Vocations

Front matter

The World's Work and Its Workers

Boston · New York · Chicago · Dallas · San Francisco

Copyright, 1929

What One Ought to Know About a Vocation

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Learning about vocations. One of the greatest manufacturers in this country, Mr. Henry Ford, when asked to give a word of advice to the youth of America, said: "You will never be content or happy unless you find the way to work—to some useful occupation—whatever it may be. If your ambition is to be idle you are doomed to inevitable failure." This book has been written in the hope that it will be of assistance to many American boys and girls in their effort to "find the way to work—to some useful occupation." The writer, as a boy and as a young man, working his way through high school and college, had the good fortune to engage in fourteen different kinds of work: office boy, cash boy, paper carrier, helper in a tomato canning factory, clerk in store, tinsmith's helper, garden hand, harvest hand, firer of a hop kiln, , mucker in a silver mine, chainman in a surveying crew, stenographer in a law office, private secretary to a college president. This varied experience was an ideal way to learn about many different vocations, but very few boys to-day are so fortunate.

In these days it is usually necessary to learn about vocations by reading books, magazine articles, and other literature, or by asking questions and observing those who are engaged in different kinds of work to see what they do. There are so many different kinds of service which people perform, and so many distinct vocations, that one could not possibly find time to have first-hand experience in more than a very few of them. That is why it is important for us, while we are yet in school, to study about the world's work and its workers. Even though we can try but a few vocations ourselves, such trials help us to become broader-minded and more interested in other people if we know something about the tasks which they perform in their various ways of making a living.

In making a study of a vocation it will be helpful to know what to look for, what to ask about, and how to proceed in gathering the necessary facts. That help is what this first chapter is going to try to supply. It is to serve as a kind of measuring stick which we can take with us into the study of a vocation when we are trying to find out whether or not it is the work we would choose for a life-career.

Nature of the work. The first question one should ask about a vocation is this: "What is it?" Suppose you are interested in becoming an engineer. You look in the dictionary and find that an engineer is defined as "a person who manages or runs an engine." But you say: "I do not want to be that kind of engineer; I want to be the kind of engineer who plans bridges, lays out railroads, and surveys land." In trying to find out all you possibly can about that type of engineering, you will discover that there are a great many different kinds of engineers, and that many books and magazine articles have been written describing just what sort of service each kind of engineer performs. In order to become well informed about engineering you will want to read as many of these books and articles as possible. You will also want to meet some persons engaged in the type of engineering in which you are interested in order to ask them questions, and if possible see them at work. A little later on you may even have an opportunity to secure employment for a summer as chainman or axe-man in a surveying crew. In these different ways you will be able to learn a great deal about the vocation that will be helpful to you in considering it as a possible life-career.

Needed vocational information. There are certain specific items of information which should be known about a vocation by the person who is thinking of entering it. For example, one should consider the importance of the vocation. This can be judged in various ways. One way is to find out how many people are making a living in that vocation. Nearly one third of all gainful workers are engaged in some agricultural vocation. This fact indicates that farming is an important vocation. Another way to estimate the importance of a vocation is to inquire into the type of service which it renders. Again farming is important from this point of view, because food production is dependent upon the result of farming operations. Every person in the country is concerned to have the food supply maintained. But there are some vocations in which comparatively few persons are engaged but which are nevertheless vastly important. There are not many inventors, but one of them, Thomas A. Edison, has been responsible for inventions on which great business and manufacturing enterprises are based and which represent thirteen billion dollars of investment, as well as unmeasured benefits to humanity in comforts and enjoyment of life.

Supply and demand for workers. The supply and demand for workers in the vocation you are considering should also be investigated. Some vocations in which many workers were employed fifty years ago are no longer considered desirable because the number of workers required is rapidly decreasing. Harness and saddle makers used to find ample employment, before the coming of the truck and the automobile; their numbers have been reduced until at the present time there are less than two thousand persons engaged in this vocation. On the other hand, only fifteen thousand workers in automobile factories were reported in 1910; in 1920 eighty-three thousand were reported, and in 1928, one automobile manufacturer alone had more than one hundred and twenty thousand employees. Before deciding to prepare for a vocation it is therefore wise to find out, if possible, whether it is a vocation which is likely to increase or decrease in importance.

Physical conditions surrounding workers. The physical conditions of a vocation should be studied. Some vocations are dangerous to life and limb. This danger is not necessarily a reason for avoiding them. It might even be an incentive to persons who enjoy taking risks and doing difficult things. Many vocations are unnecessarily dangerous. Added to the natural hazards of the vocation itself there are often conditions which tend to increase those hazards—perhaps safety devices are not installed; equipment is not inspected; proper precautions are not taken. Then, too, there are certain occupational diseases—kinds of illness which attack workers in certain fields. Miners in certain mines are subject to arsenic poisoning; painters are subject to lead poisoning; paper hangers are affected by dust from some kinds of wall paper; stone cutters suffer from inhaling the powdery dust from their power-driven stone-cutting tools. Factory workers sometimes have to work in poorly lighted, unsanitary, crowded work-rooms.

Conditions unfavorable to health and safety are not confined to any particular vocations, but may exist in almost any of them. The worker should know what to look for, and, if possible, avoid those industries or individual employers who do not make every effort to surround their workers with comfortable, safe, and healthful conditions for their daily work. In considering business and professional vocations also the conditions under which one will have to work should be borne in mind: the traveling salesman must be away from home a great deal of the time; the sales person is on his feet most of the day; the doctor is on call at any time of day or night; the lawyer is subjected to long periods of strain during the trial of important cases; the school teacher has to adjust himself to forty varieties of disposition during the day, and spend long hours correcting papers at night. Every vocation has its disadvantages, as well as its advantages, and these should be well understood by the young person who is thinking of entering any particular field of employment or service.

Regularity and permanence of employment. Some vocations are seasonal—that is, a great many workers are employed at certain times of the year, and at others very few are required. When farmers are harvesting their grain they need thousands of laborers for a few months, but they could not possibly keep all these workers employed throughout the year. The canning season in the fruit and vegetable canning industry calls for thousands of workers during a part of the year, and for very few the rest of the time. Certain trades are seriously affected by weather conditions. Those who work at these trades either have to make enough during the busy season to support themselves during the slack season, or find other work to do between seasons. It is estimated that there are always more than a million workers out of employment in this country, and when industrial conditions are bad, this number sometimes increases to ten per cent of the gainful workers. These facts make it clear that the permanence and regularity of employment should be taken into account in selecting a life-career.

Leisure and vacation time. The number of hours a day which are required of the workers is another point to be considered. An eight-hour day with a half-day off on Saturday means that a worker will have considerable time for rest and recreation. A ten- or twelve-hour day with six full working days, or even seven, which is still the rule in some industries, means that the worker is going to have almost no leisure time at all. Some employers plan to give their employees a two weeks' vacation with full pay each year. School teachers have two or three months' vacation. Other employers do not plan for any vacation at all, unless the worker wishes to take time off at his own expense and take his chance of finding his position open and waiting for him on his return. Since one's fitness for doing good work depends upon the way one spends his leisure hours, it is worth while to find out all you can about this aspect of a proposed vocation.

Not only should one know what the amount of leisure and vacation time in a particular vocation is likely to be, but one should begin, early in life, to learn how to spend leisure and vacations in a happy and profitable way. Hobbies, such as making collections of interesting objects; sports, in which one can continue to engage in adult life; and artistic skill, either in music or handcrafts, make it possible for one to enjoy leisure time in a satisfactory manner.

Income or wages. What wages one may expect is another important item to be investigated. It is not a good idea to think of a vocation solely from the point of view of the amount of income that it may possibly bring in. Some vocations in which men earn large incomes are not desirable because they are too dangerous to health, while others are not desirable because they involve doing things which are illegal or against the welfare of others. On the other hand it is necessary to consider what income a vocation will yield in order to determine

whether such work will support the worker adequately, and allow him to take care of his family or other dependents.

Some good principles to keep in mind, when considering the income of a vocation, are these:

First principle: Is the pay at the beginning approximately as high as it will ever come to be? The answer to this question will help one to discover whether there is a chance for promotion and increase of pay. Some jobs pay fairly high wages to beginners, because the work is so easy to learn that long experience does not greatly increase efficiency. In other situations the pay at the beginning is low, and promotion rather slow and hard to earn, but the pay for the better positions is high. The latter type of position is preferable. It is better to accept a small wage at the start where there is an opportunity for growth and development, as well as for an increase in income, than to take a position where the wage at the beginning is high but where opportunity for increased efficiency is small.

Second principle: the regularity of the income. Does the income from the vocation come in regular monthly or weekly installments, or is it irregular—now a small sum and again a larger amount? This is an important item. When one's income is regular one can meet monthly bills promptly and establish habits of regularity, but when one's income is irregular it is easy to get into careless habits in paying debts. A regular income also makes it possible to budget one's expenses; that is, to plan beforehand just how much can be spent for rent, food, clothing, recreation, etc., and how much can be set aside for the savings account.

Third principle: the source of the income. Is the employer responsible and able to pay what he offers? Every year there are thousands of workers who fail to receive the wages which they have earned. Sometimes the employer is honest, but has underestimated the cost in bidding on a contract and fails, thus causing great loss to his employees. Often, however, there is deliberate fraud. People are induced to go to work with promises of large wages, but after they have done the work there is no money to pay for the services rendered. Any advertisement which promises large pay for a small amount of work is to be regarded with suspicion. It is usually only an alluring kind of bait used to catch the simple-minded.

Retirement salary or pension. This provision should be considered in estimating the income and rewards of a vocation. An increasing number of public-service corporations, as well as a great many established industries, are making provision for retirement allowances or old-age pensions for their employees. Sometimes, in fact more often than not, the employee makes a small monthly payment toward this pension and the employer deposits a similar amount with the State, or with some annuity insurance company, and at a certain age, after a given number of years of service, the worker is entitled to draw an allowance. Such allowances are especially important for persons whose salaries are not high, and whose incomes are such that it is difficult to save enough to take care of oneself in old age. There are also casualty and disability incomes provided by State Workingmen's Compensation Acts, whereby employers are required to guarantee payments to employees for loss of time on account of accidents which happen in connection with their work. A position with an organization that provides retirement pensions and accident and sickness benefits is much more desirable than one with an organization that does not offer such assistance. Such protection means peace of mind and freedom from worry. Increased efficiency on the part of the workers is thus made possible.

Opportunities for advancement. There are many vocations which are called "blind alley" jobs because they are like alleys which end in the middle of a block—they lead nowhere. In such vocations the beginning pay is usually approximately as high as that which is earned after several years of experience, and the tasks to be performed do not change much from beginning to end. Ambitious young people will not hold such positions long, but will be looking around and preparing themselves for positions which have in them opportunities for advance- ment. In well-established industries there are usually well-defined lines of promotion. The beginner is willing to take small pay and do hard work if he can see that faithful service leads, within a reasonable time, to the next higher round on the ladder. Section hands have been known to go up through all the stages of advancement to the position of president of the railroad. Office boys, or filing clerks, or stenographers not infrequently earn their way to managerships or presidencies of their corporations. These promotions are usually won, not by merely wishing for them, but by working and preparing for them. The most intelligent worker will seek to find a vocation which has in it real opportunities for promotion, and will then study his job to find out how the promotion may be earned. One of the most sought after kinds of advancement is that which makes one independent; that is, gives him an opportunity to become a proprietor or an employer himself. This stage of progress, however, comes to most people only after a number of years of apprenticeship in working hard and faithfully for other people.

Social and moral hazards. There are kinds of work which in themselves are attractive, both from the standpoint of earnings and possibilities of promotion, but which are undesirable for other reasons. Before deciding definitely upon a vocation it is a good idea to look into the kind of social and moral surroundings the vocation will offer a worker. Is it possible for the worker to live in a community where there are good schools, churches, libraries, and other social and cultural advantages? With what sort of persons will he be associated in his daily work? It may be said that by the time we are able to enter a life-career we should be strong enough in character to enter any respectable vocation without fear of injurious influence upon ourselves. It is nevertheless true that we owe it to ourselves to find types of employment which do not involve constant exposure to wrong doing, or which do not constantly force us to associate with people who have low moral standards. A person might be able to take care of himself in such surroundings, but he would not wish to bring up a family under such influences. The kind of community that our vocation will require us to live in, and the kind of people with whom we will be associated, must be included in our study of a life-work.

Contribution to life's ideals. We all have day-dreams in which we think of ourselves as occupying positions of importance and influence in the world. It is one of the glories of America that so many boys and girls have been able to realize their youthful dreams. Another remarkable feature of American life has been the willingness of our young people to work at any kind of job while securing an education to fit themselves for the service which they would most like to render in the world. It is a good thing, therefore, to ask ourselves if the thing we now think we would like to do will make it possible for us to reach our life's highest goal. Shall we be able, while working in this vocation, to develop the qualities and acquire the training that will help us to realize our ambition? If following a certain vocation because of the income it furnishes tends to divert us from our main object in life, it would be better to live temporarily on a smaller income and stick to the main line than to be permanently side-tracked. There is much sound sense in the old adage—"Hitch your wagon to a star." Aiming at a worth-while goal gives us a standard by which to measure the desirable features of possible vocations. Whatever the attractive features of a vocation may be, if it does not lead in the direction which we would like to have our life take, we would better turn to some other vocation which does lead in that direction.

General education. The more all-around education one can have the better. The work of the world is coming more and more to be placed in the hands of those who have been trained for the tasks which they undertake to perform. The uneducated and untrained are the last to be employed and the first to be dismissed when there is a slack season. In the United States, there is so much quantity production by the use of complicated machinery that it is necessary to have intelligent workmen. Since every State offers free education to its citizens through the high schools, and many States through the university, it is possible for every person to go as far as his ability and his financial resources will permit. Many studies have been made which show that there is a direct relation between the amount of education which a person has and his income and success in later life. High-school graduates usually earn more and hold better positions than eighth-grade graduates, and college graduates do better in life, as a general rule, than do high-school graduates. There are numerous exceptions to these general rules, but there is enough truth in these statements to cause a person to make every effort to go as far as possible in his general education before leaving school to go to work.

Preparatory and pre-vocational work. Many junior high schools now offer courses which give a good idea of the kinds of work involved in a number of different vocations. Students work in the woodworking shop, for example, to find out by first-hand experience the way in which a carpenter or a cabinet maker does his work. The tools of the wood-working trades are used, and many of the foundation principles of those vocations are tried out, in a five- or six-weeks' course. Next the students go to the sheet-metal shop, and in a similar way find out about the metal-working trades, and so on through the machine shop, the printing shop, and other shops. They do not learn these trades, but they have a chance to find out whether they would like to learn any of them. By actually handling the tools of the trade they also discover whether they have any skill or aptitude in the use of such tools. This sort of experience is extremely valuable in helping one to make up his mind about his life-work.

Specific trade and vocational preparation. After a person has explored many different vocations, and has decided on the one in which he thinks he would do his best work, he should find out all he possibly can about the training necessary, and where and how to get that training. If one is unable to stay in school on account of limited finances it is sometimes possible to secure a position in the vocation in which one is interested, and then to attend a continuation, or part-time school, for from four to eight hours a week, until legal age at which school may be left is reached. In some States this is sixteen, and in some States it is eighteen years of age. In this way one learns the vocation by actual experience and secures additional school work in the meantime. It is much better, however, to stay in school on full time if possible, taking training in a trade school or in the Smith-Hughes department of the local high school. Courses in agriculture, machine trades, metal work, printing, electricity, auto repairing, carpentry, and cabinet making are open to boys; and dressmaking, millinery, design, , and other vocational courses are open to girls. In these courses three hours a day are devoted to learning the vocation, and three hours a day to English, shop mathematics, social studies, and so on. Graduation from a Smith-Hughes vocational course usually enables a boy or girl to cut down the apprenticeship period by two or three years. Graduation from a good full-time trade school often enables a person to begin work as a journeyman, within a very brief period after entering the vocation.

Preliminary preparation. If one is interested in a business vocation it is almost necessary to complete a high-school course. A few persons are able to enter minor business vocations after taking a junior high-school course in Junior Business Training, but if one expects to be a stenographer, bookkeeper, accountant, salesman, or business manager, it is necessary to stay in school, take the commercial course, and in addition to that secure all the general education possible. This course is necessary because, first, people are not employed for responsible business positions much before they are eighteen or nineteen years of age; and, second, because the training should be taken as near as possible to the time when it is to be put into practice. Business colleges, under private control, often advertise to prepare one for a business career in six months. They do give intensive training in bookkeeping and stenography, but they do not give as good an all-around education as that to be obtained in a well-managed public high school. If, however, one has majored in commercial subjects in high school, and after graduation can attend a good private business college for a few months to get a thorough review and drill before taking a position, it is a desirable thing to do.

Those who plan to enter professions, such as law, medicine, teaching, and so forth, must be prepared to undertake a long course of training. High-school graduation, college graduation, and often several years of post-graduate work in a university must be faced. This means that one does not have a chance to begin to earn anything at his profession until he is from twenty-two to twenty-five years of age, and in such professions as law and medicine, after graduation from the professional school there are usually several years when one's income is very small. The training is expensive and of long duration for those who select professional careers, hence before choosing such a life-career, you need to be quite sure that you are able and willing to undergo all the hardships and sacrifices that preparation for professional life requires one to make.

Laying of definite plans. Whatever the vocation or profession which one finally chooses it is necessary to lay definite plans for securing the right sort of training. One needs to think of the cost of the training, and where the necessary money is to come from. Most boys are able to begin to earn some money, after school and during vacations, while they are still in elementary school. A savings account that will help to pay for a good education should be started as early as possible. Vacation jobs will help one to earn for the savings account, and also to have confidence in one's ability to earn part of the expenses of high-school and college education. The forethought represented by a boy's savings account will encourage his parents to make sacrifices to help the ambitious youth to keep on with his school work. Technical schools and colleges also have scholarship and loan funds to help deserving students who show a willingness and an ability to help themselves. A considerable proportion of every American college student body is working its way through college, either in whole or in part. These students are the ones who are likely to get the most out of their college courses, because they most appreciate the privileges which they have earned. The world not only gives a fair chance to the young man who has a definite purpose, but it often turns aside to give him friendly assistance when it sees that he is not a parasite, but an independent, self-reliant worker.

Books and pamphlets. A great deal has been written about every important vocation. By consulting city librarians, school librarians, and school counselors, it will be possible to get suggestions as to the best books and articles to read for certain vocations. A few suggestions will be made concerning reading material describing the vocations touched upon in the chapters of this book. These will represent, however, only a small part of the possible literature that is available and which relates to the vocations herein discussed.

Moving pictures. A number of moving pictures have been made of some of our greatest industries, thereby making it possible to see a plant in operation and to hear a lecturer give a careful description of the various processes which go on there. The picture has the advantage that it can be repeated, and details brought out which would be overlooked in a hasty journey through the plant itself. Another advantage of such a picture is that thousands can be given an opportunity to become familiar with the vocations carried on in the plant, whereas only a few could be permitted to inspect it as visitors. Such reels are provided by the Visual Education Departments of State Universities, or State Departments of Education, and can be secured by schools for the cost of transportation.

Visits to offices and industrial plants. It is sometimes possible for the teacher to take a life-career class to visit a manufacturing plant. If the manager of the plant is willing to have the class come he usually arranges for a guide who explains the parts of the plant, the various types of machinery, and the tasks of the workers. These trips are difficult to arrange, but if the members of the class do their part they may obtain a great deal of practical information from such trips.

Personal interviews. Another source of vocational information is that of meeting and talking with people who are now engaged in the vocation about which you wish to learn. It is usually desirable to have the teacher or counselor arrange for the interview, instruct the students concerning the best questions to ask, and tell them what to look for in the shop, office, or place of business of the person interviewed. After the interview has been had the results should be reported to the class, or discussed in conference with the teacher or counselor.

Talks on vocations. Talks by prominent persons engaged in various lines of work provide another source of vocational information. When such speakers are asked to address an assembly or a life-career class, they usually give their hearers an opportunity to ask questions. One should do some reading on the vocation to be discussed before the assembly talk is given in order to be able to ask intelligent questions. Thoughtful questions help the speaker to give the hearers the kind of information they most desire.