Episode: 733

Episode Name: Tangible Purpose

Careers in conservation or the skilled trades often come with a tangible sense of purpose that is attractive to many young people. More on that, next on The Perna Syndicate. 

Ep 733 show:
You’re now in The Perna Syndicate—thanks for tuning in! When I chatted recently with Carhartt and the National Parks Foundation, one of the questions that came up was why so many young people are yearning to escape the traditional office environment. 

Of course, the pandemic is a big factor. Many of us adjusted well to working remotely, but think of the young people who started their careers during that time. Some may have zero experience working in an office. As a result, they might feel confined now that they’ve entered the in-person workplace.  

Linda Hubbard of Carhartt says that working from home and hybrid office models have accelerated this realization for young people. They spent a lot of time in front of their computer screen during the pandemic. But it’s human nature to want to move and explore the world around us in a tangible way.

Hubbard urges young people who feel that way to explore the possibility of working outside, whether that means with the Service Corps or skilled trades.

Especially in the skilled trades, you’re often working on different job sites from week to week.

Hubbard points out that many of these jobs serve the critical needs of everyday people, whether you’re building the next highway that connects cities or performing electrical work to power an entire neighborhood. In the case of the Service Corps, you might be building trails and contributing to the preservation of historical sites to keep our national parks beautiful. It all has tangible purpose. 

Next time on The Perna Syndicate, how are young people feeling about college versus other training opportunities after high school? See you tomorrow for the latest research on that question. Take care!