I've a similar story, but about my father in the 1980s. He worked in London as a shop fitter and then carpenter/kitchen fitter locally in the Midlands when not

I've a similar story, but about my father in the 1980s. He worked in London as a shop fitter and then carpenter/kitchen fitter locally in the Midlands when not doing those jobs. It's a skilled job, requiring years to become good at it, but it's still manual work. I used to be a bit embarrassed by what my dad did in comparison to some of my friends. When I was a little older I worked with him and saw the way that some private clients looked down on him. It angered me at the time and I was at university and working for him during the holidays. One day I snapped at these people and explained about the house my father has built for us, complete with indoor swimming pool - far far better and more expensive than the house we were working. These professional people changed their tune towards him then. My dad explained that I shouldn't have said anything to them and to be more humble. Let them have their ignorance. My dad, and bear in mind this is the UK in the late 1980s was earning around $2k/week minimum and some weeks a lot more. Far more than most of the professionals he worked for. I always show respect to people who do work for me on my homes.