Long before Steph Curry began raining 3’s in the NBA, kids around the country would dream of hitting the game winning shot at the buzzer. Particularity in North Carolina where basketball is KING! There was no greater feeling than having the ball in your hands with the game on the line and launching a deep shot with a guy checking you. After a quick glance at the rim, and a quick release, all eyes are focused on the ball that seems to float in mid-air for seconds. The shooter fades away from the defender with little to no concern of landing on the pavement. He’s usually the first person to know if the ball has a chance of going in. Everyone else is frozen in time with knees bent, and elbows extended to hold their positions. In fact, there’s even a moment of silence as both sides anticipate the sweet sound of nets, or the jarring clang of a vibrating rim. SWISHHHH! It’s drama at its finest as one side cheers in triumph, while the other mopes in disbelief. And finally, this dramatic scene comes to an end with the disgruntled defender saying, “That was luck.” Coincidentally, the shooter gathers his thoughts while shaking off the dust and says, “It’s not luck…. It’s skill.”
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said that. Nor can I tell you how many hours I spent at Woodlea Park practicing for that moment. Funny, because as I child, I never thought that I would play in the NBA. In fact, I’ve never tried out for the school team. But it didn’t stop me from taking shot, after shot until I finally perfected the motion to muscle memory. Across America, kids are spending hours on the playground and at the gym doing the same thing. But statistics show that a high school player has a .03% chance of making it to the NBA. This hasn’t stopped kids from trying though. Even the most talented and skilled players fail to make it due to poor grades, or injury. I think it’s safe to say that luck plays a major part. But the world that we live in was not built on luck. It was built on skill.
As a real estate developer, I’ve paid dozens of skilled contractors, THOUSANDS of dollars to perform a job. Framers, electricians, plumbers, graders, sheetrock, and HVAC technicians to name a few. One day, I had a conversation with a framer that said he was making about $20,000 a month. That’s $240,000 a year framing houses! I believe him because I just gave him a $5000 check for the week. Unfortunately, only a few of these skilled contractors were black.
When I started Building Blox in 2020, my goal was to have a holistic approach towards improving the community. There are dozens of trades that are responsible for building a neighborhood. We need lots cleared and streets paved. Wet and dry utilities laid. Concrete poured, and surveys performed. Blueprints drawn and inspections conducted. There is no reason on God’s green earth for citizens to struggle while new communities are being built. But we need to connect the dots. You DO NOT need to attend a university to have a good career.
Currently, the construction industry is booming, and everyone involved has experienced growth. Meanwhile thousands of young men are wasting hours fighting for 529 jobs in the NBA. As a community, we place so much emphasis on obtaining a college degree, but what about the young adults that can’t attend a university. What’s their path? As I stated earlier, my framer will earn about $240,000 this year. That’s more than most college graduates will earn in 4 years. While most kids are accumulating thousands of dollars in debt, these skilled contractors are writing their own checks. It may take a few months to obtain a certification, but when considering the long-term gains, it’s worth a shot. SWISHHH!
Comments