Dirty Jobs and our Culture of Work

Sign of the Times:

If you have five minutes to spare I recommend listening to this short interview with Mike Rowe of the show Dirty Jobs. Recently I've become hooked on Dirty Jobs, a program where Mike travels the U.S. looking for dirty jobs and the people who get them done. The interview was insightful in that he explains a bit more of his philosophy and the reasons for creating the show as well as it's continued popularity. For example, he has this little intro on his website (www.mikeroweworks.com) titled "Work is Not the Enemy":

Doesn’t it seem strange that we can have a shortage of skilled labor, a crumbling infrastructure, and rising unemployment? How did we get into this fix? Are we lazy? Our society has slowly redefined what it means to have a “good job.” The portrayals in Hollywood and the messages from Madison Avenue have been unmistakable. “Work less and be happy!” For the last thirty years we’ve been celebrating a different kind of work. We’ve aspired to other opportunities. We’ve stopped making things. We’ve convinced ourselves that “good jobs” are the result of a four year degree. That’s bunk. Not all knowledge comes from college. Skill is back in demand. Steel toed boots are back in fashion. And Work Is Not The Enemy.