February 20, 2019 Why Students Don’t Work in Manufacturing Anymore

Students might find manufacturing careers boring and outdated, but we can’t dispute the fact that they come with a whole lot of benefits.

February 18, 2019

Over the years, the manufacturing sector has ranked as one of the sectors that college graduates want to work in. However, this is not the case anymore. Graduates no longer find the need to work in industries or advance their career in the sector. They prefer looking for jobs in other fields such as SEO, IT and writing as they find manufacturing boring and outdated. In fact, research has it that by the year 2025, industries will have close to 2 million vacant positions due to a gap in skills. Such industries and schools are therefore trying so hard to teach and get these students to love these jobs.

Why Students Opt for Other Jobs

1. They want to work in a clean high-technology environment

Many learners view manufacturing plants as a dirty and dangerous working environment. They also consider these as workplaces for low skill factory workers who do backbreaking work. This notion is far-fetched as in the present day; industries are fully automated and require highly skilled employees who can maintain and operate high tech equipment.

2. They consider factory work depressing

It may not be complicated and stressful, but graduates find manufacturing depressing due to the monotony of repeating the same job over and over again while being surrounded by machines they cannot communicate to. Instead of working in boring factories, they prefer to work for companies that offer to buy dissertation online, or generally provide homework help. These companies offer students the opportunity to save precious time they might spend on difficult tasks.

3. They prefer white collar jobs

Many learners do not like the fact that industries offer . They would rather go for a white-collar job where they will sit in an office operating a computer than perform manual labour. They view manufacturing as a job that has lower educational requirements and where they will have to engage in hard labor. However, this is not the case. Many types of industries have several white collar jobs on top of the blue-collar ones. For instance, we have design engineering, sales and marketing, production control and general management jobs that qualify as jobs for graduates.

4. Influence from parents, teachers, and counsellors

Most parents have not accepted working in industries as a suitable career goal for their kids, and therefore, they advise them against it. Despite the many job opportunities in manufacturing, parents will advise their kids to get white collar jobs instead of this high school student job. They want their kids to go to college as they believe a college degree will provide a better life. Teachers and counsellors, on the other hand, see manufacturing as a dead career. This is due to reports of industries closure and outsourcing. Since they are in a position to recommend a career for students, they do not recommend manufacturing.

5. Manufacturing needs advanced technical training

This is one of the biggest problems in trying to convince students to consider working in industries. Not all students will be willing to undergo advanced training as this will mean sitting in a class for long hours and sacrificing their free time.

Is Manufacturing Really Boring?

Boring is relative. It all depends on an individual. Factory work can be boring if you are not patient with time; which most students aren’t. To make it more fun, you should focus on work rather than time and keep engaging with your colleagues during working hours. The more you work, the faster the time moves and before you realize it the day will have ended.

Additionally, industries are different depending on what they deal with. Students may find some work boring if it is in a field that does not interest them or has no growth opportunities. Since students are young and ambitious, they prefer to go for positions where they are challenged to improve their skills, and there are opportunities for growth. If they don’t get that, they are left feeling that the job is boring. They also need to work with a competent management team that will help them advance their skills.

What are the Benefits of Manufacturing?

1. Money and remunerations

Manufacturing jobs can pay well. Skilled students can, therefore, have the advantage of high entry-level earnings. They may also get a chance to be recruited into an advanced technical training program where they will also be entitled to higher wages and an industry certification award.

2. Manufacturing is a sustaining career

Students should understand that if they have the right skills, factory work is just a career like any other which can sustain them. It offers job security for employees, and one may be eligible for scholarships or internships where they get an opportunity to advance their careers.

3. Occupational class credits

Acquiring a degree in other subjects like psychology and history may not land most students jobs. However, skill training and a career-oriented course in the manufacturing field can. Apart from theoretical knowledge, students also require practical knowledge which they will be credited for. Such skills will land them white collar jobs in manufacturing.

Conclusion

Students should understand what potential a manufacturing career has. For one, they could one day own and operate their own firms. It is one of the high school student jobs that will expose them to diverse skills that are applicable in other fields. It is therefore ideal that they invest their time and resources in factory work and take it like any other career.

Eveline Heston is a skilled freelance writer who has a great experience in journalism. She is educated on a wide variety of topics, such as psychology, literature, education, travel, and many more.  Eveline majored in pre-school education and English language and literature, which helps her during her researches and guides.

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