I agree, in some ways, with 'Contractor'. Any profession which attracts decent wages, also attracts its fair share of charlatans.
For example, I'm not in the building game - I'm in computing. I come from the 'old school' where there was no such thing as 'Windows' and the Internet had not been invented yet. In those days we had to *really* know what we were doing... because the technology was so new, and so flaky, that you had to understand how it worked just to get it going. You needed native ability, commitment, and time.
Nowadays, since computing is so accessible, the industry is flooded with pimply-faced halfwits who, having read a book or two, seem to manage to kid people that they are competent. All they do is try, try again until it works (kindof).
I imagine it's the same in the building game. DIY is big business, and the telly tells us it's easy... right? And demand for skilled people has never been higher... so there is bound to be a fair proportion of people with 20% ability and 80% bullsh*t, who blag their way through the job.
I'm sure we all recognise these guys. I'm sure Janitor and Handyman and Coggy all recognise them too, and would flame them just as much as you would.... because you guys all share the same pride in what you do.
However.
I believe, and I always will believe, that being a generalist (through having a general range of experience) is not the same as being unable to specialise (through having a lack of specific talent).
I'm also prepared to accept that a generalist is perhaps limited in the extent to which he can develop any one particular strand of skill. But that doesn't mean he can't develop his range of skills to a good overall standard, if he has the pride and motivation to do it.
Be honest - if you and your colleagues on site, recognise these 'dilutees' - some of that will be real (because some of them are fakes as I've said) but some of it will be pride or one-upmanship - we've all grafted hard for the qualifications we've got, and seeing other people in the same job. on the same wage, without those qualifications, does tend to irritate us.
However. It's definitely true that the engineering trades in general (electrics, plumbing, joinery, bricklaying...) are pretty much a 'closed shop'... so is it really fair to criticise people who, despite the really hard barriers to entry, still enter the industry and make a go of it?
Take me. As I said in an earlier post, I've done quite a bit over the years in a range of domestic properties. I'm not an idiot, and I am wise enough to know what I know and what I don't. I would *love* to develop my abilities (particularly in domestic electrics and plumbing) into a profession. But the need for the workplace assessment for an NVQ, for example, makes that impossible for me (34, 2 kids, mortgage, wife.... etc... no way I can jack in my current job and do an apprenticeship).
In general, you guys with the cast-iron CV, are not interested in small jobs. That's not a criticism - it's a fact. So there has to be room for other people to provide that service and, if it's essentially a different service to what you provide, then maybe a different range of skills is appropriate.
Again, just my £0.02. I fully understand your point of view, being (as I said) a time served professional in my own field, who gets really wound up when the people I regard as 'amateurs' rear their heads. However...... that's when they step into my patch. Maybe, on their own patch, they would do a better job than me, and I should have the grace to admit it.
Phew. long post !
Cheers.
