As I am watching snow blanket the Chicagoland suburbs, I am currently typing these words on a computer in a dark, cold room. The only reason I am able to type these words right now is because my computer has a full battery from being charged earlier this morning. I debated not opening my computer to conserve the battery further, but the reality is this device is rather useless because both my internet and power is out—and I am frustrated.
I am frustrated that in today’s modern era we don’t have the infrastructure to maintain power during natural disasters. I have written about this before when a tornado blew through our town and left us without power for several days. I am currently preparing for the same, amid a blizzard and sub-zero temperatures expected.
I know I am not alone. From the freezing in Texas to the hurricanes in the South, and the wildfires in the West, too many people know exactly what I am talking about right now. Our infrastructure is failing far too often.
This is something we have heard time and time again from the ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers). On our Infrastructure Report Card, we are often given low grades for our nation’s infrastructure. We have seen some investment being made with the IIJA (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act), but it isn’t being rolled out fast enough. Our infrastructure isn’t holding up to our modern-day demands.
If we can have computers leveraging generative AI (artificial intelligence) for nearly everything, why can’t we have something fundamental like power during a storm? I know I am preaching to the choir here and that the answer to this question is rather obvious: We need the workers to build and maintain this infrastructure. Because the hard reality is this: Our technology is useless if we don’t have the infrastructure to power it. Sadly, many have left the infrastructure industry for greener pastures or haven’t considered this industry at all.
This is a conversation Peggy Smedley recently had with Brian Turmail, vice president of public affairs and strategic initiatives, Associated General Contractors of America, on The Peggy Smedley Show podcast. He says the research shows more than 80% of members say they are having a hard time finding qualified workers to hire—and that likely won’t change in 2024.
The problem here is myriad. For one, parents, academia, and government have been pushing students to go to college. Turmail points to the gap, saying for every $1 the federal government invests in career and technical education, they put $5 into encouraging students to go to college.
At the same time, our infrastructure—all our infrastructure, not just energy—is deteriorating. It is a problem we just can’t keep up with. We need more people to solve this problem together. We need bright minds and hard workers to come together to address this if we want progress to happen quickly.
We need to encourage the next generation to step up and find solutions to this problem. We need to encourage our children and our children’s children to consider jobs in the trades. We need to help them understand that this work is important and needed. And, yes, we need technology too. We need technology to do predictive and preventative maintenance to help us know when a transformer is about to blow or a bridge is about to collapse. If we knew this before it happened, then we could address it. Until then, many of us will be left in the dark, just waiting for the workers to show up and fix our infrastructure.
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