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itiswhatitis
Joined: 08 Aug 2011
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 Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2012 7:35 am Post subject: Just Curious...can Koreans make good $$ from a skilled trade |
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A random thought....
In Canada if you are not strong academically but still have a decent sense of entitlement (and are not stupid) you can learn a skilled trade and make a good salary. The salary is generally comparable to that of a mid level proessional (teacher/nurse). A plumber or an electrician are 2 examples that I can think of.
I have never heard a Korean ever mention the option of learning a skilled trade as a back up to being weak academically. Part of the reason is probably because those who do work with their hands are sometimes stereotyped as being less intelligent, status is important in Korea. But I wonder, is there actually a rational reason for it???? Do skilled trades people get paid less in Korea??? Does the option not exist in Korea on the same level that it does in Canada/America??? |
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youtuber
Joined: 13 Sep 2009
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| Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2012 9:13 am Post subject: |
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| I think Canada is a special case. People can make a lot of money doing trades because we don't have enough people to do those trades. |
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ajosshi
Joined: 17 Jan 2011
Location: ajosshi.com
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| Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2012 1:26 pm Post subject: Re: Just Curious...can Koreans make good $$ from a skilled t |
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| itiswhatitis wrote: |
A random thought....
In Canada if you are not strong academically but still have a decent sense of entitlement (and are not stupid) you can learn a skilled trade and make a good salary. The salary is generally comparable to that of a mid level proessional (teacher/nurse). A plumber or an electrician are 2 examples that I can think of.
I have never heard a Korean ever mention the option of learning a skilled trade as a back up to being weak academically. Part of the reason is probably because those who do work with their hands are sometimes stereotyped as being less intelligent, status is important in Korea. But I wonder, is there actually a rational reason for it???? Do skilled trades people get paid less in Korea??? Does the option not exist in Korea on the same level that it does in Canada/America??? |
The skilled workers (with a brain) that I've met earn considerably more than your average Korean teacher or nurse. I'd say x2 or x2.5. The highest one that I can think of is a ship mechanic. He makes 9.1 mil per month.
In the U.S., it varies a lot. I'd say most teachers/nurses make 40 to 90K. Contruction guys (skilled) make 50 to 120. A friend with a garage with 5 employees made 216K net last year (I do his taxes). Another friend has a plumbing company with 22 skilled plumbers (averages 250k/month). That's about 280 mil a month in Wons. The garage guy built his business from scratch. The plumbing company guy bought his business for 250k and grew it over the last 15 years. Both the garage and plumbing guys barely graduated high school. |
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Swampfox10mm
Joined: 24 Mar 2011
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| Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2012 4:37 pm Post subject: |
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| It's the same in the USA. I could have made A LOT more money studying a trade than if I had gone to university. Joke's on us. |
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byrddogs
Joined: 19 Jun 2009
Location: Shanghai
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| Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2012 6:26 pm Post subject: |
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| This an interesting subject. Just for comparison: I make double+ what my wife does here in China as an Englishee teacher at a Korean school. My wife is a ob/gyn surgeon. I guess that she is considered to be only a trade/skilled emloyee, lol. |
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pkang0202
Joined: 09 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2012 7:17 pm Post subject: |
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Really does depend on your skill/trade and if you are any good.
Korea has specialized high schools that DO teach trade skills to students who know that University is not where they want to go. |
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madoka
Joined: 27 Mar 2008
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| Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2012 4:03 pm Post subject: |
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| pkang0202 wrote: |
| Really does depend on your skill/trade and if you are any good. |
Speaking of whether you're any good or not, I found this page of some of Korea's master craftsmen:
http://www.antiquealive.com/masters/m_default01.html
They all make some sort of traditional Korean item and most of them come from very impoverished backgrounds. Now I'm sure they all make massive bank because they are the best at what they do.
I know the last guy on that list was able to open up his own large museum to showcase the 1,500 pieces of bronzeware he had in his personal collection. |
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atwood
Joined: 26 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 3:53 am Post subject: |
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| madoka wrote: |
| pkang0202 wrote: |
| Really does depend on your skill/trade and if you are any good. |
Speaking of whether you're any good or not, I found this page of some of Korea's master craftsmen:
http://www.antiquealive.com/masters/m_default01.html
They all make some sort of traditional Korean item and most of them come from very impoverished backgrounds. Now I'm sure they all make massive bank because they are the best at what they do.
I know the last guy on that list was able to open up his own large museum to showcase the 1,500 pieces of bronzeware he had in his personal collection. |
The celadon pottery guy on the list studied for the law so I doubt he was very impoverished. The contemporary artists the gallery represents seem to have all graduated from university. I think they start off with pretty good "bank." |
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fermentation
Joined: 22 Jun 2009
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| Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 4:44 am Post subject: |
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| You can make good money if you know how to operate heavy machinery. |
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madoka
Joined: 27 Mar 2008
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| Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 6:00 am Post subject: |
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| atwood wrote: |
| madoka wrote: |
| They all make some sort of traditional Korean item and most of them come from very impoverished backgrounds. |
The celadon pottery guy on the list studied for the law so I doubt he was very impoverished. The contemporary artists the gallery represents seem to have all graduated from university. I think they start off with pretty good "bank." |
Did you even read that link? Apparently not. Or you don't understand the definition of the word "most." In either case, next time reconsider posting if you don't know what you're talking about.
There are 16 artists on that page. At least 9 of them were poor. Use your fingers if you have to, but that is "most."
Master Potter - family was ruined
Master Craftsman of Mother-of-Pearl lnlaying - "poverty stricken"
Master Wood Sculptor - "family from poverty"
Master Carpenter - "suffered from serious financial problems, often falling deep into debt"
Master Craftsman of Bamboo Blinds Weaving - "was hard to revive the family business due to imported cheap Chinese products"
Master Craftsman of Wancho Weaving - "after he graduated from elementary school he began to help his family for whom wancho weaving was a great source of additional income"
Master Craftsman of Bamboo Basket - "had to give up his formal education after his family decided to support the education of his elder brother who was attending Sunchang High School of Agriculture"
Master Craftsman of Paper Folding Fan - "Born to a poor family, his childhood days were hard, and he had to work odd jobs to help ease the financial difficulties his family was facing"
Master Craftsman of Bronzeware - "Born as a son of a poor farmer, he had to leave middle school before graduation to find a job to help support his family" |
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atwood
Joined: 26 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 5:01 pm Post subject: |
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| madoka wrote: |
| atwood wrote: |
| madoka wrote: |
| They all make some sort of traditional Korean item and most of them come from very impoverished backgrounds. |
The celadon pottery guy on the list studied for the law so I doubt he was very impoverished. The contemporary artists the gallery represents seem to have all graduated from university. I think they start off with pretty good "bank." |
Did you even read that link? Apparently not. Or you don't understand the definition of the word "most." In either case, next time reconsider posting if you don't know what you're talking about.
There are 16 artists on that page. At least 9 of them were poor. Use your fingers if you have to, but that is "most."
Master Potter - family was ruined
Master Craftsman of Mother-of-Pearl lnlaying - "poverty stricken"
Master Wood Sculptor - "family from poverty"
Master Carpenter - "suffered from serious financial problems, often falling deep into debt"
Master Craftsman of Bamboo Blinds Weaving - "was hard to revive the family business due to imported cheap Chinese products"
Master Craftsman of Wancho Weaving - "after he graduated from elementary school he began to help his family for whom wancho weaving was a great source of additional income"
Master Craftsman of Bamboo Basket - "had to give up his formal education after his family decided to support the education of his elder brother who was attending Sunchang High School of Agriculture"
Master Craftsman of Paper Folding Fan - "Born to a poor family, his childhood days were hard, and he had to work odd jobs to help ease the financial difficulties his family was facing"
Master Craftsman of Bronzeware - "Born as a son of a poor farmer, he had to leave middle school before graduation to find a job to help support his family" |
Poor is quite different from "very impoverished." Especially since most were from a time when the majority of Koreans could be classified as poor. Four, at most, of them could be considered "very impoverished."
"after he graduated from elementary school he began to help his family for whom wancho weaving was a great source of additional income"
That could describe millions of middle class Americans who greo/grow up working the family business. Maybe you grew up in the lap of luxury and think working automatically makes one poor.
And of course you didn't address my comments regarding the other artists on the website. |
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Weigookin74
Joined: 26 Oct 2009
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| Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 5:43 pm Post subject: |
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Skilled trades are a purely western phenominon. In Korea, for a construction project, they'll just hire a guy off the street and ask them if they know how to do plumbing, wiring, etc. There will be one engineer type in charge who went to university who will inspect everything. But most of these jobs make low wages. People work long hours to get enough to get by. I've spoken to Koreans at length about this in the past. In other words, there is no skilled trade system here.
Our skilled trades system creates artificially a shortage of "skilled" people which is what drives up wages for them. Some people who know how to do these things but aren't certified can do it but have to charge much less money. |
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madoka
Joined: 27 Mar 2008
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| Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2012 9:37 am Post subject: |
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| atwood wrote: |
"after he graduated from elementary school he began to help his family for whom wancho weaving was a great source of additional income"
That could describe millions of middle class Americans who greo/grow up working the family business. Maybe you grew up in the lap of luxury and think working automatically makes one poor. |
So instead of admitting you were wrong, you want to argue about the difference between poor and very impoverished? I here I thought you've made lame arguments before. Now you want to claim that "millions of middle class Americans" were forced to stop their education after elementary school to aid the family? You do realize we have child labor laws? Seriously, I can't tell if you're being dense on purpose any more.
| atwood wrote: |
| And of course you didn't address my comments regarding the other artists on the website. |
So for some inexplicable reason, you feel all your non-sequitur statements must be addressed?  |
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radcon
Joined: 23 May 2011
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| Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2012 5:52 pm Post subject: |
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| There is a local guy I have come around time to time and fix little things in this villa. Last time he completely rebuilt the toilet insides and replaced a ceiling light. He was here for about an hour and 15 minutes. Total cost was 50,000 won including parts. |
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atwood
Joined: 26 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2012 8:27 pm Post subject: |
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| madoka wrote: |
| atwood wrote: |
"after he graduated from elementary school he began to help his family for whom wancho weaving was a great source of additional income"
That could describe millions of middle class Americans who greo/grow up working the family business. Maybe you grew up in the lap of luxury and think working automatically makes one poor. |
So instead of admitting you were wrong, you want to argue about the difference between poor and very impoverished? I here I thought you've made lame arguments before. Now you want to claim that "millions of middle class Americans" were forced to stop their education after elementary school to aid the family? You do realize we have child labor laws? Seriously, I can't tell if you're being dense on purpose any more.
| atwood wrote: |
| And of course you didn't address my comments regarding the other artists on the website. |
So for some inexplicable reason, you feel all your non-sequitur statements must be addressed? |
So instead of admitting YOU were wrong, you want to try to make it seem as if I were splitting hairs? And you want to spin my statements--weak. The elementary school student who had to work was ONE of sixteen. What happened to the MOST you were earlier harping on? And I stated they had to work, not stop their education.
The other artists were on the same website so they're not a non sequitur. They are instead proof that your description of Korean artists and craftspeople as "very impoverished" was fatuous.
If anyone is being dense here, it's you. |
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