5 ms·

He Skipped College to Become a Repairman. He's on His Way to $175k a Year

26 points by fortran77 2y ago

deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
spking 2y ago
https://archive.ph/azaNa https://archive.ph/azaNa
Swizec 2y ago
> Louie Leonardo climbs inside a boiler and tries not to get knocked over by an industrial power tool Dangerous jobs pay a lot, yep. How long can you do a physical job like this for though? What’s your body going to feel like after? Think I’ll stick to typing characters into a laptop for 200k+. Yeah RSI sucks but not as much as getting smacked in the face by an errant industrial machine. Happened to my grandpa only once. Never met him. I had type-code-into-computer jobs before starting college so while going to, but not finishing, college helped, it wasn’t a requirement.
- candiddevmike 2y ago
  ... congratulations? Not everyone can be a coder, either due to circumstance or capabilities. Not sure what point you're trying to make. This guy is making the best of his situation.
  - vajrabum 2y ago
    The point is somebody is pushing the narrative that it's better to get a blue collar job than to get a college degree and a professional or technical job. That might be true but it's a trope in certain circles and its a debatable one. Moreover it likely has more to do with shaping the perception of the value of education than it does with the value or lack of it. And that has nothing to do with this individual and their success or lack of it. Good on him.
  - BenFranklin100 2y ago
    I’m glad the OP likes their job as a programmer. Many find it boring and the idea of sitting in a chair eight hours a day torture. Therefore, it’s fantastic we are seeing a resurgence in interest for the trades. The job can pay well, and unlike programming, one not need to worry about obsolescence. We live in the physical world, and will always need people to help build and maintain the physical world around us. A tool like ChatGPT is not going to replace a reciprocating saw or tin snips. Finally, I come from generations of blue collar workers. All worked to 65 and enjoyed a decade(s)+ retirement. It’s not true manual labor destroys your body. A sedentary lifestyle however is a known health risk however.
- darkhorn 2y ago
  > How long can you do a physical job like this for though? I have seen people at their 70s that they were doing phisical job under the summer sun for a half day. Half at their age I can do it at most for 10 minutes.
  - e40 2y ago
    My grandpa in his 80s was more physically fit than I was at 40. He was a plumber, born in 1890.
jmclnx 2y ago
That goes back to "do what you like". There were many people who went to tech in the 90s just for the pay check and it showed. Glad to see this person do what he wanted, repair people are hard to come by these days and I heard there is a rather large shortage. So sadly, I guess that trend from the 90s may start to repeat for general contractors.
- sghiassy 2y ago
  You can defn tell the difference between those who are software engineers because it was something to major in college - versus those that do it because it was the funnest thing we could think of doing with our time
  - declan_roberts 2y ago
    Every single job.
- swayvil 2y ago
  Unless what you like changes (as is only natural), then say adios to your "career". Funny term that, "career". Barrels career down hills.
  - engineer_22 2y ago
    Careen?
    - analog31 2y ago
      "Career" does have the suggested meaning.
      - engineer_22 2y ago
        I've never seen it used in that way. Thank you.
mgdev 2y ago
> Haynes passes Leonardo a rusty, dented Crisco tub, which he and Price use to lubricate the pipes they work on. I can't believe someone decided, "Hey, we should take this stuff we built as a submarine lubricant, and market it to housewives to make fluffier pie crusts." Evil genius.
- runjake 2y ago
  As far as I know, Crisco was not developed as a “submarine” lubricant. It was designed for food use as a lard substitute. That said, it’s really not healthy for consumption.
  - mgdev 2y ago
    I suppose I had my order of operations turned around. Lard substitute first, war lubricant later. https://www.thedailymeal.com/1386775/crisco-facts-why-people-stopped-using-it/ https://www.thedailymeal.com/1386775/crisco-facts-why-people...
    - runjake 2y ago
      That is most cool. Thanks for posting.
TrackerFF 2y ago
I'm not fond of these articles that hype up the 0.1% - 0.01% earners of unskilled jobs. Simply for the fact that it gives a very wrong picture of how well you can earn, and second - the more you earn, the HARDER the job is. Physically. Your pay is directly proportional to how dangerous and demanding the job is. As a student, I used to work as a longshoreman whenever needed. The pay was phenomenal - as in $500-$1000 a day. Some of the guys that worked full time would pull $10000-$15000 / month. Everyone knew about this job, but the realty was: - High paced backbreaking work 12-24 hours a day (you'd unload 20-50 kg blocks of frozen fish from the refrigeration room on large industrial trawlers) - Working in really terrible conditions. Freezing cold, lots of noise, always on the lookout for falling objects. The only reason I could work there, was because someone got injured - and you always had injured people there. The oldest guy working there was in his mid 30s. By the time you were pushing 40, you'd be too injured or slow to work there. The lucky few were placed to operate the ship crane. But the pay was good, probably the best in town as far as unskilled work goes.
- declan_roberts 2y ago
  For most unskilled jobs age doesn't seem to be an issue. I feel like every plumber in town is in his 60s right now.
  - engineer_22 2y ago
    Plumbing is a skilled trade
  - silverquiet 2y ago
    Calling a plumber an unskilled job is incorrect. That said my plumber is about that old and had to refuse a job for me that involved swapping out a water heater because he did not feel up to the task anymore.
    - gunapologist99 2y ago
      Agreed. And he probably doesn't even have to. (Incidentally, swing by your local big box store at closing time and ask the guys in plumbing if they want to make $500 or $1000 by putting in a water heater tonight; that worked for me, anyway, even on a Friday night.) I just paid $4,000 for a very experienced plumber and his apprentice to replace a tankless water heater that I could buy new on Ebay for $1,200. That extra $2,800 was pure profit for a job that took four or five hours, and I also had to wait a day before he could fit me in.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
OutOfHere 2y ago
IMHO, in the US, software professionals deserve at least the 36-month simple moving average of the USD equivalent salary of 50 troy oz gold in their first year, plus 5 troy oz for each year of professional experience. That's a bare minimum for a remote position. For a big-city hybrid position it would be at least 60 and 6. This is a somewhat noise-proof and inflation-resistant metric. Currently the SMA36mon is USD 1951. Solving for $175K, that's after 8 years if remote, or after 5 years if hybrid in a big-city.
alphabettsy 2y ago
I know a few guys in the same skilled trade of HVAC. One makes as much as most senior software devs and the others make about $70-80k. I also know plenty of devs with 5+ YOE making less than $100k. That’s still pretty good money, but the difference is ambition and work-ethic. The same is true for college grads in many, maybe most, cases. I don’t know why we need to pit career/life paths against one another. Find something you can excel at or something you can coast and be comfortable.
- gunapologist99 2y ago
  I agree. I love coding and don't think I'd like non-creative work as much, but there's definitely nothing wrong with trades; it's honorable work, and I'd encourage anyone to seriously consider it if they weren't sure what they wanted to do.
  - beej71 2y ago
    Also I'd probably argue there's a fair amount of creativity in the trades. Large- and small-scale optimization problems are everywhere, after all.
    - gunapologist99 2y ago
      You're right, and there are probably also many opportunities to invent new tools and techniques and pursue entrepreneurship, for those so inclined.
analog31 2y ago
I think, if the WSJ wants to make me a believer in "skip college and join the workforce," the can promote things like better labor laws, universal health care, and a social safety net. Instead of the opposite, that is. The physical conditions of blue collar jobs vary widely. The tradesmen who come to work on jobs at my house, if they're my age, look 20 years older. Most are hobbling. Many will stop working before 60, or end up in lower paying jobs such as retail, that are less physical. They have to keep working because they have no retirement. Many occupations are seasonal, or cyclic. The construction industry is fickle. Many occupations involve mostly smaller businesses that are "below the radar" of OSHA and other regulations. Many of the smaller businesses are family owned, meaning that your chances depend on connections and favors. The ability to move up into an ownership position may depend on family wealth. Some skilled trades are nicer, such as many health care jobs, but still involve physical work. Granted I'm only mentioning the extremes, and not everybody can be a computer programmer.
1vuio0pswjnm7 2y ago
Works where archive.ph is blocked: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/he-skipped-college-to-become-a-repairman-he-s-on-his-way-to-175-000-a-year/ar-AA1o9nrN https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/he-skipped-college-to-beco... Text-only: https://assets.msn.com/content/view/v2/Detail/en-in/AA1o9nrN https://assets.msn.com/content/view/v2/Detail/en-in/AA1o9nrN

26 points by fortran77 2y ago

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

spking 2y ago

https://archive.ph/azaNa https://archive.ph/azaNa

Swizec 2y ago

> Louie Leonardo climbs inside a boiler and tries not to get knocked over by an industrial power tool Dangerous jobs pay a lot, yep. How long can you do a physical job like this for though? What’s your body going to feel like after? Think I’ll stick to typing characters into a laptop for 200k+. Yeah RSI sucks but not as much as getting smacked in the face by an errant industrial machine. Happened to my grandpa only once. Never met him. I had type-code-into-computer jobs before starting college so while going to, but not finishing, college helped, it wasn’t a requirement.

candiddevmike 2y ago
... congratulations? Not everyone can be a coder, either due to circumstance or capabilities. Not sure what point you're trying to make. This guy is making the best of his situation.
- vajrabum 2y ago
  The point is somebody is pushing the narrative that it's better to get a blue collar job than to get a college degree and a professional or technical job. That might be true but it's a trope in certain circles and its a debatable one. Moreover it likely has more to do with shaping the perception of the value of education than it does with the value or lack of it. And that has nothing to do with this individual and their success or lack of it. Good on him.
- BenFranklin100 2y ago
  I’m glad the OP likes their job as a programmer. Many find it boring and the idea of sitting in a chair eight hours a day torture. Therefore, it’s fantastic we are seeing a resurgence in interest for the trades. The job can pay well, and unlike programming, one not need to worry about obsolescence. We live in the physical world, and will always need people to help build and maintain the physical world around us. A tool like ChatGPT is not going to replace a reciprocating saw or tin snips. Finally, I come from generations of blue collar workers. All worked to 65 and enjoyed a decade(s)+ retirement. It’s not true manual labor destroys your body. A sedentary lifestyle however is a known health risk however.
darkhorn 2y ago
> How long can you do a physical job like this for though? I have seen people at their 70s that they were doing phisical job under the summer sun for a half day. Half at their age I can do it at most for 10 minutes.
- e40 2y ago
  My grandpa in his 80s was more physically fit than I was at 40. He was a plumber, born in 1890.

jmclnx 2y ago

That goes back to "do what you like". There were many people who went to tech in the 90s just for the pay check and it showed. Glad to see this person do what he wanted, repair people are hard to come by these days and I heard there is a rather large shortage. So sadly, I guess that trend from the 90s may start to repeat for general contractors.

sghiassy 2y ago
You can defn tell the difference between those who are software engineers because it was something to major in college - versus those that do it because it was the funnest thing we could think of doing with our time
- declan_roberts 2y ago
  Every single job.
swayvil 2y ago
Unless what you like changes (as is only natural), then say adios to your "career". Funny term that, "career". Barrels career down hills.
- engineer_22 2y ago
  Careen?
  - analog31 2y ago
    "Career" does have the suggested meaning.
    - engineer_22 2y ago
      I've never seen it used in that way. Thank you.

mgdev 2y ago

> Haynes passes Leonardo a rusty, dented Crisco tub, which he and Price use to lubricate the pipes they work on. I can't believe someone decided, "Hey, we should take this stuff we built as a submarine lubricant, and market it to housewives to make fluffier pie crusts." Evil genius.

runjake 2y ago
As far as I know, Crisco was not developed as a “submarine” lubricant. It was designed for food use as a lard substitute. That said, it’s really not healthy for consumption.
- mgdev 2y ago
  I suppose I had my order of operations turned around. Lard substitute first, war lubricant later. https://www.thedailymeal.com/1386775/crisco-facts-why-people-stopped-using-it/ https://www.thedailymeal.com/1386775/crisco-facts-why-people...
  - runjake 2y ago
    That is most cool. Thanks for posting.

TrackerFF 2y ago

I'm not fond of these articles that hype up the 0.1% - 0.01% earners of unskilled jobs. Simply for the fact that it gives a very wrong picture of how well you can earn, and second - the more you earn, the HARDER the job is. Physically. Your pay is directly proportional to how dangerous and demanding the job is. As a student, I used to work as a longshoreman whenever needed. The pay was phenomenal - as in $500-$1000 a day. Some of the guys that worked full time would pull $10000-$15000 / month. Everyone knew about this job, but the realty was: - High paced backbreaking work 12-24 hours a day (you'd unload 20-50 kg blocks of frozen fish from the refrigeration room on large industrial trawlers) - Working in really terrible conditions. Freezing cold, lots of noise, always on the lookout for falling objects. The only reason I could work there, was because someone got injured - and you always had injured people there. The oldest guy working there was in his mid 30s. By the time you were pushing 40, you'd be too injured or slow to work there. The lucky few were placed to operate the ship crane. But the pay was good, probably the best in town as far as unskilled work goes.

declan_roberts 2y ago
For most unskilled jobs age doesn't seem to be an issue. I feel like every plumber in town is in his 60s right now.
- engineer_22 2y ago
  Plumbing is a skilled trade
- silverquiet 2y ago
  Calling a plumber an unskilled job is incorrect. That said my plumber is about that old and had to refuse a job for me that involved swapping out a water heater because he did not feel up to the task anymore.
  - gunapologist99 2y ago
    Agreed. And he probably doesn't even have to. (Incidentally, swing by your local big box store at closing time and ask the guys in plumbing if they want to make $500 or $1000 by putting in a water heater tonight; that worked for me, anyway, even on a Friday night.) I just paid $4,000 for a very experienced plumber and his apprentice to replace a tankless water heater that I could buy new on Ebay for $1,200. That extra $2,800 was pure profit for a job that took four or five hours, and I also had to wait a day before he could fit me in.

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

OutOfHere 2y ago

IMHO, in the US, software professionals deserve at least the 36-month simple moving average of the USD equivalent salary of 50 troy oz gold in their first year, plus 5 troy oz for each year of professional experience. That's a bare minimum for a remote position. For a big-city hybrid position it would be at least 60 and 6. This is a somewhat noise-proof and inflation-resistant metric. Currently the SMA36mon is USD 1951. Solving for $175K, that's after 8 years if remote, or after 5 years if hybrid in a big-city.

alphabettsy 2y ago

I know a few guys in the same skilled trade of HVAC. One makes as much as most senior software devs and the others make about $70-80k. I also know plenty of devs with 5+ YOE making less than $100k. That’s still pretty good money, but the difference is ambition and work-ethic. The same is true for college grads in many, maybe most, cases. I don’t know why we need to pit career/life paths against one another. Find something you can excel at or something you can coast and be comfortable.

gunapologist99 2y ago
I agree. I love coding and don't think I'd like non-creative work as much, but there's definitely nothing wrong with trades; it's honorable work, and I'd encourage anyone to seriously consider it if they weren't sure what they wanted to do.
- beej71 2y ago
  Also I'd probably argue there's a fair amount of creativity in the trades. Large- and small-scale optimization problems are everywhere, after all.
  - gunapologist99 2y ago
    You're right, and there are probably also many opportunities to invent new tools and techniques and pursue entrepreneurship, for those so inclined.

analog31 2y ago

I think, if the WSJ wants to make me a believer in "skip college and join the workforce," the can promote things like better labor laws, universal health care, and a social safety net. Instead of the opposite, that is. The physical conditions of blue collar jobs vary widely. The tradesmen who come to work on jobs at my house, if they're my age, look 20 years older. Most are hobbling. Many will stop working before 60, or end up in lower paying jobs such as retail, that are less physical. They have to keep working because they have no retirement. Many occupations are seasonal, or cyclic. The construction industry is fickle. Many occupations involve mostly smaller businesses that are "below the radar" of OSHA and other regulations. Many of the smaller businesses are family owned, meaning that your chances depend on connections and favors. The ability to move up into an ownership position may depend on family wealth. Some skilled trades are nicer, such as many health care jobs, but still involve physical work. Granted I'm only mentioning the extremes, and not everybody can be a computer programmer.

1vuio0pswjnm7 2y ago

Works where archive.ph is blocked: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/he-skipped-college-to-become-a-repairman-he-s-on-his-way-to-175-000-a-year/ar-AA1o9nrN https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/he-skipped-college-to-beco... Text-only: https://assets.msn.com/content/view/v2/Detail/en-in/AA1o9nrN https://assets.msn.com/content/view/v2/Detail/en-in/AA1o9nrN