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My father was a machinist for 25 years and then went into education and training for skilled trades, very much screamed about this for most my life. When I drop
by moribvndvs 2y ago
My father was a machinist for 25 years and then went into education and training for skilled trades, very much screamed about this for most my life. When I dropped out of college, he tried to get me to just enter an apprenticeship for a trade. It’ll be dirty, uncomfortable, sometimes painful, he said, but you’ll leave your work when you go home, and if you’re dedicated and half-good at it, you could eventually have your own business and crew before the physical stuff catches up to you. By then the lack of experienced tradesmen here will have turned into an crisis and I would be in an enviable spot. Here I am, 25 years later, worried I didn’t listen.
Hypothetically, I wonder how viable it is to switch to a vocation like electrician or HVAC in your 40s-50s.
- Loughla 2y agoGo to a community college and get your certifications. The problem is that the wages are way low starting out. That's why young people tend to do it. If you can swing the first three or four years, then start your own business, you'll be good.
- bitwize 2y agoEven as an old man (late 40s)?
- lemonberry 2y agoOld man? You don't have to age like previous generations. I just turned 50 and feel great. Take care of your body and mind, laugh a lot, spend time with good people, and don't let preconceived notions of what aging looks like dictate your future.
- giraffe_lady 2y agoYeah but what do you do for work? You don't have to age like previous generations, but if you work trades for 40 years you definitely will. I don't know about transitioning to hard work in your 40s or later. My background is blue collar but it's telling that I don't know anyone working a skilled trade over 45 who started later than say 30. I don't know any over 45 who would probably say they feel great either.
- SoftTalker 2y agoSpend a day working in a cold crawlspace in 6" of muddy water at age 50 and see how you feel.
- Loughla 2y agoYes
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- ty6853 2y agoThe other hazard trades can be dangerous starting out until you work safely even on automatic when sleepless and zoning out. Learning rough carpentry cost me a broken leg, which healed slowly in my 30s and much worse in your 50s. Larry Haun iirc even broke some bones in his first few years. It's a young man's game, getting over that well enough and fast enough to return to work without going bankrupt.
- bitwize 2y agoMy father is a retired mechanical engineer. About 10 or 12 years back he mentored some engineering students on their senior project. He said they were very smart, but had almost never touched a machine before which both frustrated and baffled him. In his day, engineers learned how to make the kinds of parts they designed because a design is a set of instructions to factory workers on how to make the part. If you knew nothing about tooling, tolerances, etc. you couldn't produce adequate designs, and the most valuable information came from actually working with the machines.
- mitthrowaway2 2y agoIt's probably not their fault. A lot of university engineering programs don't provide students with access to machine shops.
- xyzzy123 2y agoIn 2025 making pancakes at school requires a written risk assessment / safety plan. Health and safety regulation has exploded in the last 40 years and the liability gives administrators heart attacks. Many kids today are not even allowed to use kitchen knives let alone chisels or lathes. It's not the fault of the kids, but the effects are somewhat self-fulfilling - kids who don't get access to even slightly dangerous things while growing up don't develop the skills and awareness they need to work safely as young adults.
- jcgrillo 2y agoI believe the same problem is present in software. The same things that make "physical" tools good are what make computer tools good. If you don't have any experience using physical tools, you won't be easily able to appreciate what using a good tool feels like. I think a lot of the problems in software--buggy, inefficient, over complicated, user hostile crap that most of it is--can be traced back to a misunderstanding of the concept of "creativity" or "innovation" rooted in simply not knowing where the guard rails are.