You bring up a great point! I’m in full agreement with what you said and my idea to bring awarness to this topic is to create a spin-off show where you go back to jobs you have worked on and instead of showing how dirty the job is, you go more in depth and talk about how important the job is to not only the county but to the state, and country. You bring up what the pay is, what education is needed for the job, what is fun about the job, etc. This could spark an interst in people who are laid off or high schoolers who aren’t sure what to do with the rest of their lives, to maybe go into that line of work.
In college I created a video about manufacturing in DuPage County, IL that showed that manufacturing is still needed and done in the US and that even though it may not be glamerous, it is a job that can be fun and you can make a difference doing something. (if you would like to see it, email me and I’ll send it) Or go onto vimeo and search “Manufacturing In DuPage”
If you need an extra crew memember for Dirty Jobs or if you need help with this idea, I’m in!
-Kim

I keep seeing everyone tell kids the only way to make a living is to get a college degree, and the idea of trade is just an anathema to so many people. We need to encourage adults to not be afraid to tell a kid, “Hey, you seem to be really good with keeping your 30 year old car running, have you thought of making a job out of that?” Auto shop should be a GOOD thing!

Now I’m off to see the rest of the site.

When I owned a TV, I did watch ‘Dirty Jobs’ and enjoyed your presentation of the jobs/people that make America work. Now, I sit and wonder what kind of job I can get as an official ‘baby boomer’, a degree in Computer Science and a willingness to sweep floors or make brooms to sweep floors.

You wanted suggestions to make this site more successful than ‘Dirty Jobs’? I suggest you do similar spots as Jay Leno does on his ‘Jay Leno’s Garage’ site. He promotes American people and the products they create. People need hope in this economy. Perhaps by featuring stories of GOOD, SUCCESSFUL, AND RELEVANT technical schools, trade schools, apprentice programs, people visiting here might regain hope. Hope that they too can find their purpose and dignity through work again in jobs they weren’t aware of the demand. People stories; those that feature tales of success arrived at by way of these uncelebrated schools. Show all the details how the schools operate, and how these students find success in a declining job market. Who knows, in this long recession, a spin-off of ‘Dirty Jobs’ might be called ‘Who wants to be a skilled blue-collar worker in the U.S.A.’ might be a ratings hit. LOL