The Ring Light Can’t Fix a Power Outage
There’s a silence in the house when the lights go out. A pause not just of electricity, but of illusions.
The screen fades. The Wi-Fi dies. The curated reality shivers in the dark.
And then—like a character from a forgotten novel—someone shows up with a toolbox and a torchlight.
He doesn’t care about your follower count. He doesn’t ask for a selfie. He flips the right switch, cuts the right wire, and—click—your world flickers back to life.
We call them electricians.
We should call them prophets of the physical world.
Because in a time when everyone wants to influence, someone still has to connect the wires.
The Great Cultural Mirage: Influence Without Substance
We live in an era where the currency is clout. Where ten-second reels carry more weight than ten-year apprenticeships. Where teenagers rehearse viral dances while tradespeople patch leaky roofs that prevent ceilings from collapsing.
This isn’t just a cultural shift. It’s a delusion.
We have mistaken attention for value.
Mistaken aesthetic for utility.
Mistaken the ephemeral scroll for the eternal need.
There’s no “algorithm” for rewiring your kitchen. No “engagement strategy” for fixing your AC. No blue checkmark that can stop your toilet from overflowing at 2 a.m.
And yet—our schools, our parents, even our economies—steer young people towards digital dreams and away from screwdrivers and soldering irons.
The Truth Hiding in Plain Sight
Let’s speak plainly.
A. Electricians, Plumbers, HVAC Techs Are in High Demand
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of electricians is projected to grow faster than average over the next decade. Demand for HVAC technicians is skyrocketing, especially in urban and climate-sensitive zones. Skilled plumbers are ageing out—and not enough young ones are taking their place.
The world isn’t just craving better apps. It’s craving functioning infrastructure.
B. These Jobs Pay—Well
The average electrician in the U.S. makes between $50,000 to $80,000 a year. In cities and with certifications, this climbs above $100,000. And that’s without college debt—just skill, licensing, and grit.
A master plumber can out-earn many mid-tier software engineers. A journeyman HVAC tech can buy a house before a digital marketer pays off student loans.
C. Algorithms Can’t Replace Them
AI is rewriting news articles, generating art, even diagnosing diseases. But try automating the installation of a circuit breaker in an old house with faulty grounding.
The trades require tactile intelligence—awareness of weight, torque, temperature, time. No GPT can crawl under your sink with a wrench. No robot can yet navigate a century-old apartment’s chaotic wiring with human intuition.
These jobs are the last bastions of non-virtual necessity.
Why We Stopped Valuing Hands
There was a time when the trades were honoured. The blacksmith was central to the village. The mason held the town together. The carpenter built both church and crib.
But somewhere between Silicon Valley’s mythos and influencer culture’s rise, working with your hands became something to escape. Not aspire to.
We told children: “Do well in school or you’ll end up digging ditches.”
We forgot to tell them: That ditch might irrigate a village.
And that coder might be building a crypto casino that crashes in six months.
This wasn’t just bad career advice. It was class warfare in disguise. A slow erosion of dignity tied to calloused hands.
The Paradox of Influence
Influencers claim to be shaping the future. But the truth is, they’re feeding the present—its attention deficit, its dopamine hunger.
They sell visibility.
Electricians sell reliability.
Influencers fear being forgotten.
Tradespeople know they’ll be called—again and again—because a pipe will burst, a fuse will trip, a heater will die in the middle of winter.
Influence fades. Infrastructure breaks.
And only one of those comes with a callback fee.
The TikTokification of Aspiration
Open any social platform and you’ll find teenagers dreaming of fame—not function.
They don’t want to be a plumber.
They want to collaborate with one for a viral stunt.
And yet—videos of HVAC techs restoring ACs in 40-degree heat garner millions of views. There’s something hypnotic about watching a job done well. An old boiler fixed. A clogged pipe cleared.
Because deep down, in our bones, we know: this is real.
This matters.
But instead of re-rooting that instinct into aspiration, we let it fade into entertainment.
We need to reframe this. To say, boldly: Plumbing is not a plan B. It’s an art.
Wiring is not a fallback. It’s a future.
The Quiet Superiority of Skilled Trades
Let’s stack it side by side.
| Criteria | Influencer | Electrician/Plumber/HVAC Tech |
|---|---|---|
| Job Security | Subject to algorithm changes | Steady demand, essential services |
| Income Potential | Highly variable | Consistently high, grows with skill |
| Entry Requirements | Fame, luck, aesthetic | Certification, apprenticeship |
| Social Respect (Current) | High but fleeting | Low but rising |
| Social Value (Actual) | Low | Extremely high |
It’s brutal. It’s true.
Influencers depend on platforms that do not love them. Tradespeople depend on laws of physics that never change.
The Global Crisis of the Missing Tradesperson
This isn’t just a Western problem. It’s global.
In India, lakhs of engineering graduates sit jobless while there’s a desperate need for welders and solar panel installers. In the UK, a post-Brexit shortage of tradespeople has pushed wages up—but the pipeline of talent is broken.
The influencer economy is borderless. But your broken AC is local.
The blockchain is global. But your short circuit is specific.
And therein lies the opportunity.
The Redemption of the Manual
What if we flipped the narrative?
What if we treated a plumbing apprenticeship with the same respect as an MBA?
What if a child saying “I want to be an electrician” got the same applause as one saying “I want to be a lawyer”?
What if high schools had repair labs instead of computer labs named after corporate donors?
Manual work isn’t mindless.
It is precise. Mathematical. Artistic.
It carries history—carpentry is older than calculus, and more beautiful than branding.
The manual deserves redemption. Not out of pity, but out of urgency.
A New Path for the Next Generation
We must change what we valorise.
A. Parents Must Reboot
Your child doesn’t have to go viral.
They can be useful.
Which is infinitely more noble.
B. Policy Must Catch Up
Incentivise trade schools. Subsidise apprenticeships. Spotlight real role models—not just YouTubers, but local legends who fix things daily.
C. Media Must Tell the Right Stories
Instead of “Richest Teen Influencer” listicles, give us profiles of women welders, immigrant HVAC techs, indigenous electricians bringing power to remote villages.
Make working with hands aspirational again.
The Light in the Socket
At the end of the day, your influencer can’t fix your fridge.
Your viral tweet can’t replace your thermostat.
Your social media manager can’t unclog your sewer.
But a tradesperson can.
They arrive when the lights go out.
They carry the knowledge of circuits, pressure, heat, and balance.
They touch your life where it’s real—not symbolic.
And they deserve more than our thanks.
They deserve our children’s attention.
A Final Spark
We’ve been selling a lie:
That the future is virtual.
That the highest calling is content creation.
That value lives in visibility.
But maybe—just maybe—the real future belongs to those who can hold a wrench with confidence.
Who can kneel in crawlspaces and think clearly.
Who can cut through drywall and doubt.
Because when everything breaks, we don’t need another lifestyle brand.
We need someone who can make the water flow, the heater hum, and the light come back on.
And that’s influence—of the highest order.