Why Is It?

The inability to troubleshoot goes even deeper than poor training. Analytical skills are longer stressed in our public school systems. Emphasis is placed on “rote” learning to pass standardized tests so schools can demonstrate that they are meeting state and federal standards. Rusty Rat Rod mentioned the troubleshooting “trees” that he was taught in school. A good example of this is “ignition, carburetion, compression,” which was a mantra I learned in hig school auto mechanics classes. When I was a Snap-On dealer I visited a lot of shops every day, and I was amazed at how many mechanics even then, would replace parts based not on trouble-shooting, but, rather “what it usually was.” There are often other underlying causes, for this, such as poor reading skills. I was bringing a van load of students back from a state VICA (Vocational Industrial Clubs of America - now Skills USA) competition late one night when our district supplied van suffered a massive electrical failure on I-10 in central Phoenix. We literally nearly coasted to a service station near the off-ramp. I could see a Snap-On MT 552 (similar to a Sun VAT-40) sitting in an open service bay. When I asked the on-duty mechanic to look at it he told me he didn’t have the tools. Incredulous, I pointed out the AVR tester sitting nearby and after much hemming and hawing, he admitted he didn’t know how to use it. After informing him that I had sold many of those testers and trained my customers how to use them, he asked me to show him. It immediately became apparent that he couldn’t read the instruction manual sitting in the accessory tray.

It’s too bad we have come to see “vocational education” as a dirty word, because it was a great way to teach analytical thinking skills. The acquisition of those skills apply to everyday life. Unfortunately, our instant access to all the world’s knowledge via the internet, makes them seem unnecessary to some.