The Baltimore Carpenter's Project

Is college the path to success or is it a career in a skilled trade?

As a person who pursued the college degree route a decade before joining the skilled labor force, I see the value in both options. At age 13, I wanted to go to a high school to take carpentry courses because I liked to work with my hands. My mother sent me to Baltimore Polytechnic Institute instead. My education at Poly was invaluable and my experiences there still affect my thinking, but it was not what I envisioned for myself.

After high school, I worked as a Math Instructor while pursuing a degree in Government and Public Policy. From age 18 to 30, I have been employed as a warehouse worker, grocery store clerk, meat cutter, retail associate, consultant and math tutor. I have also been the president of a nonprofit with a half million dollar budget, co-director of youth media nonprofit, and owner-operator of a landscaping company. This by no means an exhaustive list, but it makes the point that I have engaged in both blue collar and white collar work.

After all of these other experiences, I am now a carpenter. Though I have learned an awesome array of skills along my journey, it is my opinion that skilled trades are more important than most degrees available in higher education today. I do not say this to demean a college education; however, we must recognize the vital work of America’s skilled laborers.

While I acknowledge that the dirty work of building America’s infrastructure and housing isn’t glamorous to many, it is the critical component that keeps our society functioning. Without electricians, plumbers, and carpenters, the pursuers of college degrees would not have office buildings, restaurants, gyms, grocercy markets, and homes to go to. It is for this reason in particular that I am an advocate of skilled labor.

Every industry depends on the construction industry. This includes those who work in the gig economy. Every road, bridge, and gas station was built by the hands of carpenters. If we want to maintain our modern standard of living, then we should encourage more people to join the building trades.

One of the goals of BCP is to inspire and mentor the next generation of carpenters in Baltimore City. We acknowledge the need and have thrown our hat in the ring!!