Fixed Ops Magazine 2023 Vol 20-3 - 57

'technicians.' But perhaps we're approaching the next
wave: technologist or mobility engineer ... something
that truly represents the culmination of skill sets required
from the mechanics and technology to the diagnostics
and science. Whatever the term, it's the fact
that this is not a profession that is sitting idle.
STEM " NEW COLLAR " CAREERS
PERCEPTIONS CAN CHANGE
The technician profession offers so much of what young
people are seeking today! It's hands-on and not a desk
job. It's constantly-changing. It's something new every
day. It presents challenging, problem-solving cases. It
is filled with technology, computers and electronics.
This needs to be communicated as students and their
parents are looking for education and career pathways
that FIT.
Parents and teachers WANT kids to pursue STEM
(science, technology, engineering and math) careers.
They get all jazzed when their child is hired by Apple
to work on computers and iPhones. But if someone
suggests working in automotive, they revert to old
I believe the outdated stigmas can, in fact, be changed.
Thirty years ago, I was set up on a blind date with my
now husband. I was told he worked in computers. My
reaction was 'Eww.' I pictured horn-rimmed glasses and
a pocket protector. Geek. Nerd. Broke. Current semantics
transformed my computer-geek husband into an
IT professional. Those who hear that he is in IT are impressed.
They picture a white collar STEM career that
includes good money and automatic success. Nothing
actually changed in the past years except society's perception
and the fact that the average pay of computer
programmers went from $16 an hour to $43 an hour.
Increasing the sophistication of the product requires
school stigmas. This must change because these are
STEM jobs. The skilled trades used to be dubbed " blue
collar careers " . Today, our electricians, plumbers, and
technicians are in high demand and desperately needed
by society for their technical skills. TechForce advocates
that today's technician profession is not a blue collar but
a " new collar " career.
MAY JUNE 2023 || FIXED OPS MAGAZINE
57
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Fixed Ops Magazine 2023 Vol 20-3

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