08/10/2026
💡In 1954, Dr. Albert Einstein responded to the editor of The Reporter after being asked to comment on the poor treatment of intellectuals during the McCarthy era, an issue he had spoken out about before.
In his response, Einstein reflected that if he had the chance to choose his career again, he would have taken a different path. Rather than becoming a scientist, he said he would have chosen to be a plumber or even a peddler. His remarks were met with enthusiasm throughout the plumbing community. One plumbing company even changed its name to include "Einstein," while another sent him a set of easy-to-use plumbing tools so he could tackle projects himself.
Today, we're watching careers change rapidly with the rise of AI. Many jobs are evolving or disappearing, but skilled trades continue to prove their value. The ability to diagnose a problem, think critically, and fix something with your own hands is a skill that technology cannot easily replace.
As Einstein put it, the trades offer "a modest degree of independence under present circumstances." Learning a trade gives you the opportunity to build a career with stability, self-reliance, and skills that will always be needed.
