How long have you been working manual labor?

shortlefthook

shortlefthook

305 where I reside
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I'm only 5 years deep and I'm extremely close to quiting and going to school.
Im currently doing kitchen or laundry cabinet build and installs
waking up every morning doing this repetitive shit is getting old.

I make pretty good money now though and my body can take it no problem but mentally I don't know if I can put so much physical effort into something I don't really want to do for much longer.
And the room for growth isn't there I'm on commission based pay per job it's cut and dry.
I feel like the smart guys get their contractors license once they put in their time. allot of other guys bounce around from company to company, that's not how I wanna live even if the pay is good.

Respect to all you tough sob that's have decades under their belt but it ain't for me even if you drive a nice 60,000 dollar truck to the construction site
 
I loaded trucks for 8 years and decided to go back to school. Best decision I ever made.
 
I can fortunately, never ,there are some tougher jobs out there
 
I bussed tables for a couple of months while in college.
 
did it for about 12 years it is a terrible way to make money.
 
My whole life really. My family owned a farm in Missouri, so my brothers and me always had manual labor responsibilities.

After high school I tried the whole college scene, and chased a Biology degree. I was doing well, but really found no immediate future in the field, so I cut my losses and went thru a 2 year Power Lineman training course.

After completion I was hired by a company immediately, and spent the next 5 years progressing through an apprenticeship program to become a Journeyman Lineman, then I worked hard enough to be promoted to Foreman. God willing I'll still be working line for many more years.

I don't regret a second of my hard work, I take pride in the ability I have that took a lifetime of hard work to accomplish. So I really dislike it when I hear people say, or act like learning a trade and living by your hands are for the uneducated or dumb, because it couldn't be further from the truth. If I'm not sharp 100% of the time in my field, people can die, from one mistake, that's all it takes, my crew and I absolutely have to be perfect when we are working on the powerlines.

I believe the world needs both white collar, and blue collar workers, and neither should be shamed. That being said, I also believe America has a real problem right now, by teaching our youth that without a 4 year degree you have a limited future, so the trade jobs aren't being sought, and the job market is flooded by degree holders without specific skills.

One last thing, at least in my field a person can make a VERY lucrative living.
 
Ten years as a diesel mechanic in the middle of hell on an iron ore mine. Made bank, now i have a cushy job in the city as a result of my hard work.
 
shortlefthook said:
I'm only 5 years deep and I'm extremely close to quiting and going to school.
Im currently doing kitchen or laundry cabinet build and installs
waking up every morning doing this repetitive shit is getting old.

I make pretty good money now though and my body can take it no problem but mentally I don't know if I can put so much physical effort into something I don't really want to do for much longer.
And the room for growth isn't there I'm on commission based pay per job it's cut and dry.
I feel like the smart guys get their contractors license once they put in their time. allot of other guys bounce around from company to company, that's not how I wanna live even if the pay is good.

Respect to all you tough sob that's have decades under their belt but it ain't for me even if you drive a nice 60,000 dollar truck to the construction site
Click to expand...

You should become a RE agent. That way you can get leads for people who need kitchen remodeling, and earn extra income building their kitchen for them.

Sooner or later, you may even find yourself investing in RE yourself. You dont need to quit your job, you need to integrate vertically and horizontally.

That is what I am trying to do. I work in Property Management, but I want to become landlord myself. I actually do a lot of plumbing and electrical myself. But mostly just small projects. I am too lazy to completely gut out an entire bathroom including tiles and floors.
 
MadSquabbles500 said:
You should become a RE agent. That way you can get leads for people who need kitchen remodeling, and earn extra income building their kitchen for them.

Sooner or later, you may even find yourself investing in RE yourself. You dont need to quit your job, you need to integrate vertically and horizontally.

That is what I am trying to do. I work in Property Management, but I want to become landlord myself. I actually do a lot of plumbing and electrical myself. But mostly just small projects. I am too lazy to completely gut out an entire bathroom including tiles and floors.
Click to expand...
Sound advice.
 
TheRash said:
My whole life really. My family owned a farm in Missouri, so my brothers and me always had manual labor responsibilities.

After high school I tried the whole college scene, and chased a Biology degree. I was doing well, but really found no immediate future in the field, so I cut my losses and went thru a 2 year Power Lineman training course.

After completion I was hired by a company immediately, and spent the next 5 years progressing through an apprenticeship program to become a Journeyman Lineman, then I worked hard enough to be promoted to Foreman. God willing I'll still be working line for many more years.

I don't regret a second of my hard work, I take pride in the ability I have that took a lifetime of hard work to accomplish. So I really dislike it when I hear people say, or act like learning a trade and living by your hands is for the uneducated or dumb, because it couldn't be further from the truth. If I'm not sharp 100% of the time in my field, people can die, from one mistake, that's all it takes, my crew and I absolutely have to be perfect when we are working on the powerlines.

I believe the world needs both white collar, and blue collar workers, and neither should be shamed. That being said, I also believe America has a real problem right now, by teaching our youth that without a 4 year degree you have a limited future, so the trade jobs aren't being sought, and the job market is flooded by degree holders without specific skills.
Click to expand...
Don't get me wrong I learned more real life experience in this job then I ever got in school, and if you can do it that's great man cause the world needs people who are able and willing I grind everyday 5 years straight 5-6 days a week, you should be proud of being blue collar.
I'm just not that guy but I now have experience in multiple feilds from Auto to construction flooring, to roofing, and now cabinetry
 
Less than a week working in a warehouse.

10+ hour days...fuck that.
 
20 years or so. I love being tired after work. Feels like something got done. Have skills that office managers love but I just can't be someone's bitch in an office no matter how much it's worth. You end up being surrounded by people who never took a risk in their life outside of flying to Hawaii twice a year.
 
MadSquabbles500 said:
You should become a RE agent. That way you can get leads for people who need kitchen remodeling, and earn extra income building their kitchen for them.

Sooner or later, you may even find yourself investing in RE yourself. You dont need to quit your job, you need to integrate vertically and horizontally.

That is what I am trying to do. I work in Property Management, but I want to become landlord myself. I actually do a lot of plumbing and electrical myself. But mostly just small projects. I am too lazy to completely gut out an entire bathroom including tiles and floors.
Click to expand...
I actually thought about that before and the only way I would do it is if I went independent (which would require me to get licensed) and idk it comes out to allot more work in the long run and I'm still stuck doing this.
I don't find jobs now I just get sub contracted to do them and get a pretty decent chunk I don't order material either.
So Im not looking to get deeper into this, I'm over coming home with saw dust all over me with little energy left for my hobbies.

Moneys not even the problem the money is fare it's just not for me I can't see myself doing this much longer, real estate I will get into at some point though
 
shortlefthook said:
I'm only 5 years deep and I'm extremely close to quiting and going to school.
Im currently doing kitchen or laundry cabinet build and installs
waking up every morning doing this repetitive shit is getting old.

I make pretty good money now though and my body can take it no problem but mentally I don't know if I can put so much physical effort into something I don't really want to do for much longer.
And the room for growth isn't there I'm on commission based pay per job it's cut and dry.
I feel like the smart guys get their contractors license once they put in their time. allot of other guys bounce around from company to company, that's not how I wanna live even if the pay is good.

Respect to all you tough sob that's have decades under their belt but it ain't for me even if you drive a nice 60,000 dollar truck to the construction site
Click to expand...
School wont solve everything. Read the countless stories of people drowning in student loan debt only to find they cant find a job with their degree or the work wasnt what they expected. Learn a classic trade, learn it well, then start your own business.
 
Depends what you're doing. I was doing labor around a campsite in Lake Tahoe during the summers as a kid. That was awesome and wish i could do it again instead of this cubicle life. However construction and logging shit around is going to own your lower back later in life.
 
I worked at a factory, then a coal mine for about 8 years. I’m in school now, but I’m not sure what I want to go into; there’s not much opportunities where I live. I think I’m done with hard labor, at 30 I put my best physical years behind me.
 
shortlefthook said:
I'm only 5 years deep and I'm extremely close to quiting and going to school.
Im currently doing kitchen or laundry cabinet build and installs
waking up every morning doing this repetitive shit is getting old.

I make pretty good money now though and my body can take it no problem but mentally I don't know if I can put so much physical effort into something I don't really want to do for much longer.
And the room for growth isn't there I'm on commission based pay per job it's cut and dry.
I feel like the smart guys get their contractors license once they put in their time. allot of other guys bounce around from company to company, that's not how I wanna live even if the pay is good.

Respect to all you tough sob that's have decades under their belt but it ain't for me even if you drive a nice 60,000 dollar truck to the construction site
Click to expand...

Can you get your own license, start a new company, expand to other areas(garage cabinets/floors, blinds, remodels, etc), eventually hire/find good employees and just become a manager that mostly manages and does a bit of work? Initially it'll be a lot of work but the payoff could be worth it.
 
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