The traveling German carpenters

In our current society, we've completely standardized education. No matter what a kid wants to become when they get older, we still tell them to follow the same path: graduate from high-school, then go to college. The result is a society that is pretty uniform, one in which everyone has shared a lot of the same experiences. Often, the first question one gets asked after meeting someone new is: “Where did you go to college?” It's usually followed by a conversation that makes the two parties in question realize that, while they were in different cities studying different things, their life had a lot in common.

That's why it was refreshing when, on a recent trip to Uruguay, I met two German carpenters that are traveling and following an old tradition: “Die Walz” in German or “Journeyman years”. The tradition sets back from medieval times and according to Wikipedia, there are only a few hundred 'journeyman' in the world today. While the majority are carpenters and are men, there are also journeywomen and other types of craftsman.

The guys I met were awesome, and it was great to hear about the whole tradition from them. Here is their quick story:

At some point, they decided that the regular path to college wasn't theirs. In Germany, you get the option to go the college route or an alternative route where you work and study. They decided to do the latter, to become carpenters and to follow the 'journeyman' tradition. They then left their house with only 5 euros. They had to walk their first 50 km by foot to start a 3 year and one day journey during which they are not allowed to get back home, or within a 50 km radius of their house. They are required to wear specific costumes that look like they've traveled through times. It tends to get them a lot of attention, but they said they are used to it and it doesn't bother them. During their travels, they are not allowed to pay for lodging or transportation, and they cannot stay in one place for too long, so they tend to do work in exchange for lodging, food, and transportation. Since they cannot pay for transportation, they often cannot travel by plane: it's easier to find work on a boat for a trip than to find work on a plane. They carry around a little book which they get stamped at places where they've worked. They say it is pretty easy to find work usually as the reputation of German carpenters is well-known, and people jump on the occasion to hire them.

During these 3 years, they don't learn by reading books on carpentry and taking exams, but by working with carpenters from around the world and sharing the oral traditions amongst each other. In the process, they also learn a bit about teamwork, sales, people skills, dealing with people from different cultures, budgeting, personal finance, and so much more. Above all though, with all the constraints imposed by their journey, they learn to be 'relentlessly resourceful'.

It was a fascinating and refreshing encounter and a reminder that there are alternatives to the typical high-school then college cycle. These guys' resumes might not list a prestigious school or all the things that a typical recruiter would look for in a resume, but I'm convinced that they will come out of their 'German waltz' as excellent and well-rounded carpenters.

Photo Credits: Flickr cc image 2 German carpenter hikers! by JWU