I started in the trades 45 years ago. Worked as a deck hand, low voltage installer, cabinet maker, and service tech.
Climbing in a ceiling at 30 years old I asked my self what the hell am I doing? I have a hard upper bound in salary. I’m sore, I had stitches on several occasions, I’m a bit battered from physical labor. The after work drinking was a short term analgesic but a long term killer.
I realized a life time of labor is back breaking and will leave me a broken old man long before I should be.
I decided at that moment to move on to engineering.
My days of labor provided me with a great foundation for problem solving and understanding how projects are executed in the field. I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything, it was incredibly rewarding.
My office life has been equally rewarding. I worked as hard wearing a dumb tie everyday as I did wearing Carhartt.
The balance I struck was earning in the white collar world while keeping busy at home on blue collar pursuits. For example I took my contractor special condo from plain to fully executed trim. All of the doors and windows are cased, there is crown and picture rail. Some areas have wainscoting, the knock down wall finish is now level 5. There is 4 color paint.
I have since begun maintaining an old sports car.
For me it would have been hard to start on an office and then transition to a shop. The reverse worked best for me.
Climbing in a ceiling at 30 years old I asked my self what the hell am I doing? I have a hard upper bound in salary. I’m sore, I had stitches on several occasions, I’m a bit battered from physical labor. The after work drinking was a short term analgesic but a long term killer.
I realized a life time of labor is back breaking and will leave me a broken old man long before I should be.
I decided at that moment to move on to engineering.
My days of labor provided me with a great foundation for problem solving and understanding how projects are executed in the field. I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything, it was incredibly rewarding.
My office life has been equally rewarding. I worked as hard wearing a dumb tie everyday as I did wearing Carhartt.
The balance I struck was earning in the white collar world while keeping busy at home on blue collar pursuits. For example I took my contractor special condo from plain to fully executed trim. All of the doors and windows are cased, there is crown and picture rail. Some areas have wainscoting, the knock down wall finish is now level 5. There is 4 color paint.
I have since begun maintaining an old sports car.
For me it would have been hard to start on an office and then transition to a shop. The reverse worked best for me.