6 ms·

> But once you get burnt out at something, digging ditches out in the sunshine (or rain for that matter) looks much more appealing. Spoken like a person that'

by slmyers 10y ago

> But once you get burnt out at something, digging ditches out in the sunshine (or rain for that matter) looks much more appealing. Spoken like a person that's never dug a ditch.

krisroadruck 10y ago
I've done both, and honestly if I could get paid 6 figures to work outside with my hands I'd probably switch back and forth between the 2 every 3-4 years. Sure manual labor is hard but it has some rewards to. Sadly one of those rewards is not a decent living.
- brandonmenc 10y ago
  > I've done both Me too. Even at its worst, the flexibility of a programming job outweighs everything else. I'd still rather set my own 60 hour schedule than have a set-in-stone 40 hour one. > Sadly one of those rewards is not a decent living. You must not know any plumbers, garbage haulers, streets employees, masons, finish carpenters, or electricians. I have friends and family in each of those categories, and they all do well. They live better than every single one of my friends who graduated college with non-engineering degrees. You can make a decent living with manual labor if you choose wisely, and most of that work will never disappear - people will always have toilets, for example.
  - krisroadruck 10y ago
    That's all well and good but we were talking about ditch digging not being a skilled laborer. Of course a plumber or electrician can make good money, especially if they own their own business and manage it well. That is a far cry from operating a shovel though isn't it? You'll also notice I mentioned 6 figures specifically, and while I do know ONE plumber who makes that much, it is because he has a rather large multi-employee business and is more of a manager at this point than a plumber. The benefits I was talking about was the ability to sort of mindlessly put your muscles to work. You can do that with a shovel. Mindlessly working with electricity, water mains, or finishing touches on someones house is likely to at best get you fired and at worst get you injured fairly severely.

by slmyers 10y ago

> But once you get burnt out at something, digging ditches out in the sunshine (or rain for that matter) looks much more appealing. Spoken like a person that's never dug a ditch.

krisroadruck 10y ago

I've done both, and honestly if I could get paid 6 figures to work outside with my hands I'd probably switch back and forth between the 2 every 3-4 years. Sure manual labor is hard but it has some rewards to. Sadly one of those rewards is not a decent living.

brandonmenc 10y ago
> I've done both Me too. Even at its worst, the flexibility of a programming job outweighs everything else. I'd still rather set my own 60 hour schedule than have a set-in-stone 40 hour one. > Sadly one of those rewards is not a decent living. You must not know any plumbers, garbage haulers, streets employees, masons, finish carpenters, or electricians. I have friends and family in each of those categories, and they all do well. They live better than every single one of my friends who graduated college with non-engineering degrees. You can make a decent living with manual labor if you choose wisely, and most of that work will never disappear - people will always have toilets, for example.
- krisroadruck 10y ago
  That's all well and good but we were talking about ditch digging not being a skilled laborer. Of course a plumber or electrician can make good money, especially if they own their own business and manage it well. That is a far cry from operating a shovel though isn't it? You'll also notice I mentioned 6 figures specifically, and while I do know ONE plumber who makes that much, it is because he has a rather large multi-employee business and is more of a manager at this point than a plumber. The benefits I was talking about was the ability to sort of mindlessly put your muscles to work. You can do that with a shovel. Mindlessly working with electricity, water mains, or finishing touches on someones house is likely to at best get you fired and at worst get you injured fairly severely.