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General Discussion => WHATEVER => Topic started by: The real veganshawn on December 29, 2020, 09:06:22 AM
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Anyone else work in a blue collar job? Just started unloading freight on a dock, hard but good work.
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I drive a pump truck and service portapotties. Most days my collar is actually blue.
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Yeah, some days are okay, but overall I fucking hate it. Started buying lotto tickets recently. Sometimes I daydream about being able to quit with zero notice and how incredible it would feel. That’s not to say I’d prefer an office job, but if I never set foot on another filthy, cluttered job site I wouldn’t miss it one bit.
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I work for a specialized moving company where we move elderly people into retirement communities. Lots of heavy lifting and I get to drive a big truck, I count that as blue collar. It's funny because business actually picked up quite a bit as soon as the quarantine started for some reason.
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I manage the facilities team for a 1.2 million square foot distribution center. We handle everything in the building and on the grounds. Worst part about my day is the morning management meeting, all the others trying to fluff up their days to sound super busy. My updates are like "we're fucking painting, fixing the bathroom over in that area, snow removal, and your teams broke like 5 forklifts that we'll be fixing. Then we'll stand around till something else breaks"
I'm in my office more than I'd like to be but still manage to walk 10+ miles a day while I'm here, between interior and exterior laps looking for projects we can do around.
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Did shitty jobs in the past, now I'm sitting on my ass all day. It is far more mentally demanding now but I don't miss the factory shit at all.
Hope y'all find something better.
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Was a welder in my early 20s, but now I’m working in a chemical plant as an operator... 8 years almost now.
But yeah wouldn’t mind moving into engineering or something... dcs/board operatoring is too much stress for only a few more dollars an hour. Here at least...
Years of lower back abuse from this craft is starting to rear its ugly head though.
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worked for a guy with a small yard maintenance/handyman company for a while in between "tech" type jobs about 5 years back. driving around in a shitty little truck, sweating my ass off and cutting 25 yards or building a deck from 7am-4pm sounds shitty but i still stand by that being the best shape my brain has ever been in. no cell phone all day, working hard, solving problems, insane amount of exercise and sweat. ive been sitting on my ass for 5 years and i miss it, but i make like 4x per hour and i could never survive long term on that type of pay unless i owned my own little company.
i hear blue collar jobs are going to be in very high demand over the next decade. if i were young i'd strongly consider a trade.
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worked for a guy with a small yard maintenance/handyman company for a while in between "tech" type jobs about 5 years back. driving around in a shitty little truck, sweating my ass off and cutting 25 yards or building a deck from 7am-4pm sounds shitty but i still stand by that being the best shape my brain has ever been in. no cell phone all day, working hard, solving problems, insane amount of exercise and sweat. ive been sitting on my ass for 5 years and i miss it, but i make like 4x per hour and i could never survive long term on that type of pay unless i owned my own little company.
i hear blue collar jobs are going to be in very high demand over the next decade. if i were young i'd strongly consider a trade.
I back this, I worked in logistics as a freight broker for about four years, and I made some pretty good money. But sitting at a desk all day getting stressed over shit you can’t control is not a way to live. I quit that job and got another sales job and was fired after about 3 months and decided to go to truck driving school.
Best decision I’ve made in terms of my career. It’s so easy to get a job if you have a cdl it’s laughable. You can quit one job and get hired by another on your drive home. And it’s good money. With a cdl you’re guaranteed about a grand a week.
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im an aristocrat and socialite. i breed racehorses and compete in sartorial competitions.
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nah im stuck workin like its the 1920s just like all yall fools
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went from doing farm work to working in schools. While working with kids was great, being inside all day, under fluorescent lights left me feeling awful and in poor physical condition. I quit that after a while and went back to the farm but my body was thrashed from the sedentary life of working in a school and it caught up with me so I figured physical work was a wrap. So I started working on an MSW degree, which is cool and all, but doing therapy with folks is a desk sorta gig. After a lot of rehabilitation the body is on point and I'm doing odd work on the side, digging holes, building shit, learning to do some auto mechanics. I'm going to finish the degree but am already contemplating a solar certification upon completion. It's a way to make good dough, work for myself, and use the solar knowledge to fuel my home and projects.
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I too am in Facilities Management.
If you have any desire working with your hands I highly recommend working the shitty/fun jobs till you build some experience and then get yourself a government job in Facilities Management.
Imagine never having to worry about how you are going to make money after 60 because of your pension
Moving boxes can quickly turn into a $100k+ government job in procurement with a retirement plan
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I too am in Facilities Management.
If you have any desire working with your hands I highly recommend working the shitty/fun jobs till you build some experience and then get yourself a government job in Facilities Management.
Imagine never having to worry about how you are going to make money after 60 because of your pension
Moving boxes can quickly turn into a $100k+ government job in procurement with a retirement plan
This amazing. If anyone can tell me how to parlay being a letter carrier to a better government job, I'm all ears.
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I too am in Facilities Management.
If you have any desire working with your hands I highly recommend working the shitty/fun jobs till you build some experience and then get yourself a government job in Facilities Management.
Imagine never having to worry about how you are going to make money after 60 because of your pension
Moving boxes can quickly turn into a $100k+ government job in procurement with a retirement plan
can't say it's a better job but my aunts husband was a postal maintenance worker. Dude drove around picking up mailboxes that needed to be painted and retired at 55 or so. I'm not saying it's ok, but he definitely acquired multiple off duty DUIs during this period, was able to keep his job and has a pretty legit pension lined up. Dude worked regular hours and had weekends/holidays off. might be worth checking out since you're already in the system.
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Ive been doing landscaping/garden maintenence for the past 11 years.... did my trade 21 to 25 and since then have been working qualified...its nice somedays, other days its just a paycheque
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I too am in Facilities Management.
If you have any desire working with your hands I highly recommend working the shitty/fun jobs till you build some experience and then get yourself a government job in Facilities Management.
Imagine never having to worry about how you are going to make money after 60 because of your pension
Moving boxes can quickly turn into a $100k+ government job in procurement with a retirement plan
I should have mentioned that I'm in California where a 100k job might be a 60-80k job somewhere else
First you have to watch this video or read the book
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5o-hnbvMYcM
The way through government is to get your foot in. Being a letter carrier you can easily get a shipping a receiving job for any State, City or Authority
Once you show that you arrive to work on time everyday with no call ins, you're likable and prove yourself as a valued employee you can apply for the next promotion
HR almost always puts in the words "with equivalent experience" in most jobs application, that's how they say we'll promote you if we like you and that's how you get around not having a degree. If you go to school (that they will pay for) even better.
If they don't like you then move onto the next job. If you stay 3-5 to 10 years (depending on the job or place) you get vested into their retirement planned are guaranteed some money at age 65
Governments like to hire people with government experience
A shipping receiving job at my work could easily turn into a purchaser job in 5 years and that's how you go from 70k to 100k. But first you've got to get your foot in the door
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When I started this account, I was a custodian at an elementary school. Loved that job. I worked the evening shift so only saw students for the first couple of hours. I got along great with the principal, most teachers, staff, and especially my fellow custodian who handled the back part of the school. During this time, I was also wrapping up school (University). They knew I would move on once I was done with school, since my background was working with individuals with intellectual disabilities and that's what I wanted to do for a living (Social Work). Job was definitely physically draining but helped with keeping me in shape. I walked so much while carrying around a vacuum in the form of a backpack for the first couple of hours of the shift. I cleaned about 20 classrooms, some offices, staff restrooms, and two sets of kindergarten restrooms. Kinder classrooms were the worst but can't complain, kept me busy. Hardly any time to slack off. My boss left me alone and I probably saw him about five times in the two years I worked there. I let my work do the talking and I took pride in cleaning the hell out of those classrooms. Made some great friends that I still keep in touch with. Most students were great and often followed me around since I was the "skater" custodian. I didn't wear a uniform but dressed comfortably, often with skate related hats (Brixton, Thrasher, DLX brands, etc.). I also schooled the older kids in tech deck. I miss that job, great pay, but am happy doing social work now. Office setting (currently working from home), excellent pay, benefits, but mentally draining.
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When I started this account, I was a custodian at an elementary school. Loved that job. I worked the evening shift so only saw students for the first couple of hours. I got along great with the principal, most teachers, staff, and especially my fellow custodian who handled the back part of the school. During this time, I was also wrapping up school (University). They knew I would move on once I was done with school, since my background was working with individuals with intellectual disabilities and that's what I wanted to do for a living (Social Work). Job was definitely physically draining but helped with keeping me in shape. I walked so much while carrying around a vacuum in the form of a backpack for the first couple of hours of the shift. I cleaned about 20 classrooms, some offices, staff restrooms, and two sets of kindergarten restrooms. Kinder classrooms were the worst but can't complain, kept me busy. Hardly any time to slack off. My boss left me alone and I probably saw him about five times in the two years I worked there. I let my work do the talking and I took pride in cleaning the hell out of those classrooms. Made some great friends that I still keep in touch with. Most students were great and often followed me around since I was the "skater" custodian. I didn't wear a uniform but dressed comfortably, often with skate related hats (Brixton, Thrasher, DLX brands, etc.). I also schooled the older kids in tech deck. I miss that job, great pay, but am happy doing social work now. Office setting (currently working from home), excellent pay, benefits, but mentally draining.
Ha you just described my life!
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Union plumber. Started 4 years ago at 27 doing plumbing, heating and ac. Went union in October. Only regrets are not starting a trade sooner and not going union sooner.
I did almost 4 years of college while living at home and working near part time while never once whiffing a desire to work behind a desk (I know that’s not all college is about) and never found anything in school interesting. Got good grades, never chose a major or got a degree.
Learned more about business by tending/managing a bar than any class, and my patrons always made better teachers whether they knew it or not. Tried to open a grab and go breakfast spot but couldn’t get a location I wanted so I went to work for a cousin I barely knew who was a master plumber for a medium size company.
Almost died of heat stroke changing acs in attics for elderly people. Worked in freezing dark basements doing steam boilers and worked in crawl spaces to cut out shit pipes and the like. Long days followed by night classes in winter to go towards getting my license. Those were the hardest days of course, in the union it’s mostly new construction now.
I fucking love working hard and going to bed tired. My shower is always filthy. My knees are more calloused than a blowjob joke. I genuinely believe that my work protects the health of the nation and I’m always learning something new. I cannot recommend trades enough for anyone young or old. Without them we’d literally be living in the stone ages and I would personally still be looking for fulfillment
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That’s rad but aren’t all the old plumbers basically cripples?
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Union plumber. Started 4 years ago at 27 doing plumbing, heating and ac. Went union in October. Only regrets are not starting a trade sooner and not going union sooner.
I did almost 4 years of college while living at home and working near part time while never once whiffing a desire to work behind a desk (I know that’s not all college is about) and never found anything in school interesting. Got good grades, never chose a major or got a degree.
Learned more about business by tending/managing a bar than any class, and my patrons always made better teachers whether they knew it or not. Tried to open a grab and go breakfast spot but couldn’t get a location I wanted so I went to work for a cousin I barely knew who was a master plumber for a medium size company.
Almost died of heat stroke changing acs in attics for elderly people. Worked in freezing dark basements doing steam boilers and worked in crawl spaces to cut out shit pipes and the like. Long days followed by night classes in winter to go towards getting my license. Those were the hardest days of course, in the union it’s mostly new construction now.
I fucking love working hard and going to bed tired. My shower is always filthy. My knees are more calloused than a blowjob joke. I genuinely believe that my work protects the health of the nation and I’m always learning something new. I cannot recommend trades enough for anyone young or old. Without them we’d literally be living in the stone ages and I would personally still be looking for fulfillment
hell yeah brother
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I worked in manufacturing while I was in grad school. My job consisted of operating a laser that etched the foam rubber inserts of pushstamps. I would sometimes ink the stamps if someone was out.
I enjoyed all the shit talking and wearing dickies 24/7, but the pay was fucking terrible.
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worked for a guy with a small yard maintenance/handyman company for a while in between "tech" type jobs about 5 years back. driving around in a shitty little truck, sweating my ass off and cutting 25 yards or building a deck from 7am-4pm sounds shitty but i still stand by that being the best shape my brain has ever been in. no cell phone all day, working hard, solving problems, insane amount of exercise and sweat. ive been sitting on my ass for 5 years and i miss it, but i make like 4x per hour and i could never survive long term on that type of pay unless i owned my own little company.
i hear blue collar jobs are going to be in very high demand over the next decade. if i were young i'd strongly consider a trade.
I back this, I worked in logistics as a freight broker for about four years, and I made some pretty good money. But sitting at a desk all day getting stressed over shit you can’t control is not a way to live. I quit that job and got another sales job and was fired after about 3 months and decided to go to truck driving school.
Best decision I’ve made in terms of my career. It’s so easy to get a job if you have a cdl it’s laughable. You can quit one job and get hired by another on your drive home. And it’s good money. With a cdl you’re guaranteed about a grand a week.
I got a buddy that does hot shot driving... he’s home super early everyday... and I think he’s even breeding dogs (or was) with his spare time. So i def see what you’re saying.
I did groundskeeper work in between jobs about a decade ago. That was a fun gig... i regret not retaining all of that knowledge being a homeowner now though. Especially with lawn care.
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That’s rad but aren’t all the old plumbers basically cripples?
Haha absolutely. Those guys are legends, we do everything we can to help the older guys on our jobs. Times are changing though, technology has changed the game for materials we use like PVC instead of cast iron. PPE is everywhere and often mandatory. And as a union member we get safety training and equipment and the best health insurance in the country.
I love being hands but I’ve had foreman-like roles already in my young career and my goal is to turn more towards specialty and design so I get to do more problem solving because thats what I enjoy. Wrenching gas pipe all day is as good as any workout I’ve ever had though!
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went from doing farm work to working in schools. While working with kids was great, being inside all day, under fluorescent lights left me feeling awful and in poor physical condition. I quit that after a while and went back to the farm but my body was thrashed from the sedentary life of working in a school and it caught up with me so I figured physical work was a wrap. So I started working on an MSW degree, which is cool and all, but doing therapy with folks is a desk sorta gig. After a lot of rehabilitation the body is on point and I'm doing odd work on the side, digging holes, building shit, learning to do some auto mechanics. I'm going to finish the degree but am already contemplating a solar certification upon completion. It's a way to make good dough, work for myself, and use the solar knowledge to fuel my home and projects.
Funny you say that about being inside under florescent lights compared to being outside and more active. It definitely makes a difference, even just the small muscle stretches whenever possible helped so much to get up and then get out to do more than just sit at a desk.
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I went to welding school a few years ago and did it professionally four about 4 years. I left to return to school to pursue a design degree. I ended up realizing that was not for me. I start Diesel mechanic school here in March and I can't be more stoked. Working with your hands is awesome, being tired after work because you were using your body instead of me being tired from sitting in a chair all day is a no brainer.
Also the shit talking and cool folks I met in weld shops and garages have been some of the funniest and nicest people I have ever worked with.
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I went to welding school a few years ago and did it professionally four about 4 years. I left to return to school to pursue a design degree. I ended up realizing that was not for me. I start Diesel mechanic school here in March and I can't be more stoked. Working with your hands is awesome, being tired after work because you were using your body instead of me being tired from sitting in a chair all day is a no brainer.
Also the shit talking and cool folks I met in weld shops and garages have been some of the funniest and nicest people I have ever worked with.
Welding looks like an absolute blast. Obviously much different but I enjoy the shit out of a good braze or solder joint. I plan on taking a welding class next year, any sage advice?
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I went to welding school a few years ago and did it professionally four about 4 years. I left to return to school to pursue a design degree. I ended up realizing that was not for me. I start Diesel mechanic school here in March and I can't be more stoked. Working with your hands is awesome, being tired after work because you were using your body instead of me being tired from sitting in a chair all day is a no brainer.
Also the shit talking and cool folks I met in weld shops and garages have been some of the funniest and nicest people I have ever worked with.
Welding looks like an absolute blast. Obviously much different but I enjoy the shit out of a good braze or solder joint. I plan on taking a welding class next year, any sage advice?
Heat management
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I do landscaping. My legs are in bits.
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Ski hill. A bit of everything from snowmaking to grooming to diesel mechanics to 24v controls. Wouldn’t trade it for the world.
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I went to welding school a few years ago and did it professionally four about 4 years. I left to return to school to pursue a design degree. I ended up realizing that was not for me. I start Diesel mechanic school here in March and I can't be more stoked. Working with your hands is awesome, being tired after work because you were using your body instead of me being tired from sitting in a chair all day is a no brainer.
Also the shit talking and cool folks I met in weld shops and garages have been some of the funniest and nicest people I have ever worked with.
Welding looks like an absolute blast. Obviously much different but I enjoy the shit out of a good braze or solder joint. I plan on taking a welding class next year, any sage advice?
Its pretty fun if you get into a good shop. Welding is nice because you show up for an interview and they make you weld. You either do it or you don't.
Some advice, don't pay attention to getting certified, a lot of people push it super hard but I worked in all sorts of shops. Ranging from building food trucks to military contractor gigs and I never had to have a current cert to get hired. Get a good hood, get a nice respirator and take care of yourself. A lot of older welders can be bullies about wearing PPE but fuck those dudes, theres a reason their bodies are ruined. I got called all sorts of names for wearing mine but I could breathe at the end of the day.
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Been doing sheet metal fab for hvac companies for 13 years, got serious into TIG welding last year so that's bumped me up in all the other wacky shit we do in the shop like build motorcycle race frames,boat gas tanks, and ornamental stuff. Not certified in shit, but experienced
Gary Gloverberg- patience while you learn will get you farther than getting pissed. Heat input and whatnot is taught in schools so you'll figure the tech stuff out.
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Tiler and waterproofer, done a bunch of high rises in brisbane and quite a few houses that were in magazines and online articles and a whole bunch that weren’t
I am used to it and on the houses sometimes you’d be near a good park so I would always fuck of for long lunches and have a roll
But when I go on holidays or stop for a couple weeks coming back I get sore for a few days, it’s like you lose the conditioning
Defz use my head too though with setouts etc, have to be quite precise with most shit and sometimes the stone’s hella expensive and the grains gotta match up so I can’t cut one wrong
Sometimes it’s an arse puckering experience haha
Got to do some stuff I thought was pretty cool, like tiling the outside of a hotel on a 30m boom, done some cool exterior mechanical fixing too and rope access inspections of shit
Even just going up a tower in an alimak is pretty rad
You can probably do way cooler shit in other trades though, many of my mates are sparkies and had great times out west in the mines but all careers are what you make of them I guess
I do wish got to use more tools that were gun shaped but wrong trade
I am unsure if I would recommend it, I don’t mind it but I have tried to throw unemployed mates just random days here and there just moving shit around and helping out, decent money but nobody ever comes back
Not that I’m some fucking hero or anything at all but I reckon you’d have to be genuinely interested in it
But I reckon it’s a good trade
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Is a call center classed as blue collar?
I know in Australia we refer to ourselves as the "Ditch diggers" or "Shit kickers" of the organization.
It's literally all I've done since maybe 18 and I'm 42 now.
Sad to say but I'm actually pretty good at it.
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Tiler and waterproofer, done a bunch of high rises in brisbane and quite a few houses that were in magazines and online articles and a whole bunch that weren’t
I am used to it and on the houses sometimes you’d be near a good park so I would always fuck of for long lunches and have a roll
But when I go on holidays or stop for a couple weeks coming back I get sore for a few days, it’s like you lose the conditioning
Defz use my head too though with setouts etc, have to be quite precise with most shit and sometimes the stone’s hella expensive and the grains gotta match up so I can’t cut one wrong
Sometimes it’s an arse puckering experience haha
Got to do some stuff I thought was pretty cool, like tiling the outside of a hotel on a 30m boom, done some cool exterior mechanical fixing too and rope access inspections of shit
Even just going up a tower in an alimak is pretty rad
You can probably do way cooler shit in other trades though, many of my mates are sparkies and had great times out west in the mines but all careers are what you make of them I guess
I do wish got to use more tools that were gun shaped but wrong trade
I am unsure if I would recommend it, I don’t mind it but I have tried to throw unemployed mates just random days here and there just moving shit around and helping out, decent money but nobody ever comes back
Not that I’m some fucking hero or anything at all but I reckon you’d have to be genuinely interested in it
But I reckon it’s a good trade
Whats the average pay hour in that trade? Before i got into landscaping i was thinking about getting into tiling but never found a company that was looking to take on an apprentice, waterproofing sounds pretty cool
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Is a call center classed as blue collar?
I know in Australia we refer to ourselves as the "Ditch diggers" or "Shit kickers" of the organization.
It's literally all I've done since maybe 18 and I'm 42 now.
Sad to say but I'm actually pretty good at it.
holy shit man how? You must be good, i heard the turnover in call centres are quite high... My girlfriend worked in a call centre for a few weeks and she said it was the worst most stressful job shes ever had, constanty battling to keep your job, she has 4 good days in a row then one bad day and they said she would be fired unless she turned it around. Sounded toxic as fuck, glad she got out of there.
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You can probably do way cooler shit in other trades though, many of my mates are sparkies and had great times out west in the mines but all careers are what you make of them I guess
I'm a sparkie and been doing this sort of thing for the last 7 years, and its great times. Maybe not for everyone cause you usually work 10+ hour days for up to 21 days straight. But then you get a whole week off and you make a tonne of cash. Only downside is being away from missus and kids.
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I'm sort of at the other end of this. Been working in content marketing for the past 6 years for several companies selling different IT tools. In 6 years I went from making 40k to about 100, but my heart was never in it, and to make more I'd have to move into management, which is a very political job in the marketing departments I've been a part of.
Now I've been laid off, and I'm taking this as an opportunity to reconsider my career path. Thinking back, I've been happiest in my worklife doing manual labor with tangible results. Painting, cooking, and screen printing were all great jobs. Unfortunately, none of them paid even remotely near what I was making at my last job.
I've been looking into the trades for something that pays decently and will (hopefully) give me a sense of fulfillment. So far I've been leaning towards electrician. Unfortunately, the local union (Boston) is not taking any new apprentices until November 2021 at the soonest, and I can't be unemployed for that long.
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Is a call center classed as blue collar?
I know in Australia we refer to ourselves as the "Ditch diggers" or "Shit kickers" of the organization.
It's literally all I've done since maybe 18 and I'm 42 now.
Sad to say but I'm actually pretty good at it.
holy shit man how? You must be good, i heard the turnover in call centres are quite high... My girlfriend worked in a call centre for a few weeks and she said it was the worst most stressful job shes ever had, constanty battling to keep your job, she has 4 good days in a row then one bad day and they said she would be fired unless she turned it around. Sounded toxic as fuck, glad she got out of there.
I know from a couple of different postions / companies that things can be vastly different and some are actually pretty good to be in, just not the sales type of call centres, where you have to make outgoing calls, but the incoming calls place I worked in for a while was pretty good until it was closed and outsourced, but that was more than twenty years ago now.
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Whats the average pay hour in that trade? Before i got into landscaping i was thinking about getting into tiling but never found a company that was looking to take on an apprentice, waterproofing sounds pretty cool
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Honestly it depends, I just did a bathroom for a good mate for 50 hour cash and he supplied everything, he is in industry and was pretty happy with price, working for a company it depends, high rise was about 2100 for 36 hours and heaps more with overtime and holidays and rdos too but that is eba rate
I only really know about commercial wages but companies pay 35-50 hour casual or subby or anywhere from 35-300 a metre just depends on the work involved, with meterage the cheaper end being more basic so quicker and the more expensive shit being complicated or particularly heavy so taking longer, often works out fairly similar per hour
Can get significantly more on own jobs but there is a fair bit of competition, chasing work and sometimes waiting to be paid can be pain in arse too. Even before I lost licence I didn’t chase work all the time I like to go to the beach a lot and honestly you need a couple hundred grand spare for wages and materials to run a gang and properly compete on the right jobs. There’s heaps of cunts on gumtree and hipages who will do a lot of stuff for fuck all, too hard to compete in a lot of smaller bathrooms
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Waterproofing’s chill, yeah but can get a bit messy sometimes
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There’s heaps of cunts on gumtree and hipages who will do a lot of stuff for fuck all, too hard to compete in a lot of smaller bathrooms
The electrical industry is going the same way, tradies out there doing jobs for fuck all, ruining it for everyone, and doing sub-par work most of the time. EBA jobs are the way to go, its just getting harder and harder to get on em.
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worked sales for years, satisfying in many ways but ultimately too taxing mentally. quit and went blue collar, felt like a different person. not taking my work home with me and not thinking about work unless you’re there is amazing. been washing dishes at a chain restaurant for 9 years now.
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I've worked in an office for 5 years now, but I used to weld. I could never go back. It's not even that hot up here, but I couldn't stand 8 hours of summer heat in leathers, facemask, etc. If I were to go back I would probably want to do it 3rd shift solely for the cooler temperatures.
As I age too, I'm really glad I don't do that anymore. I used to enjoy the tired feeling after work, but I know my body wouldn't be able to handle it for years to come. I'd rather put in 8 hours in an office and hit the gym for 45 minutes after.
The last thing is, I got out of this before Trump won. I think I'd want to kill all my co-workers if I were to go back. If I were to get back into the trades, I'd probably opt for electrician work.
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Is a call center classed as blue collar?
I know in Australia we refer to ourselves as the "Ditch diggers" or "Shit kickers" of the organization.
It's literally all I've done since maybe 18 and I'm 42 now.
Sad to say but I'm actually pretty good at it.
holy shit man how? You must be good, i heard the turnover in call centres are quite high... My girlfriend worked in a call centre for a few weeks and she said it was the worst most stressful job shes ever had, constanty battling to keep your job, she has 4 good days in a row then one bad day and they said she would be fired unless she turned it around. Sounded toxic as fuck, glad she got out of there.
I know from a couple of different postions / companies that things can be vastly different and some are actually pretty good to be in, just not the sales type of call centres, where you have to make outgoing calls, but the incoming calls place I worked in for a while was pretty good until it was closed and outsourced, but that was more than twenty years ago now.
I tend to stay away from outbound sales roles although I've done some zingers (lottery tickets, mobile plans, solar powered aircon units that don't work).
What you want is inbound customer service, they're usually the easiest. Plus after you've done a few places you get an idea for the different systems.
The place I work now is all internal so there's literally no public just nurses and cleaners so it's pretty chill but yea, outbound sales is the killer.
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Man I worked for Telstra I think almost straight out of high school, not for very long and I didn’t really know better but it was a bit of a gravy train looking back
ex worked in ato call centre too, I reckon inbound stuff for decent companies is a decent job for sure
I did have a go at outbound sales a little later just needed a job at the time and did that for maybe three months and yeah it was pretty depraved, there were a bunch of psychopaths there
The electrical industry is going the same way, tradies out there doing jobs for fuck all, ruining it for everyone, and doing sub-par work most of the time. EBA jobs are the way to go, its just getting harder and harder to get on em.
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Yeah mate often people have weird ideas about what stuff ought to cost but its legit not viable working for a few hundred a day on own jobs, I probably could have tried harder before lost licence but I was trying to do all own work for a bit and I would try book myself solid and do some stuff cheap just to stay busy and you cut corners for sure but at the end of it often when you take out tax and expenses, like all of em, insurance, licencing, vehicle and tool costs I would have made more working for someone else those weeks, bit pointless
Probably like this for lots of people in lots of trades
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I’m the safety guy, which is WAY more than just telling people to put in their earplugs and not to do dumb shit. I love it because my boss leaves me alone to do my job. It can suck sometimes because people suck and make stuff way harder than it needs to be...and I hear a lot of whining.
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I’m the safety guy, which is WAY more than just telling people to put in their earplugs and not to do dumb shit. I love it because my boss leaves me alone to do my job. It can suck sometimes because people suck and make stuff way harder than it needs to be...and I hear a lot of whining.
In their defense, this ppe is too hot and I can’t see when I wear safety glasses. I’m super careful and never get anything in my eyes. I can just shut them when something comes flying at me.
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I used to work blue collar jobs, then I realized it payed more to just dress up like one on Friday and Saturday nights. Less aches and pains but my ass kinda gets sore from cougars slapping on it.
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I'm an electro-mechanical technician in a big furniture factory. I fix and program machinery all day and I fucking love it.
I started as a day labourer operating machinery after 15 years in retail, kind of enjoyed it and started moving up. They saw I learned quickly and was a good problem finder/solver, so I became an apprentice under one of the mechanics. That went well and in Jan '19 they asked me if I was interested in going to trade school in order to become a certified electro-mechanical technician, as they only had 2 and needed an extra one. Turns out they're kinda hard to find and machinery is becoming more and more complex, so they paid me my full operator salary to go to trade school for a year, and once my course was over, I started as an electro-mechanical technician and my salary more than doubled. I work directly under the head engineer. Took me 3 years to get there, and this was supposed to be a temporary job so I could find something better in retail. I'm so glad I never went back to retail.
I used to shit on factory jobs, but after 15 years in retail, I can gladly say I wouldn't want to work anywhere else, I actually enjoy going to work. The conditions are second to none and I have nothing to complain about.
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I’m the safety guy, which is WAY more than just telling people to put in their earplugs and not to do dumb shit. I love it because my boss leaves me alone to do my job. It can suck sometimes because people suck and make stuff way harder than it needs to be...and I hear a lot of whining.
In their defense, this ppe is too hot and I can’t see when I wear safety glasses. I’m super careful and never get anything in my eyes. I can just shut them when something comes flying at me.
I let them pick their PPE. Can’t complain after that.
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I drive one of these and its a lot of fun. Especially backing up to shovels and dozers, feels like a big video game
(https://www.komatsu.com.au/getattachment/7ddfa113-cebe-4c57-aa3b-93a8d50a07d3/Simple-and-Reliable-Hydraulic-System)
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I was a dock hand for a few years. It was pretty fun. I learned how to tie a cleat with one hand so I could do two at a time(one with each hand) at the gas dock. That was a sure fire way to get a good tip. I once tied up Eric Clapton’s boat. I didn’t get to meet him but his captain was cool. Another time I watch a new dock hand not properly seal the septic pump and get covered in shit when it popped off. I work in IT at a school now. I can’t complain. Not as exciting but not bad.
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Ive been doing landscaping/garden maintenence for the past 11 years.... did my trade 21 to 25 and since then have been working qualified...its nice somedays, other days its just a paycheque
Me too man. I like it but the weather can really suck in Ireland.
Money ain't amazing either. I used to do tech sales for Oracle, Salesforce and a few others for years and make way more but I was miserable.
Where are you doing it ?
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I worked in a warehouse from 15-21, then painted condos for a year. After that I had my own landscaping business until I was 32. From 32 until 36, I worked in another warehouse (mostly forklift stuff). 37 and 38 I was an inventory controller, which was (to me) in between blue and white collar, as I still physically did stuff, but a lot of data entry also. Warehouse / inventory control again from 38-41. 41-current: I am an office manager. Financially a good move, but I don't like the office life at all. Not a fan of the ass kissing and backstabbing in this world. I have told my wife that once we pay off the house, I would like to go back to the blue collar world. I find the hard work way more satisfactory and I like physically doing things soooo much more than computers.
When I did landscaping, it was hard work. Usually 7 days a week for 9 months of the year but I was off all winter. I enjoyed that a lot. I tried to get back into it at 38 but my body could not take the wear and tear of that, pretty disappointing! (38 was when I started noticing that my injuries were getting me back). Driving the forklifts and stacking heavy shit, I still enjoy though. I sometimes run to the back and help out, for fun. Like the vibes. When I was the warehouse boss here, I would blast Op Ivy, Slayer, Public Enemy back there and we would slay orders. Good times.
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I worked in a warehouse from 15-21, then painted condos for a year. After that I had my own landscaping business until I was 32. From 32 until 36, I worked in another warehouse (mostly forklift stuff). 37 and 38 I was an inventory controller, which was (to me) in between blue and white collar, as I still physically did stuff, but a lot of data entry also. Warehouse / inventory control again from 38-41. 41-current: I am an office manager. Financially a good move, but I don't like the office life at all. Not a fan of the ass kissing and backstabbing in this world. I have told my wife that once we pay off the house, I would like to go back to the blue collar world. I find the hard work way more satisfactory and I like physically doing things soooo much more than computers.
When I did landscaping, it was hard work. Usually 7 days a week for 9 months of the year but I was off all winter. I enjoyed that a lot. I tried to get back into it at 38 but my body could not take the wear and tear of that, pretty disappointing! (38 was when I started noticing that my injuries were getting me back). Driving the forklifts and stacking heavy shit, I still enjoy though. I sometimes run to the back and help out, for fun. Like the vibes. When I was the warehouse boss here, I would blast Op Ivy, Slayer, Public Enemy back there and we would slay orders. Good times.
Interesting reading man. I'm 34.. im working for someone landscaping now at the moment but want to go out on my own. But I am scared that it's a young man's game and if I invest too much in it... It could bite me in the ass. Could see myself doing serious injury by 40 doing this landscaping and skating.
Yeah that's why I left the office world. It sucks any individualism and character out of you. Constantly playing the game gets so exhausting mentally. You can never just be yourself. It's just not for me.
Your US ain't ya? I'm in Ireland. I wonder what the difference in landscaping money is between here and there. It's not great here.
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I worked in a warehouse from 15-21, then painted condos for a year. After that I had my own landscaping business until I was 32. From 32 until 36, I worked in another warehouse (mostly forklift stuff). 37 and 38 I was an inventory controller, which was (to me) in between blue and white collar, as I still physically did stuff, but a lot of data entry also. Warehouse / inventory control again from 38-41. 41-current: I am an office manager. Financially a good move, but I don't like the office life at all. Not a fan of the ass kissing and backstabbing in this world. I have told my wife that once we pay off the house, I would like to go back to the blue collar world. I find the hard work way more satisfactory and I like physically doing things soooo much more than computers.
When I did landscaping, it was hard work. Usually 7 days a week for 9 months of the year but I was off all winter. I enjoyed that a lot. I tried to get back into it at 38 but my body could not take the wear and tear of that, pretty disappointing! (38 was when I started noticing that my injuries were getting me back). Driving the forklifts and stacking heavy shit, I still enjoy though. I sometimes run to the back and help out, for fun. Like the vibes. When I was the warehouse boss here, I would blast Op Ivy, Slayer, Public Enemy back there and we would slay orders. Good times.
Just out of interest, while you were landscaping (and even now to be honest) how was your garden?
I only ask as my garden is a constant thing and I've spoken to a few landscapers who always joke that their gardens are shitholes in the same way that "most mechanics drive shitboxes as who wants to spend all day working on cars and then go home to more work".
I spoke to maybe 2 or 3 landscapers who always joked their gardens were pretty bad.
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I worked in a warehouse from 15-21, then painted condos for a year. After that I had my own landscaping business until I was 32. From 32 until 36, I worked in another warehouse (mostly forklift stuff). 37 and 38 I was an inventory controller, which was (to me) in between blue and white collar, as I still physically did stuff, but a lot of data entry also. Warehouse / inventory control again from 38-41. 41-current: I am an office manager. Financially a good move, but I don't like the office life at all. Not a fan of the ass kissing and backstabbing in this world. I have told my wife that once we pay off the house, I would like to go back to the blue collar world. I find the hard work way more satisfactory and I like physically doing things soooo much more than computers.
When I did landscaping, it was hard work. Usually 7 days a week for 9 months of the year but I was off all winter. I enjoyed that a lot. I tried to get back into it at 38 but my body could not take the wear and tear of that, pretty disappointing! (38 was when I started noticing that my injuries were getting me back). Driving the forklifts and stacking heavy shit, I still enjoy though. I sometimes run to the back and help out, for fun. Like the vibes. When I was the warehouse boss here, I would blast Op Ivy, Slayer, Public Enemy back there and we would slay orders. Good times.
Interesting reading man. I'm 34.. im working for someone landscaping now at the moment but want to go out on my own. But I am scared that it's a young man's game and if I invest too much in it... It could bite me in the ass. Could see myself doing serious injury by 40 doing this landscaping and skating.
Yeah that's why I left the office world. It sucks any individualism and character out of you. Constantly playing the game gets so exhausting mentally. You can never just be yourself. It's just not for me.
Your US ain't ya? I'm in Ireland. I wonder what the difference in landscaping money is between here and there. It's not great here.
I did it mostly from 22-32, but I was still skating stairs and shit so I was messing myself up all over the place too. If you play it right, you basically be the boss (scheduling, quotes, supervising) and help on the easier stuff. I had a pretty good thing going but I moved and left the biz behind. Office world is wack, I'm lucky because I have 2 office employees here that are secretly also pretty cool, so we have a little clique that no one knows about.
It was o-k money here, hence working 7 days a week. Worked my ass off for 9 months so I could afford to sit around all winter. Plus my life was LOW maintenance then (had no wife or kid, so it was: rent, utilities, food, gas, cigs, board and shoes). Stuff has changed since my time (here that is). Yes, US!
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I worked in a warehouse from 15-21, then painted condos for a year. After that I had my own landscaping business until I was 32. From 32 until 36, I worked in another warehouse (mostly forklift stuff). 37 and 38 I was an inventory controller, which was (to me) in between blue and white collar, as I still physically did stuff, but a lot of data entry also. Warehouse / inventory control again from 38-41. 41-current: I am an office manager. Financially a good move, but I don't like the office life at all. Not a fan of the ass kissing and backstabbing in this world. I have told my wife that once we pay off the house, I would like to go back to the blue collar world. I find the hard work way more satisfactory and I like physically doing things soooo much more than computers.
When I did landscaping, it was hard work. Usually 7 days a week for 9 months of the year but I was off all winter. I enjoyed that a lot. I tried to get back into it at 38 but my body could not take the wear and tear of that, pretty disappointing! (38 was when I started noticing that my injuries were getting me back). Driving the forklifts and stacking heavy shit, I still enjoy though. I sometimes run to the back and help out, for fun. Like the vibes. When I was the warehouse boss here, I would blast Op Ivy, Slayer, Public Enemy back there and we would slay orders. Good times.
Just out of interest, while you were landscaping (and even now to be honest) how was your garden?
I only ask as my garden is a constant thing and I've spoken to a few landscapers who always joke that their gardens are shitholes in the same way that "most mechanics drive shitboxes as who wants to spend all day working on cars and then go home to more work".
I spoke to maybe 2 or 3 landscapers who always joked their gardens were pretty bad.
That's funny, because yeah my yard was shit and I basically killed my own garden. Wasn't getting paid for it, so 0 effort. BUT now... my current house, yard and garden looking good even during winter, lol
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You go to a plumbers house and all the faucets are dripping. Mechanics always have the shittiest cars. Painter's houses are all putty and primer. Carpenter's house is always halfway finished. Extension cords all over an electrician's house
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Ive been doing landscaping/garden maintenence for the past 11 years.... did my trade 21 to 25 and since then have been working qualified...its nice somedays, other days its just a paycheque
Me too man. I like it but the weather can really suck in Ireland.
Money ain't amazing either. I used to do tech sales for Oracle, Salesforce and a few others for years and make way more but I was miserable.
Where are you doing it ?
Australia, i get to melt in the summer time haha but its not too bad, if it gets too hot my company is pretty good with letting us chill it out
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Ive been doing landscaping/garden maintenence for the past 11 years.... did my trade 21 to 25 and since then have been working qualified...its nice somedays, other days its just a paycheque
Me too man. I like it but the weather can really suck in Ireland.
Money ain't amazing either. I used to do tech sales for Oracle, Salesforce and a few others for years and make way more but I was miserable.
Where are you doing it ?
Australia, i get to melt in the summer time haha but its not too bad, if it gets too hot my company is pretty good with letting us chill it out
I know the feeling. I used to do roofing in Darwin.
I've never felt the heat... Like the heat on those roofs.. fuck me it was hot.
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I work in a warehouse at an electric supply company. Shipping/receiving, fork lift, all that. I really like it. It can get hectic and all but it's good pay. The owner used to skate so he built this insane skatepark upstairs. Unfortunately no one ever skates it because it's right above the sales office and they hate how loud it is. The Bowl is sick though.
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i used to work at a wood shop building sets for photoshoots and installing them for almost no money. Did that for about 4 years and then i figured out how to transition to being the person that gets the sets made for companies, which is a prop stylist, and now i have transitioned into producing photoshoots. Kind of funny how it worked out.
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I work in a warehouse at an electric supply company. Shipping/receiving, fork lift, all that. I really like it. It can get hectic and all but it's good pay. The owner used to skate so he built this insane skatepark upstairs. Unfortunately no one ever skates it because it's right above the sales office and they hate how loud it is. The Bowl is sick though.
that sounds sick, got any pics of the skatepark?
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Ive been doing landscaping/garden maintenence for the past 11 years.... did my trade 21 to 25 and since then have been working qualified...its nice somedays, other days its just a paycheque
Me too man. I like it but the weather can really suck in Ireland.
Money ain't amazing either. I used to do tech sales for Oracle, Salesforce and a few others for years and make way more but I was miserable.
Where are you doing it ?
Australia, i get to melt in the summer time haha but its not too bad, if it gets too hot my company is pretty good with letting us chill it out
I know the feeling. I used to do roofing in Darwin.
I've never felt the heat... Like the heat on those roofs.. fuck me it was hot.
Australias probably the best place to live if you wanna get into this industry, being able to work year round and know that you will always have work is good. I lived in Vancouver for 4-5 years and man in the winter it was tough
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I work in a warehouse at an electric supply company. Shipping/receiving, fork lift, all that. I really like it. It can get hectic and all but it's good pay. The owner used to skate so he built this insane skatepark upstairs. Unfortunately no one ever skates it because it's right above the sales office and they hate how loud it is. The Bowl is sick though.
that sounds sick, got any pics of the skatepark?
(https://imgur.com/qXqbydA.jpg)
(https://imgur.com/hVFoukV.jpg)
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Been an autoworker for the past 6 years
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I do general handyman work with my dad but specialize in hanging drywall and mudding. Lot of people hate it but i think it's pretty easy because I've been helping my old man since i was 16.
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I do general handyman work with my dad but specialize in hanging drywall and mudding. Lot of people hate it but i think it's pretty easy because I've been helping my old man since i was 16.
Story time! I installed central ac in the finished attic in my old house. Framing, taping and mudding 35’ of kneewall and a couple soffits was the most fun I had the whole project. Smooth inside 45s and pointed corner beads are so satisfying. I watched Ben Degros’ carpentry channel for months before noticing scuffed up skate shoes and finding his skate channel which contributed to me picking the board up again
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There's nothing like a smooth 45 degree angle
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There's nothing like a smooth 45 degree angle
A smooth 135 degree angle?
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Is the restaurant business considered blue collar? On your feet 15 hours straight no breaks getting screamed at for little pay. I’m surprised no other dudes have posted up in here about that lol
Anyways, I’m a sous chef at a pretty high end restaurant. When service is good it’s awesome when it’s not my entire life sucks. My mental health pretty much depends on how well the restaurant is doing. If it’s my day off I still get emails from purveyors or reviews so I’m never truly not working. The thing is that I love it somehow. It’s like being in a relationship with a girl you know is bad for you but you just can’t leave. I’ve been in the business for about 10 years now and I can’t imagine doing anything else. Side note, parking garage at my work has a perfect curb and a little 3 stair. I session it before work some days.
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Is the restaurant business considered blue collar? On your feet 15 hours straight no breaks getting screamed at for little pay. I’m surprised no other dudes have posted up in here about that lol
Anyways, I’m a sous chef at a pretty high end restaurant. When service is good it’s awesome when it’s not my entire life sucks. My mental health pretty much depends on how well the restaurant is doing. If it’s my day off I still get emails from purveyors or reviews so I’m never truly not working. The thing is that I love it somehow. It’s like being in a relationship with a girl you know is bad for you but you just can’t leave. I’ve been in the business for about 10 years now and I can’t imagine doing anything else. Side note, parking garage at my work has a perfect curb and a little 3 stair. I session it before work some days.
I feel like the service industry is among the most misunderstood forms of labor. I’ve done it, shit is brutal, couldn’t imagine doing it for 10 years.
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Was the 4th employee at a roofdeck pedestal company when it started. Not they are up to 60+ employees. Really enjoyed the engineering of new products and developing the qc department. Thought I'd retire from there, but after 15 years, had to leave to move back east (new kid, wife, and Dad's stage 4 cancer)
Starting over after 40 in the I81 warehouse corridor of appalachia, the opportunities are few and far.
Got lucky and landed a union gig operating a vinyl siding extruder making 50-75% more than most jobs in the area. Hated the 12 hr night shifts and 66+ hr work weeks. Last week I finally moved to Day shift and it's a blessing. Less hours early, and much more time at home. This is my first union gig. Not a fan really. I'm off rather get promoted for my work, not see a lazy hump get the shot because he got hired a few months before me.
Making 100+ a year in Denver I couldn't afford a nice home. I make almost as much back east now, and will have my home paid in 5 years total. The house I paid sub 200k for in rural MD would cost 500+ easy in Colorado. And I can catch the Marc to Bmore, redline to DC real easy and quick.
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Was the 4th employee at a roofdeck pedestal company when it started. Not they are up to 60+ employees. Really enjoyed the engineering of new products and developing the qc department. Thought I'd retire from there, but after 15 years, had to leave to move back east (new kid, wife, and Dad's stage 4 cancer)
Starting over after 40 in the I81 warehouse corridor of appalachia, the opportunities are few and far.
Got lucky and landed a union gig operating a vinyl siding extruder making 50-75% more than most jobs in the area. Hated the 12 hr night shifts and 66+ hr work weeks. Last week I finally moved to Day shift and it's a blessing. Less hours early, and much more time at home. This is my first union gig. Not a fan really. I'm off rather get promoted for my work, not see a lazy hump get the shot because he got hired a few months before me.
Making 100+ a year in Denver I couldn't afford a nice home. I make almost as much back east now, and will have my home paid in 5 years total. The house I paid sub 200k for in rural MD would cost 500+ easy in Colorado. And I can catch the Marc to Bmore, redline to DC real easy and quick.
It's crazy living in Denver making a good living knowing I will never be able to buy a house even remotely close to work/anything I like to do. Back in Vermont with what I was making as a welder in Stapleton I could afford a nice house in a beautiful spot. Out here I could live almost to Colorado Springs in a pop up neighborhood for 400k. No thanks.