I know that mikeroweWORKS is not even a year old, so this is probably going to be an impossible question to answer. What has to happen for you to consider this a success? Is merely getting the word out to the masses and those in power enough? Do programs have to be started/implemented? Does trade school enrollment have to bump up? Or is it simply a matter of not going up in a spectacular ball of flames?

Success is a tricky word. Do I really believe I can single-handedly launch an effective PR campaign for hard work? No, I don’t. Can I use my experiences in these last years to help steer the conversation in a direction that might eventually make a small difference in the way we view skilled labor? Maybe. For me, I’ll let myself feel successful whenever the issue comes up, and I have a chance to share my views. The only success I can guarantee will come in the attempt, and the only failure is the failure to try.

“Is merely getting the word out to the masses and those in power enough?”

No. But it’s the only place to start.

“Do programs have to be started/implemented?”

I don’t know. Probably.

“Does trade school enrollment have to bump up?”

Ultimately, that would be a positive indicator that trades in general were being reinvigorated. So, yes.

“Or is it simply a matter of not going up in a spectacular ball of flames?”

Well, there’s always that.

You never know.

Mike