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Are You A Journeyman? Journeywoman? Journeyperson?

Notwithstanding the non-political-correctness of the word itself (should it be "journeyperson?") I was deeply offended by the online dictionary definitions I ran across recently.

The screen saver on my computer scrolls random words across, periodically landing on one for a few seconds and showing its definition. For a person who dearly loves words… an aspiring wordsmith, you might say… it is the perfect screensaver for me. Most of the time the words scrolling past are words I already know (that sounds a bit pretentious, but, alas, it's true), so I give them only a cursory glance, but occasionally a word catches my eye and I freeze the screen to read the definition.

When the word "journeyman" appeared, I gave it only a cursory glance, since we all know what it means to be a journeyman carpenter, electrician, pipe fitter, etc. But my quick glance caused me to freeze the screen and I took a closer look. Then I got a little angry.

Figure 10 - Closing in on 40 years old, and still a trusted resource.

The definition I saw was:

"a worker or sports player who is reliable but not outstanding"

So, I looked at another online dictionary and this is what it said:

"any experienced, competent but routine worker or performer"

Here is another one:

"any sound, experienced, but not brilliant craftsman or performer"

Frustrated, I grabbed my old-fashioned hard-copy dictionary, published in 1978 and as tattered and well-worn as you might expect. The definition of journeyman in my trusted mainstay dictionary is:

"an experienced reliable workman in any field"

Personally, I would be proud as punch to be called a "journeyman," and punch I might, if someone suggested I was "not outstanding," was "routine," or "not brilliant." I know a lot of journeyman carpenters, electricians, and plumbers, and respect, and perhaps even envy, their knowledge and expertise. These people (and one is a woman, who, for what it is worth, doesn't mind at all being a "journeyman") spent long hours, worked hard, and learned their crafts well before achieving the status of "journeyman." In our neck of the woods, an apprentice cannot be sent to a new job site by him- or her- self… they must be accompanied by a journeyman to assess the scope of work, lay out the plan, and get the work started. And only work done by, or supervised by, a journeyman can possibly pass inspection. A journeyman electrician friend of mine, for example, often has five or six jobs going at one time, and he visits each one every day, works a little at each, and supervises and teaches the apprentices on the site all along. Does this sound like someone who is "not outstanding" or a "routine worker?" I'm not just angered by these spurious online definitions, but I am offended, incensed, outraged. And it makes me wonder how many other online dictionary definitions are just flat-out wrong or misleading.

Okay, that's my rant for now. I only wish I could qualify as a journeyman writer, but I will keep working hard and try to learn and better myself along the way. But be assured… when I need a word or a definition, I will henceforth and forever more, turn to my trusty tattered 40-year old dictionary. And I will, forevermore, imagine that the people writing definitions for the new online dictionaries must be, by their own flawed definitions, journeymen… not brilliant craftsmen and not outstanding.

The Under-The-Tablesaw Storage, Utility, and Infeed Cabinet project has reached the point where work can move ahead now more rapidly… the legs are finally glued-up! It was tricky, this glue-up, with multiple parts and long miters, so be sure to watch as I fumble and bumble my way through it in the latest installment of the series by clicking here.

In this glorious New Year I hope all of you aspire to be journeymen (and journeywomen) woodworkers, experienced and reliable, always learning, always striving for excellence. And I hope that you achieve at least some, if not all, of your goals. And I hope and pray that you will be safe, healthy, and full of joy.

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Steven Johnson is retired from an almost 30-year career selling medical equipment and supplies, and now enjoys improving his shop, his skills, and his designs on a full time basis (although he says home improvement projects and furniture building have been hobbies for most of his adult life). Steven can be reached directly via email at sjohnson@downtoearthwoodworking.com

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