Tuesday, December 27, 2022

Nut sorter, dowel inspector, egg processor

Nut sorter, dowel inspector, egg processor: The Washington Post reports that the Social Security Administration evaluates disability claims by using a Dictionary of Occupational Titles, last updated in 1977, to determine what kinds of work a person with a disability might be able to do. But many kinds of work described in the dictionary would be difficult or impossible for anyone, with or without a disability — because the work itself is obsolete or nearly so. See the first six words of the post.

Here’s one occupational title that I noticed, pen and pencil repairer:

Repairs and replaces parts of fountain pens and mechanical pencils, using electric buffer, handtools, and magnifying lens: Repairs or replaces ink sacs, plungers, barrels, and other parts, using handtools. Places pen points on straightening block and rubs them with mandrel to straighten points. Twists and turns points with pliers under magnifying lens to align points. Washes pens and pencils in cleaning solution. Removes engraving and polishes pens and pencils, using electric buffer. May operate pantograph engraving machine or stamping machine to inscribe names on pens and pencils. May operate bench lathes to cut out parts for pens and pencils. May sell pens and pencils. May requisition replacement parts for pens and pencils.
Ink sacs — yes, for pen fanatics, but not in most people’s definitions of real life in 2022. The dictionary also describes work in telegraphy and television-tube rebuilding. I could go on. But I think another form of work cited in the Post article tops them all: manual scoreboard operator.

Related posts
Harvey Wang’s New York : “Old-world skillz” : “Trailing-edge technology”

[I was hoping for pinsetter, a job my dad had as a Depression kid. But the dictionary is too up-to-date for that. Alas, the links in the last two posts are gone.]

comments: 2

Daughter Number Three said...

And I wonder... even if there were a job as an addresser or a nut-sorter, where is it located? Is a disabled person supposed to move from wherever they live to Pecan-Central, South Carolina for a minimum wage job? Maybe they live with family in their current situation. It's all very strange.

One of the other things that never seems updated in a similar way are the employment categories, such as on tax forms. I've never been able to figure out where graphic design fits, for instance. They're also pretty out of date for the modern economy.

Michael Leddy said...

Reading about this reminds me of experiences in academia: you begin to look closely at some policy or practice, and it looks just plain wrong, and you ask, Why? The standard answer is that we’ve always done it this way.

This list does at least have graphic artist, graphic arts technician, and graphic designer. No mention of digital media with any of them. Next on the list: graphite-disk assembler (assembling water bottles, ice bags, etc.). I fixed the first link so that it goes to the page for the entire list.