If you go through your nearest search engine, you might find that locating just one definition of a “maker” is difficult. The definition tends to be broad and varied and encompasses a lot of mediums, lifestyles, cultures and even generations.
You could simply define a maker as “someone who makes”.
Or, to be more thoughtful, you could define a maker using MythBuster extraordinaire Adam Savage’s explanation for the website Make: “Humans do two things that make us unique from all other animals; we use tools and we tell stories. And when you make something, you’re doing both at once.”
Brand marketer Joan Voight pointed out in an Ad Week article that the maker movement is an “umbrella term for independent inventors, designers and tinkerers. A convergence of computer hackers and traditional artisans” who make “creations …[that] stir the imaginations of consumers numbed by generic, mass-produced, made-in-China merchandise.”
Being a maker isn’t a brand-new concept. Changes in technology and the sophistication of tools have drastically altered what is being made and how it is being made. However, according to Bre Pettis, the man behind the innovation workshop Bold Machine, one essential philosophy has always remained: Be creative and self-reliant. Feel the satisfaction of turning an idea into an object.
Current makers, according to Pettis, are just a few clicks away from turning their self-expression into self-employment.
It’s never been easier to be part of the maker community than it is in the 21st century. While being a maker used to require expensive equipment and knowledge, many major cities offer free resources through public libraries called makerspaces, where the maker community can create together.
These types of facilities can have anything from 3-D printing to laser cutters. With shrinking overhead, virtually anyone with a creative passion can turn that passion into a career.
Turning Makers into Entrepreneurs
Makers are happiest when they are making things, so careers for makers are often hands-on, creative and collaborative. In today’s job market, makers are also in high demand as the U.S. workforce experiences a huge shortage of highly skilled laborers.
According to a report from the Associated General Contractors of America, 70 percent of contractors have a difficult time filling skilled craft positions, a problem that creates more as contractors find they can’t bid on important jobs because of a lack of workers.
This kind of shortage means there is ample opportunity to find a career as a maker. The career opportunities for makers are as varied as the definition of a maker itself.
Careers Where You Find Makers:
- Designers.
- Artists
- Architects.
- Engineers.
- Construction.
- Carpenters.
- Plumbers.
- Electricians.
- HVAC.
- Mechanics.
- Metalworkers.
- Equipment manufacturers.
- Woodworkers.
- Cabinet makers.
- Welders.
And the list goes on. It’s not about defining what a maker is, it’s about defining who you are.
Hub & Spoke is here to help you figure out your path and find the passion inside that you can leverage into a lucrative career.
With a $14 million, 94,000-square-foot facility, we have created a design center, coworking space and cutting-edge makerspace—the Hub & Spoke Institute. Our institute includes a community workshop, innovation lab and art studio that will provide students with hands-on learning that will develop them into assets for the skilled workforce.
Learn how you can get involved at Hub & Spoke to help kickstart maker careers and work towards overcoming the skilled trades labor gap.
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