Analysing the factors of difficulty of occupations

To analyse the factors of difficulty of an occupation it helps first to sort occupations into groups. The technology and design direction includes carpenter, locksmith-fitter, turner, welder, jeweller, potter, chaser (kandakor), knife-maker and the like. They can be divided into three groups: “outdated” occupations whose demand has fallen or whose content has changed completely over time; “new” occupations that appeared with new equipment and technology (for example operator of a machine controlled by a digital program, setter, 3D modeller); and occupations of national handicrafts based on the people’s centuries of experience. In the next step one occupation is chosen and its description, advantages (for example steady demand, creativity, income opportunity) and difficult sides (physical load, precision, long learning, safety requirements, repetitive work) are written in a table. An occupation’s name may stay old while its content is renewed: a modern repair fitter now knows, besides hand tools, automatic lines and programs. At the end of the analysis you ask yourself ten questions: why this occupation, what friends, teachers and parents think, whether your view changed after learning the difficult sides, and where you want to study after grade 9 (grades 10–11, a vocational school, a college or technical school).