Any profession your Dad preached at you as a teenager to never do?

[Motu]

Maybe the "training, teaching, coaching, and mentorship" you received from your Father has been the difference in your happiness in your job. Sense many mechanics are not getting mentorship from a younger age about working as a auto mechanic.

That's what an apprenticeship is - we started as teenagers, 15 or 16, and were mentored by our elders in the trade.

 

[doublebase]

My son is graduating this year and I worry I’ll be spending $30k for that first year of college and he’ll drop out. Very nice kid, just not very good at school. My daughter on the other hand is graduating with a neuroscience degree this year, and although she is very smart, I worry her degree isn’t going to land her a good paying job - and she does too - so, she is then going to attend ultrasound school for a year and become an ultrasound tech (and then possibly a nurse practitioner).

Trades I think would be financially beneficial for someone right now...electrical, HVAC. and plumbing. Machinist and metal fabrication/welding are ticking upwards a little bit. But automotive is still tough, same for autobody, and that’s a shame because they are two needed fields and they are both two difficult trades. Automotive especially - between the constant changes in technology, buying your own tools, having to know electrical, hydraulics, physics, mechanics, and be able to THINK AND DIAGNOSE, WHILE ALSO USING COMMON SENSE AND SPEED...all while operating in a dangerous environment with chemicals, noise, heat, cold, hugely problematic ergonomics...while getting paid less than the other trades?? Makes it mind boggling to me why they are treated this way. Something needs to be done because there’s a HUGE SHORTAGE OF QUALIFIED TECHS. And they are not only not going into the industry they are leaving just as quickly. And to the manufacturers, you deserve it.

 

[ATex7239]

Probably. I don’t even recall what my parents said though. Neither parent seemed good with money or maintaining relationships so I didn’t take their advise on either. Likely to be financially responsible for at least one of them at some point. Not thrilled about the prospect; its a heavy burden.

 

[Lubener]

A septic tank engineer....

 

[Dave Hess]

The more difficult job, the more $$$$ it pays.

 

[dlundblad]

A septic tank engineer....

I worked on one of those yesterday although it was new this time.

 

[Pablo]

A septic tank engineer....

I inherited that title!! Well from the property not my dad!!

After the first foul warm updraft, you get used to it.





Not.

All working quite well. Previous clowns I think never had the 3 tanks pumped. My largest problem is ground water intrusion. Mound system, function perfect.

System nominal.

 

[Kjmack]

Not really what you're asking but I saw the way my father worked and decided very early on that there was no way I'd ever do what he did. He worked +70 hours a week, I think he made $55K his best year ever, he was never home, never available, never went on vacation, never enjoyed life, and at 47 with no savings or security dropped dead. My father had BA in political science with a minor in math from the University of Cincinnati and having graduated cum laude continued in the profession he learned while working his way through college.

I work 4 days per week (32 hours per week), from 7:30am to 4PM, I'm home every day for dinner, available to be with the family every day, take 4 weeks of vacation minimally not including long weekends here and there, and make a butt load more money...now I just have to see if I make it past 47.

My father never had to explicitly say it but I knew from a young age no matter what I did for a living I did not want to live my life the way he did.

I'm sorry you lost your dad so early in life , no doubt it was hard for you and your family .

 

[Wolf359]

A ditch digger.

Not sure if it was my dad though, either a teacher or some other adult.

Basically the point was that if you didn't graduate you'd be stuck digging ditches for a living. Although construction workers make pretty good money these days.