Fischer
May 24th, 2009, 07:14 AM
Over the years, at least the early years, I've had several jobs and a college education. I didn't quite know what I wanted to do with the education, but I was rather sure that I didn't want to be a ditch digger. I wanted to be working with my intellect or rely on salesmanship. This led to work being an office manager, and a bank trainee. At the bank I was hired on a Thursday (the bank created an opening for me), started on Friday, and quit Monday morning. Prior to that I sold men's clothing for 5 years while going through high school and college.
In the meantime (after high school and during college) I bought my first house. It was truly a fixer-uppper, and went to work on that. When I quit the bank, I took on my first contracting job, painting houses. As I became more adept and aware of the building trades, I started an unquenchable thirst for finding out how things worked and came together. I became a voracious reader of all things building, and subsequently became somewhat well versed in most aspects of the building trades. I found it a challenge to learn things unknown and implement them in projects that presented themselves, never entering into a project unless I knew how to accomplish the project.
I find it a wonder how mankind has strayed from their path of being somewhat self-sufficient to being completely dependent on others to take care of their everyday living needs. I've also found that by dissecting the processes of building trades that it transfers everyday life, including biomechanics, sports and sporting goods, camping, climbing and just being able to amble about life in general. So I was pleasantly surprised to read the following article in the New York Times. I thought that some of you might enjoy reading what may have led you into the trades in the first place.
Good luck and remember the first rule of a great contractor: "NEVER BULLS**T"
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/magazine/24labor-t.html?em
In the meantime (after high school and during college) I bought my first house. It was truly a fixer-uppper, and went to work on that. When I quit the bank, I took on my first contracting job, painting houses. As I became more adept and aware of the building trades, I started an unquenchable thirst for finding out how things worked and came together. I became a voracious reader of all things building, and subsequently became somewhat well versed in most aspects of the building trades. I found it a challenge to learn things unknown and implement them in projects that presented themselves, never entering into a project unless I knew how to accomplish the project.
I find it a wonder how mankind has strayed from their path of being somewhat self-sufficient to being completely dependent on others to take care of their everyday living needs. I've also found that by dissecting the processes of building trades that it transfers everyday life, including biomechanics, sports and sporting goods, camping, climbing and just being able to amble about life in general. So I was pleasantly surprised to read the following article in the New York Times. I thought that some of you might enjoy reading what may have led you into the trades in the first place.
Good luck and remember the first rule of a great contractor: "NEVER BULLS**T"
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/magazine/24labor-t.html?em