I was talking with a friend who had asked me how one “gets” into the jewelry business. She had a nephew who was casting about for a skill, career or direction to pursue. I suggested watchmaking if he had some mechanical/problem solving ability and steady hands. That’s all it really takes and with 1-2 years of initial training (with many watch companies paying for the schooling), he could walk into a watchmaking position with a starting salary of approximately $50-$60,000. How is that possible she asked? I explained how an incredible amount of aging watchmakers (gentlemen in their 70′s and 80′s) were retiring and their ranks were not being filled at the pace that they were shrinking. These were men who came home from two major wars ( for the most part) and had the benefit of the GI bill to assist with their technical training. Watch manufacturing was booming and those little, sensitive, mechanical wonders  needed to be cleaned, oiled, timed and repaired on a relatively regular basis. One of the great arbiters of our modern society is time. The quartz revolution didn’t hit full swing until the early 80′s and many of the oldest watch artisans saw the potential demise of their field and took their leave. In the last decade there has been an incredible explosion of high quality, handmade and well designed watches that have found a substantial collecting base with many collectors acquiring multiple, multi-thousand dollar timepieces. The field of watchmaking in the United States is in need of young, delicate-skilled craftsman to pick up the mantle of the “Greatest Generation” and continue an amazing  legacy that goes back to the “Longitude Prize” offered by the King of England. I told her that I could promise her nephew that his skills ( if developed) would not be outsourced to any third world country and that he would be able to find a job or develop his own business in any fair-sized city in America. When I was graduating High School the guidance counselors never mentioned  “Vocational” Schools or “Technical”  Schools, even though I clearly showed strong aptitude in those directions. This was a time when College and Schools of “Higher Learning” were a must to be successful and to make good money. I grew up in a suburban community where our neighbors were plumbers, electricians, hairstylists (OK the plumber may have been a mob guy) and similar trades with many of them owning their own companies or retail businesses. Their jobs were not outsourced to other countries because when you needed your car fixed or diamond ring repaired, you took it to someone that you had a face-to-face relationship with. I also told her that in my work life, I experience tremendous satisfaction on a daily basis and find that I use  both sides  of my brain in solving continually changing situations and challenges. My work still feels like play and I don’t know how many people can say that honestly. Everyday I feel that I infuse my “soul” in what I do and not only does that satisfy me greatly, it seems to enroll others in pleasure as well. So mama,  it’s OK to let your babies grow up to be cowboys or watchmakers, jewelers, auto mechanics, electricians, landscapers, hairstylists, doctors or whatever….