It seems the common belief is that all intelligent people go to college. If someone didn’t go to college or dropped out, he or she is seen as intellectually inferior. I must say that I’m thankful that some of the smartest people I know did not go to institutions—instead they chose to get their hands dirty.
According to the USDA, 3.2 million people identified themselves as farmers in 2012. Of these 3.2 million, 97% of farms were family farms, 88% being small family farms. My family fits into this 88%, with my father working tirelessly as a dairy farmer, eventually turning to beef farming in 2013. My father, like many of the other 3.2 million, learned the ropes of his livelihood since he was a child. I can think of very few other professions that consist of that long of a training period. He often had to make large business decisions, raise a family and care for various livestock, all without a college education. I must say, he did a better job than I could have ever done myself, even with two years of a college education under my belt.
Similarly, mechanics require job experience and training. The Bureau of Labor Statistics identifies 739,900 auto mechanics and technicians as of 2014. However, this does not include self-employed mechanics, such as my brother. He has been working with cars and farm equipment for longer than I’ve been alive, and is currently the co-owner of a transmission repair shop. He continues to raise a family with income that is only guaranteed based on excellent performance and local advertising.
In 2014 there were 397,900 welders in the US, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. There were also:
139,000 butchers,
945,400 carpenters.
425,000 plumbers.
252,900 masonry workers.
1,386,400 construction workers.
The list continues on and on.
Each of these jobs has their own difficulties and challenges. Each of the people employed in these professions has their own back story, likely not involving a structured college education. I, for one, am glad they chose the paths they did. As much as I know about psychology, I will never be able to properly run a farm, fix my car, build a house or fix a road. People with college educations are just as important—a world without doctors, lawyers, accountants and every other career would be a world of chaos. However, our non-college educated peers are equally as important. Too often, we separate ourselves into two groups—the “uneducated” and the “educated.” In reality, we are all educated, skilled and play a vital role in society. All people deserve respect if they do their job and do it well.
Intelligence is not just a measure of “book smarts.” The ability to understand complex systems such as motors is an art, but being able to fix or create one is, at least to me, close to a miracle. Every day we eat food produced by countless hands, travel on roads developed overtime by advancement and live in structures built from the ground up by laborers. They often come from humble beginnings, becoming professionals in their fields. These are the people that I am glad to know and honored to be related to. These people, in short, are my heroes.
