I’m of two minds about it because I know a lot of those types of guys and I don’t think they’d have it any other way, but it also kinda presents a pretty high barrier to joining the industry if a majority of the shops expect you to come with $10k+ of your own tools and toolboxes (unless you’re a kid just starting out, then, at least where I’ve seen, there are like, some communal tools you can use as you build up your own collection, and you can borrow from coworkers).
Its just sort of this long tail remnant of a time when these sorts of guys were fully treated as semi or fully independent craftsmen not just cogs or “technicians”, I think. Sort of an extension of this american yeoman farmer phenomenon into a different industry. And that was probably a better/more desirable position for those craftsmen to be in. But in a modern context idk if that holds up, and clinging onto the trappings of independence like that may not really be in their best interests anymore, in the way that it ties them to an employer lest they have to pay a pretty penny to move all of their tools, etc.
Being a full-on wage slave would give them more mobility in terms of job hopping but less ability to take their tools and go home and just operate out of their own garage independently.
Anyhow I’m really not the one to make this argument, and I think I’ve had it before on this very website, but I suspect you’d find most people (in the industry at least) do like it the way it is
not too impractical if you hire mostly like, career-long master mechanics, and (this is key) don’t treat them like such shit that you have crazy turnover. But it is weird for sure if you aren’t familiar with the practice.
I’m of two minds about it because I know a lot of those types of guys and I don’t think they’d have it any other way, but it also kinda presents a pretty high barrier to joining the industry if a majority of the shops expect you to come with $10k+ of your own tools and toolboxes (unless you’re a kid just starting out, then, at least where I’ve seen, there are like, some communal tools you can use as you build up your own collection, and you can borrow from coworkers).
Its just sort of this long tail remnant of a time when these sorts of guys were fully treated as semi or fully independent craftsmen not just cogs or “technicians”, I think. Sort of an extension of this american yeoman farmer phenomenon into a different industry. And that was probably a better/more desirable position for those craftsmen to be in. But in a modern context idk if that holds up, and clinging onto the trappings of independence like that may not really be in their best interests anymore, in the way that it ties them to an employer lest they have to pay a pretty penny to move all of their tools, etc.
Being a full-on wage slave would give them more mobility in terms of job hopping but less ability to take their tools and go home and just operate out of their own garage independently.
Anyhow I’m really not the one to make this argument, and I think I’ve had it before on this very website, but I suspect you’d find most people (in the industry at least) do like it the way it is
i guess I can see the argument for it, but it just seems like a wildly impractical way to run a shop of any kind.
not too impractical if you hire mostly like, career-long master mechanics, and (this is key) don’t treat them like such shit that you have crazy turnover. But it is weird for sure if you aren’t familiar with the practice.
Ok when you lay it out like this it does kind of make sense and I get but my noodle is still pretty cooked that this is the norm lol