The world is in safe hands. If you really don't believe me, think about his. The Greatest Generation was described by their parents in the same way you all describe millennials.

I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless beyond words... When I was young, we were taught to be discreet and respectful of elders, but the present youth are exceedingly wise [disrespectful] and impatient of restraint" -Hesiod, speaking in the 8th century BC​
 
I don’t think there’s much of a difference in the way of accomplishments between young and old. On paper, there are plenty of younger folks that have impressive resumes but real world experiences, not much. I don’t think the older generations stand out that much in being worldly wise outside of a rating or qualification though. So a millennial can’t change a tire or scramble an egg. They have other skills that older folks might not have.

I will say this, I’m not impressed with the overall lack of attention to detail that I see with the younger crowd. While they might have a job and qualified to do said job, they just have no passion or attention to detail in their day to day tasks. I witnessed that a lot in the military as I approached retirement. Well, to be honest these days I really don’t see much attention to detail in any service related industry. Can’t really call it a generational thing I guess. When I pay for a service these days I just assume I’ll get substandard work. When I don’t, I’m pleasantly surprised.
 
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EdFred said:
Yeah, but how many can drive a manual? :D
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Can you even still buy a manual? I miss my manual, but are there any *good* sports cars still out there that you can buy new with a genuine left pedal clutch manual?
 
steingar said:
I am willing to bet money that I know and work with way more young adults than any of you. They're fine. They do what they do. Some wrench on cars and bikes, some play music, some do other things. The world is in safe hands. If you really don't believe me, think about his. The Greatest Generation was described by their parents in the same way you all describe millennials.

I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless beyond words... When I was young, we were taught to be discreet and respectful of elders, but the present youth are exceedingly wise [disrespectful] and impatient of restraint" -Hesiod, speaking in the 8th century BC​
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I try to temper my view of the younger folks coming up by what I was like at their age. While I don't see nearly as many as you do, I hire and supervise a handful of college interns so I get some exposure, though to those culled from technical disciplines. I wasn't any more detail oriented nor responsible than the current generation. I had some skills I was exposed to by a grandfather who was a builder and carpenter and a dad who was an electrician and would tackle anything construction related. But I was good at what I was interested in: 1) airplanes (models) and 2) computers.

I agree with you that the comparison is perineal and wrong.
 
EdFred said:
Ted, hate to say it. You aren't young anymore.
And I'm tool old to say what it is I can or can't do.
X'er
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And I'm older than Ed, so...

steingar said:
Where can one purchase a car with a manual transmission?
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We just bought a new Civic with 6sp manual transmission, both the wife and I love driving it, and we're teaching our daughter to drive it. There still is a decent selection of vehicles available with manual trans, but the list does get shorter every year.
 
EdFred said:
Yeah, but how many can drive a manual? :D
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My millennial wife's car (Civic) is a manual. She had it before we met, and is a big part of why I married her. :)
 
Also... I have many millennial pet peeves, the whole "I can't do anything physical but drop $70/wk of mom and dad's money to go to F45 and I live off avocado toast" drives me nuts.. however the boomers have their fair share of deserved grief as well. I've had near aneurysms watching someone try to save an attachment off an email, schedule a meeting, or understand how "email" works and being what "on line" is. Some millennial may not be able to change a tire, but at least they can competently use a piece of technology, like CTRL F on a PDF, and can manage to not wire their entire retirement to a Nigerian price

PS.. most of my avocado toast can't change a tire millennial friends have their own skill sets, most are skilled in their field, be it java, python, etc.
 
Tantalum said:
Also... I have many millennial pet peeves, the whole "I can't do anything physical but drop $70/wk of mom and dad's money to go to F45 and I live off avocado toast" drives me nuts.. however the boomers have their fair share of deserved grief as well. I've had near aneurysms watching someone try to save an attachment off an email, schedule a meeting, or understand how "email" works and being what "on line" is. Some millennial may not be able to change a tire, but at least they can competently use a piece of technology, like CTRL F on a PDF, and can manage to not wire their entire retirement to a Nigerian price

PS.. most of my avocado toast can't change a tire millennial friends have their own skill sets, most are skilled in their field, be it java, python, etc.
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CTRL F on a pdf only works if it was published, or you get a REALLY good scan and the OCR does it's thing. Just had to go through a 70 page PDF that was scanned in, and CTRL F didn't work. Well the pop up box worked, but it couldn't find even a single letter.
 
EdFred said:
Ted, hate to say it. You aren't young anymore.
And I'm tool old to say what it is I can or can't do.
X'er
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I don't consider myself young, but the OP said "Under 40" for his criteria. So I was exhibiting reading comprehension and following instructions. You should try it. ;)
 
Tantalum said:
Can you even still buy a manual? I miss my manual, but are there any *good* sports cars still out there that you can buy new with a genuine left pedal clutch manual?
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Off the top of my head - BMW M cars, miata, camaro, mustang, challenger, wrangler can all still be bought new with manual
 
Hi! I’m 30 years old so I fit the definition right now. What I do...

I am a PhD student and instructor at the college level. My work is mostly in logistics and analytics.

I play guitar and sing in a rock band.

I ride motorcycles, I am resto-modding an old Corvette, and I (obviously because I am here) fly airplanes. I CAN drive a manual transmission car (and prefer it over an automatic).

I like to stay somewhat physically fit and enjoy running, cycling, weightlifting, hiking, etc.
 
I know a 30 year old that went from explosive ordinance disposal (EOD) tech to piloting Navy jets. And, I know a young lady that sailed around the Maldives in her 20s and then came home to return to school for, and is now certified as, a respiratory therapist. -----Yeah, I'm pretty proud of my kids!
 
Old97 said:
Off the top of my head - BMW M cars, miata, camaro, mustang, challenger, wrangler can all still be bought new with manual
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Yes, and the sporty version of both the Honda Civic and Accord can be had with manuals.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
I don't consider myself young, but the OP said "Under 40" for his criteria. So I was exhibiting reading comprehension and following instructions. You should try it. ;)
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Never read that far. Just looked at the title.
 
I'm 36, and, probably through self-selection, many of my friends are plenty handy (work on cars, planes, houses, etc.) and successful in their careers (usually careers unrelated to their mechanical skills). My dad isn't handy at all, so I certainly didn't inherit it from him. Despite that, I can drive a manual, work on my own car, work on my own plane, work on my house, have a solid understanding of tech (I can, or at least at one point could, build a computer), etc. There are few tasks I totally shy away from at least considering/trying to DIY (working with natural gas lines at the house being one of them). I, of course, know a ton of people my age who struggle to operate a gas pump, but I also know plenty of middle-age to older folks who aren't even remotely handy (and in some cases, especially as it relates to tech, are usually far worse than my age or younger).

At work, I quasi-supervise a decent number of folks in their early to mid 20s. Again, some of this is self-selection because of my firm's hiring standards, but the people I work with are all very smart, hard working and detail oriented.
 
I think when we talk about "young folks can't..." we are mostly talking about those under 30. Someone 40 now was 21 in 2000 so grew up pretty much pre-internet. My son is 20. I taught him to spin wrenches a bit but he doesn't care to do that. I built computers with him but he isn't much into that. He is a barista at Starbucks and likes his job. But mostly, my son is a good human being and I hope that I played some part in that.

IMAG0024.jpg S1051833.JPG
 
AutoCAD, civil engineering, land surveying was my original career path and I'm darn good at them.

When development tanked I went and drive a truck for 5 years.

I've done yacht deliveries for a few years. I can work on any system in a yacht. Everything from refrigeration installs, autopilot install from scratch, nav instruments, AC and DC wiring. When my son gets old enough, this is the career I will probably go back to, man is it fun sailing other people's boats to the islands.

I can work on older cars, newer ones are a little bit of a mystery sometimes with the computers. I can fix any motorcycle, pwc, boat, tractor, diesel engine.

I fix my TVs when they break rather than throw them out.

Home repair, there really isn't a job I would be scared to take on.

I can hunt and fish for my dinner. Gut, skin and process just about any animal to eat.

I can grow a garden.
 
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