5 ms·

I actually wanted to be a garbage truck driver when I was little. I think it was the power to crush stuff that really stirred my imagination. The smell never

I actually wanted to be a garbage truck driver when I was little. I think it was the power to crush stuff that really stirred my imagination. The smell never really bothered me much and I figured that you would get used to it anyway. The dirty never bother me much either; I was constantly playing in our neighbors backyard that we called the dirt-hole. Yup, garbage man was almost the perfect job. Instead, my love for computers (ahhh, VIC-20) grew and I went to college to learn more. I really love what I do but if things went sideways I could see myself being a garbage man.

otr 7y ago
You could have been both: https://dilbert.com/strip/1998-11-21 https://dilbert.com/strip/1998-11-21
- teddyh 7y ago
  I would think that these are more relevant: https://dilbert.com/strip/1989-12-05 https://dilbert.com/strip/1989-12-05 https://dilbert.com/strip/1989-12-06 https://dilbert.com/strip/1989-12-06
Scarblac 7y ago
I've been thinking about being a garbage man (not the truck driver) for one day a week. Physical work, outside, and it seems your mind could subconsciously work on the big problems in the rest of your life while doing it.
- KC8ZKF 7y ago
  Everybody hates a tourist.
  - Scarblac 7y ago
    Yes, I didn't think of that. It would suck unless the whole crew was people just doing it for one day a week.
  - monkeycantype 7y ago
    I think the world would be a better place if we all took a few days on the shitty jobs. I spent a few years doing a few days dev and a few days labouring, wading in waist deep water planting out wetlands: https://www.australianecosystems.com.au/wetland-construction-company.html https://www.australianecosystems.com.au/wetland-construction... It wasn't easy to juggle, and taking phone calls in the swamp about dns config and database connection strings was awkward. In the early days, everyone was part time, once the company was better established, i was a tourist in a full time crew and it didn't mesh
  - gadders 7y ago
    I think if you pull your weight, you would earn some measure of respect.
    - shantly 7y ago
      Yeah, I'm pretty sure most folks doing "real" work don't care who you are as long as you show up on time, get shit done, and aren't (the wrong kind of) an asshole. And the last part's negotiable.
    - deleted 7y ago
      [deleted]
  - kaybe 7y ago
    The New Zealand agricultural industry seems to run mainly on tourists (young rich kids on work-and-travel visa) and it's working just fine. I actually think it's a great idea, because most of the jobs are not very attractive or well-paid, easy to learn and an adventure/fun for about one summer. It wouldn't work for many places, but for New Zealand it works.
- jerrre 7y ago
  I think there are companies offering controlling-excavators-as-an-attraction (or the always creative team-building), maybe there is also a market for this?
- rusk 7y ago
  I’ve a few jobs around the house here if you’re looking for something to do ...
- bitwize 7y ago
  Fuckin' A, man.
zwp 7y ago
I did this job for a couple of months over a summer when I was in college, (via a temping agency). I did actually kind of enjoy it. The sweet smell of putrefaction from the truck made me retch for the first week and then became kind of homely. Brutally early starts (4am?) but done and home by midday. My crew ran everywhere. They teased me for wearing gloves (broken glass, nappies, tampons... I'll take the teasing, thanks). Pay for regular employees was okay, by which I mean it was not as bad as you might expect (and considerably more for the driver, for an easier job). There was notable attention from the public, somewhere between condescending and touching, who perhaps didn't know that: the old lady who saved me a pair of jeans ("These were my son's, and I noticed yours are ripped"); the old guy that wanted us to come in for coffee; free lunch from an independent fast food place on Wednesdays. The size of the operation marked me: the number of 14-ton capacity trucks snorting at the depot at dawn, the scale of the dump, the size of the crane fingers. The amount of garbage. Houses. Businesses. Farms. Winter months and middle age would probably make the job less attractive but it certainly wasn't a dreadful experience.

otr 7y ago

You could have been both: https://dilbert.com/strip/1998-11-21 https://dilbert.com/strip/1998-11-21

teddyh 7y ago
I would think that these are more relevant: https://dilbert.com/strip/1989-12-05 https://dilbert.com/strip/1989-12-05 https://dilbert.com/strip/1989-12-06 https://dilbert.com/strip/1989-12-06

Scarblac 7y ago

I've been thinking about being a garbage man (not the truck driver) for one day a week. Physical work, outside, and it seems your mind could subconsciously work on the big problems in the rest of your life while doing it.

KC8ZKF 7y ago
Everybody hates a tourist.
- Scarblac 7y ago
  Yes, I didn't think of that. It would suck unless the whole crew was people just doing it for one day a week.
- monkeycantype 7y ago
  I think the world would be a better place if we all took a few days on the shitty jobs. I spent a few years doing a few days dev and a few days labouring, wading in waist deep water planting out wetlands: https://www.australianecosystems.com.au/wetland-construction-company.html https://www.australianecosystems.com.au/wetland-construction... It wasn't easy to juggle, and taking phone calls in the swamp about dns config and database connection strings was awkward. In the early days, everyone was part time, once the company was better established, i was a tourist in a full time crew and it didn't mesh
- gadders 7y ago
  I think if you pull your weight, you would earn some measure of respect.
  - shantly 7y ago
    Yeah, I'm pretty sure most folks doing "real" work don't care who you are as long as you show up on time, get shit done, and aren't (the wrong kind of) an asshole. And the last part's negotiable.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
- kaybe 7y ago
  The New Zealand agricultural industry seems to run mainly on tourists (young rich kids on work-and-travel visa) and it's working just fine. I actually think it's a great idea, because most of the jobs are not very attractive or well-paid, easy to learn and an adventure/fun for about one summer. It wouldn't work for many places, but for New Zealand it works.
jerrre 7y ago
I think there are companies offering controlling-excavators-as-an-attraction (or the always creative team-building), maybe there is also a market for this?
rusk 7y ago
I’ve a few jobs around the house here if you’re looking for something to do ...
bitwize 7y ago
Fuckin' A, man.

zwp 7y ago

I did this job for a couple of months over a summer when I was in college, (via a temping agency). I did actually kind of enjoy it. The sweet smell of putrefaction from the truck made me retch for the first week and then became kind of homely. Brutally early starts (4am?) but done and home by midday. My crew ran everywhere. They teased me for wearing gloves (broken glass, nappies, tampons... I'll take the teasing, thanks). Pay for regular employees was okay, by which I mean it was not as bad as you might expect (and considerably more for the driver, for an easier job). There was notable attention from the public, somewhere between condescending and touching, who perhaps didn't know that: the old lady who saved me a pair of jeans ("These were my son's, and I noticed yours are ripped"); the old guy that wanted us to come in for coffee; free lunch from an independent fast food place on Wednesdays. The size of the operation marked me: the number of 14-ton capacity trucks snorting at the depot at dawn, the scale of the dump, the size of the crane fingers. The amount of garbage. Houses. Businesses. Farms. Winter months and middle age would probably make the job less attractive but it certainly wasn't a dreadful experience.