Virtual Reality

I just finished reading a great book by Matthew Crawford, titled Shop Class as Soulcraft and I just have to respond with my two cents. In summary, Crawford (a Physicist with a Ph.D in Political History who makes a living repairing vintage motorcycles...and writing books) makes the case that a Post-Industrial Revolution is taking place, where instead of Industry being mechanized and depersonalized, Corporate office work is being mechanized and transformed into assembly line work. Instead of allowing employees to operate autonomously, work functions are divided, so that each individual only performs a small role in the overall scheme of things. When problems arise, there is generally a company-wide protocol which is followed to rectify the situation. It only requires knowledge of the protocol, not knowledge of how the protocol works to resolve issues. This expedites problem resolutions, which reduces downtime and as a result, improves profit. Culturally, we seem to have embraced the fact that we prefer to acknowledge that something is broken and let someone (something?) else figure out why it is broken. Crawford asserts that there seems to be a desire to give the illusion of simplifying life by adding layer upon layer of user interfaces to the world around us. He gives the example of a Mercedes Benz; the entire engine is covered with pieces of stylized plastic and there is no oil dipstick. When you pop the hood of your car, there are no belts or spark plugs to replace and no fluids to check. The ultimate result of this simplification is Virtual Reality, where physical interaction with the world around us is not necessary and all work performed can be theoretical.

The primary point of the book is that people are intrinsically motivated by overcoming an obstacle that impedes their progress and that by allowing some other agency to overcome an obstacle, people are more prone to feel unfulfilled. When the book was recommended to me, it was based on a statement that I had made regarding my dissatisfaction with my current line of work and my desire to move into a more technical field (notably as a mechanic). I had no idea of the broader commentary that Crawford would provide in his book. He has a very cynical view of higher education, referring to some college graduates as having purchased a Brand Name diploma and colleges cashing in on their respective brand. He also mentions that, although he doesn't feel that his college education was a waste, guidance counselors should reconsider recommending that all students should attend college.

The author's fulfillment as a motorcycle mechanic comes from knowing that each repair he performs is unique in its own right. It can not be defined by a univeral statement or reduced to a simple procedural protocol. The initial task of a person who repairs something that they did not create themselves is to assess possible causes of the issue. Written references make a good initial starting point, but as he mentions in the later portion of his book, attempting to follow a shop manual can sometimes lead the technician in the wrong direction, and its usually best to follow intuition.

This book came at a pretty crucial time for me. I work for a contract research service provider and with the economy in the situation that it is, our company is pretty much at the whim and whimper of its clients. As a result, we've started seeing a lot of bizarre work requests, some bordering on the cusp of insanity. At the same time, the work force has been trimmed and the expectation is that work will still continue to be performed at previous levels of quality and speed. From these factors and a few others, I've pretty much decided that my current career path is not one that I want to be in for the next 20 years. My dream for the last few years has been to have a little car repair shop with one or two bays, where I can work as an independent mechanic, performing mostly basic maintenance, but also having the freedom to take on pretty much any project that catches my fancy.

The one factor that has so far dissuaded me from making the leap is that it seems our particular corner of Ohio has thus far resisted the trend of everyone transitioning to white collar work and there are still a copious number of independent mechanics in the area. I think the best way of overcoming this is to either specialize in some make or type of car that does not have a large number of mechanics in the area (ie Vintage cars, German cars, etc.). The other hurdle which I have imposed on myself is a feeling of inadequacy in the mechanical arts. I don't have any schooling as a mechanic and I've only had limited experiences working on cars myself. I don't really see it as a problem, because from previous experience most repair work is pretty straightforward after you've done something similar before. However, I feel as though I'd have a lot to prove to a prospective client.

I've noticed a bit of optimism in myself over the last week. Prior to this point, I've kind of been uncertain as to the path I've wanted my life to take. Now I feel as though God has kind of laid a path for me and I just need to make the transition.