Follow Your Dream or Follow The Path?

Off Topic
81

[quote]carbiduis wrote:

I just can’t imagine that once some one is 45/50 yrs old, they want to get their hands dirty and be in a physically demanding job. Arthritis, joint pain etc.[/quote]

You do realize these guys lift? They are not retirement home candidates.

That is what apprentices are for. Besides, I know plenty of guys in skilled trades that blow the doors off young adults just through efficiency, knowledge, work ethic and decades of acclimation.

It is rare that I have to do any machining but when I do I don’t have kids load the parts for me.

82

[quote]carbiduis wrote:

[quote]magick wrote:

[quote]carbiduis wrote:
So all that “passion” that you could drum up for the TP60 is not only wasted[/quote]

So you derive meaning out of how others look at your work and you?

[/quote]

You don’t?[/quote]

If I do it for personal satisfaction, then I could care less whether people see it or not. So long as I know that I’ve actually done a good job and that people will agree with me on that if they pay attention to it.

Which is mbdix’s point…

83

[quote]Testy1 wrote:

[quote]carbiduis wrote:

I just can’t imagine that once some one is 45/50 yrs old, they want to get their hands dirty and be in a physically demanding job. Arthritis, joint pain etc.[/quote]

You do realize these guys lift? They are not retirement home candidates.

That is what apprentices are for. Besides, I know plenty of guys in skilled trades that blow the doors off young adults just through efficiency, knowledge, work ethic and decades of acclimation.

It is rare that I have to do any machining but when I do I don’t have kids load the parts for me.
[/quote]

Lifting is irrelevant

Imagine getting into a cramped area that is very warm (i.e. servers etc.) room where you have to lean over or crawl in a hard to access area to read (btw, how is your eyesight doing once you get to this age by the way?) a small part number off of a piece of equipment. Then you have to solder or reconnect wires in that same cramped area, Iâ??d rather be young than old.

Machining? Like in an open area where you can stand and move around freely? Give me a break this isnâ??t even close to a good analogy.

I’ll wait for AC to respond…

84

[quote]magick wrote:

[quote]carbiduis wrote:

[quote]magick wrote:

[quote]carbiduis wrote:
So all that “passion” that you could drum up for the TP60 is not only wasted[/quote]

So you derive meaning out of how others look at your work and you?

[/quote]

You don’t?[/quote]

If I do it for personal satisfaction, then I could care less whether people see it or not. So long as I know that I’ve actually done a good job and that people will agree with me on that if they pay attention to it.

Which is mbdix’s point…[/quote]

thank you on mbdix’s behalf for clarifying his point…

my point is that you can run into situations where you quickly loose motivation in the field due to the BS that you may have to put up with.

Which is why some may arrive to the point where they just work and get their shit done and loose motivation to try and go above and beyond.

85

[quote]carbiduis wrote:

[quote]Testy1 wrote:

[quote]carbiduis wrote:

I just can’t imagine that once some one is 45/50 yrs old, they want to get their hands dirty and be in a physically demanding job. Arthritis, joint pain etc.[/quote]

You do realize these guys lift? They are not retirement home candidates.

That is what apprentices are for. Besides, I know plenty of guys in skilled trades that blow the doors off young adults just through efficiency, knowledge, work ethic and decades of acclimation.

It is rare that I have to do any machining but when I do I don’t have kids load the parts for me.
[/quote]

Lifting is irrelevant

Imagine getting into a cramped area that is very warm (i.e. servers etc.) room where you have to lean over or crawl in a hard to access area to read (btw, how is your eyesight doing once you get to this age by the way?) a small part number off of a piece of equipment. Then you have to solder or reconnect wires in that same cramped area, Iâ??d rather be young than old.

Machining? Like in an open area where you can stand and move around freely? Give me a break this isnâ??t even close to a good analogy.

I’ll wait for AC to respond…
[/quote]

I see, so lifting has nothing to do with manual labor?

Well. since I do our IT also I don’t have to imagine it. Soldering wires in the manner of which you speak is nearly unheard of. Furthermore, my eyesight is better now. In fact I have to take my glasses off to read.

86

[quote]Testy1 wrote:

[quote]carbiduis wrote:

[quote]Testy1 wrote:

[quote]carbiduis wrote:

I just can’t imagine that once some one is 45/50 yrs old, they want to get their hands dirty and be in a physically demanding job. Arthritis, joint pain etc.[/quote]

You do realize these guys lift? They are not retirement home candidates.

That is what apprentices are for. Besides, I know plenty of guys in skilled trades that blow the doors off young adults just through efficiency, knowledge, work ethic and decades of acclimation.

It is rare that I have to do any machining but when I do I don’t have kids load the parts for me.
[/quote]

Lifting is irrelevant

Imagine getting into a cramped area that is very warm (i.e. servers etc.) room where you have to lean over or crawl in a hard to access area to read (btw, how is your eyesight doing once you get to this age by the way?) a small part number off of a piece of equipment. Then you have to solder or reconnect wires in that same cramped area, I�¢??d rather be young than old.

Machining? Like in an open area where you can stand and move around freely? Give me a break this isn�¢??t even close to a good analogy.

I’ll wait for AC to respond…
[/quote]

I see, so lifting has nothing to do with manual labor?

Well. since I do our IT also I don’t have to imagine it. Soldering wires in the manner of which you speak is nearly unheard of. Furthermore, my eyesight is better now. In fact I have to take my glasses off to read.
[/quote]

Yeah, but where are you going to put your walker if you’re trying to work in a crowded server cabinet?

87

[quote]Testy1 wrote:

[quote]carbiduis wrote:

[quote]Testy1 wrote:

[quote]carbiduis wrote:

I just can’t imagine that once some one is 45/50 yrs old, they want to get their hands dirty and be in a physically demanding job. Arthritis, joint pain etc.[/quote]

You do realize these guys lift? They are not retirement home candidates.

That is what apprentices are for. Besides, I know plenty of guys in skilled trades that blow the doors off young adults just through efficiency, knowledge, work ethic and decades of acclimation.

It is rare that I have to do any machining but when I do I don’t have kids load the parts for me.
[/quote]

Lifting is irrelevant

Imagine getting into a cramped area that is very warm (i.e. servers etc.) room where you have to lean over or crawl in a hard to access area to read (btw, how is your eyesight doing once you get to this age by the way?) a small part number off of a piece of equipment. Then you have to solder or reconnect wires in that same cramped area, I�¢??d rather be young than old.

Machining? Like in an open area where you can stand and move around freely? Give me a break this isn�¢??t even close to a good analogy.

I’ll wait for AC to respond…
[/quote]

I see, so lifting has nothing to do with manual labor?

Well. since I do our IT also I don’t have to imagine it. Soldering wires in the manner of which you speak is nearly unheard of. Furthermore, my eyesight is better now. In fact I have to take my glasses off to read.
[/quote]

So your eyesight get BETTER as you get OLDER?..really??..ok, I’ll remember that one!

yea, being able to bench 405lbs is hugely applicable to being able to get into cramped positions, thats probably why many put their lifting stats on their resumes/applications…lolwut?

aaaaand, you do IT for the company you work for, that is great!..now IMAGINE having to go to a different job site every week, do you really think that they all have nice clean pretty places that house their electrical equipment?

oh, wait, you’re IT…I thought we were talking about being a critical power electrician…

88

[quote]SirTroyRobert wrote:

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:
Unfortunately, in life, sometimes you have to do things you don’t give a shit about to pay for the things you do give a shit about. The path less traveled is less traveled for a reason. Can you be successful at something you are “passionate” about, sure. That’s every entrepreneurs dream. What’s their success rate? [/quote]

Yes that’s true. But doing something you don’t give a shit about as a career sounds like a recipe for disaster. We all have to do things we don’t want to do, I’m not saying you should avoid things you don’t want to do. But, your job will be a rather large part of your life. I guess it depends. If you feel having a plan with a linear path is better for you then do that. If you accept the risk of not taking the conventional path, but think you’ll be happier then do that. [/quote]

My opinion, your best bet is to find something you can tolerate. You don’t have to love what you do, but you don’t want to be miserable either.

But by all means though give it a shot. I’d never discourage someone from trying the unconventional. Do it while you’re young though. It’s a lot harder as your number of responsibilities increases.

89

These are always a younger vs older discussion.

I wonder why that is?

lol

90

[quote]carbiduis wrote:
yea, being able to bench 405lbs is hugely applicable to being able to get into cramped positions, thats probably why many put their lifting stats on their resumes/applications…lolwut?[/quote]

DYEL?

91

[quote]dt79 wrote:
My youngest brother is a little older than you. He’s always had a passion for movies (my fault lol) and wanted to study film in the university.

Before he chose his course i funded a 3 day shoot for him to film a short film from a pretty good script he had written. This meant auditioning actors, hiring cameras, lighting and sound equipment from a film studio and getting a small crew of mostly friends to help out with the shoot. I said i would just observe the process and help out when needed.

It took 3 hours to set up just the lighting for a 5 min scene. Actors would get pissed off because of the long set up and filming time for scenes not involving them. This was due to bad planning for the order of scenes to be shot.

Then directing the actors took more than 10 takes for each camera angle. Each of them had their own different version of each scene in their heads. Even when the actors performed the scene perfectly, shit would happen like one of them going out of frame. The professional cinematrographer we hired ended up doing most of the directing in the end.

By the 2nd day we were already way behind schedule. I had to step in and help with the filming. The entire script was rewritten to omit certain scenes and others were changed to maintain a coherent storyline. Dialogue was cut to a minimum.

By the 3rd day the script had completely changed we were doing multiple short single take scenes improvised without dialogue to fill in gaps from previously shot scenes. Basically we went from Sergio Leone to 90s era Wong Kar Wai in 3 days.

After all that we still had to fucking edit the damn thing. A 1min scene took 2 hours to edit.

My brother found out the hard way that being a film maker involves so much more than depicting one’s vision on the screen. You have to be a manager first, ensuring all parties involved are doing their jobs while coordinating them towards a collective vision. Then comes the budgeting, management of logistics, timelines etc. For a commercial film, distributors would need to be sourced and marketing the film requires a seperate approach altogether.

So he decided to take up a management degree instead with minor courses in film. Film making in his future exists as an option among many others.[/quote]

That’s a pretty cool story. Thanks for sharing.

92

[quote]carbiduis wrote:

[quote]Testy1 wrote:

[quote]carbiduis wrote:

[quote]Testy1 wrote:

[quote]carbiduis wrote:

I just can’t imagine that once some one is 45/50 yrs old, they want to get their hands dirty and be in a physically demanding job. Arthritis, joint pain etc.[/quote]

You do realize these guys lift? They are not retirement home candidates.

That is what apprentices are for. Besides, I know plenty of guys in skilled trades that blow the doors off young adults just through efficiency, knowledge, work ethic and decades of acclimation.

It is rare that I have to do any machining but when I do I don’t have kids load the parts for me.
[/quote]

Lifting is irrelevant

Imagine getting into a cramped area that is very warm (i.e. servers etc.) room where you have to lean over or crawl in a hard to access area to read (btw, how is your eyesight doing once you get to this age by the way?) a small part number off of a piece of equipment. Then you have to solder or reconnect wires in that same cramped area, I�?�¢??d rather be young than old.

Machining? Like in an open area where you can stand and move around freely? Give me a break this isn�?�¢??t even close to a good analogy.

I’ll wait for AC to respond…
[/quote]

I see, so lifting has nothing to do with manual labor?

Well. since I do our IT also I don’t have to imagine it. Soldering wires in the manner of which you speak is nearly unheard of. Furthermore, my eyesight is better now. In fact I have to take my glasses off to read.
[/quote]

So your eyesight get BETTER as you get OLDER?..really??..ok, I’ll remember that one!

yea, being able to bench 405lbs is hugely applicable to being able to get into cramped positions, thats probably why many put their lifting stats on their resumes/applications…lolwut?

aaaaand, you do IT for the company you work for, that is great!..now IMAGINE having to go to a different job site every week, do you really think that they all have nice clean pretty places that house their electrical equipment?

oh, wait, you’re IT…I thought we were talking about being a critical power electrician…[/quote]

You don’t really have much of a clue do you?

Many people that are nearsighted have their vision improve close up as they age. It is not rare.

Have you ever loaded stock in a saw? My guess would be no, since you don’t think heavy lifting would be an asset.

I’m not sure why you keep saying imagine since I have done it. Machine building, electricians helper, machinist and designer.

I am not in IT. I do our IT because we don’t have anyone else that can. This includes stringing cat5 through the rafters and squeezing into dirty cramped areas to set up equipment.

Why don’t you ask AC how often he is soldering inside electrical cabinets.

93

[quote]carbiduis wrote:

[quote]Testy1 wrote:

[quote]carbiduis wrote:

I just can’t imagine that once some one is 45/50 yrs old, they want to get their hands dirty and be in a physically demanding job. Arthritis, joint pain etc.[/quote]

You do realize these guys lift? They are not retirement home candidates.

That is what apprentices are for. Besides, I know plenty of guys in skilled trades that blow the doors off young adults just through efficiency, knowledge, work ethic and decades of acclimation.

It is rare that I have to do any machining but when I do I don’t have kids load the parts for me.
[/quote]

Lifting is irrelevant

Imagine getting into a cramped area that is very warm (i.e. servers etc.) room where you have to lean over or crawl in a hard to access area to read (btw, how is your eyesight doing once you get to this age by the way?) a small part number off of a piece of equipment. Then you have to solder or reconnect wires in that same cramped area, Iâ??d rather be young than old.

Machining? Like in an open area where you can stand and move around freely? Give me a break this isnâ??t even close to a good analogy.

I’ll wait for AC to respond…
[/quote]
Man, you’ve got a pessemistic view on getting older! LOL It ain’t that bad, son <<>>

Actually, it’s a pretty good analogy. Luckily for us electricians there is a whole NEC (National Electric Code) article on clearances which stipulates what mandatory distances between/in front of/Height/etc… equipment of various voltages has to be installed at. Working clearances are very important to work on equipment safely and comfortably. I have never crawled under the floor with a soldering iron LOL. That isn’t to say I don’t ever get under a computer floor or in a tight space, but it’s not very often.

As for part numbers and asset tags, they all have a bar code that I can scan and auto populate into my lap top. And they aren’t THAT small to read. And if they are, there are plenty of younger eyes around (or glasses and flashlights if you need them).

As for arthritis and joint pain, that’s a fact of every construction job. And if you are dumb, that’s all you’ll every do and you’ll suffer and retire as soon as you can. Fortunately, I’m not dumb. But like Testy was saying, the apprentices and the helpers do all the heavy lifting. That’s not to say I won’t jump in there and pull my weight - I’m only 40 and I’m still pretty strong. But when I’m 55 or so I will have no problem performing my job duties and I’ll have another 15 years of knowledge and experience to draw upon. AND I’ll still make more than all the young bucks lifting the heavy shit!

I love my career. It’s challenging, exciting, makes me a lot of money, always entertaining and I’ve got friendships that I’ve built and maintained for almost 20 years. The best part is that I’m very good at what I do. Electricity is based on physics. Once you learn those laws and have enough experience to draw on with troubleshooting, you can figure just about anything out. Getting here wasn’t “easy”, but is has sure been worth it for me.

It should also be noted, that I used my time and money wisely and have other income streams as well so that if I ever become dissatisfied, I can say fuck it and take a six month vacation without missing a beat. But for now, I’m very satisfied.

94

[quote]LoRez wrote:

[quote]carbiduis wrote:
yea, being able to bench 405lbs is hugely applicable to being able to get into cramped positions, thats probably why many put their lifting stats on their resumes/applications…lolwut?[/quote]

DYEL?[/quote]

yup, closing in on a 315 bench

I, more than anyone else, would love to incorporate the lessons I have learned with lifting when I sell myself in an interview or on my resume, but I know how goofy it would look sound, so I don’t.

My point is about the aging body and what it’s like to have a manual labor type job once your body starts to fall apart. I’m not focusing on lifting in my point.

I believe by the time guys get to their late 40’s, early 50’s and beyond, they become managers, or a foreman etc. or own their own shop/business etc.

That was basically my question to AC, is that his plan?

95

[quote]carbiduis wrote:

aaaaand, you do IT for the company you work for, that is great!..now IMAGINE having to go to a different job site every week, do you really think that they all have nice clean pretty places that house their electrical equipment?

oh, wait, you’re IT…I thought we were talking about being a critical power electrician…[/quote]

Most facilities requiring critical power have electrical and mechanical rooms that are so clean you could eat off the floor. Me thinks you don’t know what the fuck you are talking about and are making judgements based on assumptions and not experience… Just saying…

96

My granddad owned his own house moving business; he worked hard physically right along side the crew his whole life until the 6 months before he died when cancer decimated him at 72. When he was 71, before he got cancer, he was a physical specimen and looked like someone you wouldn’t want to tangle with. I think to a large degree desk jobs are what make you soft as you get older.

97

[quote]angry chicken wrote:

Electrician vs Plumber - YouTube [/quote]

That was great, did you make it AC?

If you are going to be a plumber only do new construction.

98

[quote]Testy1 wrote:

[quote]carbiduis wrote:

[quote]Testy1 wrote:

[quote]carbiduis wrote:

[quote]Testy1 wrote:

[quote]carbiduis wrote:

I just can’t imagine that once some one is 45/50 yrs old, they want to get their hands dirty and be in a physically demanding job. Arthritis, joint pain etc.[/quote]

You do realize these guys lift? They are not retirement home candidates.

That is what apprentices are for. Besides, I know plenty of guys in skilled trades that blow the doors off young adults just through efficiency, knowledge, work ethic and decades of acclimation.

It is rare that I have to do any machining but when I do I don’t have kids load the parts for me.
[/quote]

Lifting is irrelevant

Imagine getting into a cramped area that is very warm (i.e. servers etc.) room where you have to lean over or crawl in a hard to access area to read (btw, how is your eyesight doing once you get to this age by the way?) a small part number off of a piece of equipment. Then you have to solder or reconnect wires in that same cramped area, I�??�?�¢??d rather be young than old.

Machining? Like in an open area where you can stand and move around freely? Give me a break this isn�??�?�¢??t even close to a good analogy.

I’ll wait for AC to respond…
[/quote]

I see, so lifting has nothing to do with manual labor?

Well. since I do our IT also I don’t have to imagine it. Soldering wires in the manner of which you speak is nearly unheard of. Furthermore, my eyesight is better now. In fact I have to take my glasses off to read.
[/quote]

So your eyesight get BETTER as you get OLDER?..really??..ok, I’ll remember that one!

yea, being able to bench 405lbs is hugely applicable to being able to get into cramped positions, thats probably why many put their lifting stats on their resumes/applications…lolwut?

aaaaand, you do IT for the company you work for, that is great!..now IMAGINE having to go to a different job site every week, do you really think that they all have nice clean pretty places that house their electrical equipment?

oh, wait, you’re IT…I thought we were talking about being a critical power electrician…[/quote]

You don’t really have much of a clue do you?

Many people that are nearsighted have their vision improve close up as they age. It is not rare.

Have you ever loaded stock in a saw? My guess would be no, since you don’t think heavy lifting would be an asset.

I’m not sure why you keep saying imagine since I have done it. Machine building, electricians helper, machinist and designer.

I am not in IT. I do our IT because we don’t have anyone else that can. This includes stringing cat5 through the rafters and squeezing into dirty cramped areas to set up equipment.

Why don’t you ask AC how often he is soldering inside electrical cabinets.
[/quote]

As far as eyesight goes, I absolutely do not have a clue. I am only going off of what ANY older person ANYWHERE has EVER said, and I am skeptical of what you’re saying. But I have been blessed with incredible eyesight my whole life so, like I said…

How old are you?

Sure heavy lifting is always an asset. Are you telling me that you trust your body to be able to do it until retirement (lets say 65 yrs old)??? and also that you would NOT rather GUIDE a young buck to do it for you to ensure that he does it right?

Believe it or not, I have never been old!

I am simply going off of what I hear from EVERY old person.

And for all the shit you say you do/have done, how old are/were you? 20’s? 30’s? Early 40’s? please don’t feel compelled to lie in order to look good :wink:

I can’t put too much stock in what you say if you haven’t been “old” (50+). From what I hear, the body can take a quick turn for the worst and it goes down hill quickly, sure at 45, 50 or even 55 you feel pretty good, but all of a sudden you turn 58, 61, 63 yrs old and shit ain’t the same…from what I hear…from EVERY person who has experienced these ages.

99

[quote]carbiduis wrote:

[quote]LoRez wrote:

[quote]carbiduis wrote:
yea, being able to bench 405lbs is hugely applicable to being able to get into cramped positions, thats probably why many put their lifting stats on their resumes/applications…lolwut?[/quote]

DYEL?[/quote]

yup, closing in on a 315 bench

I, more than anyone else, would love to incorporate the lessons I have learned with lifting when I sell myself in an interview or on my resume, but I know how goofy it would look sound, so I don’t.

My point is about the aging body and what it’s like to have a manual labor type job once your body starts to fall apart. I’m not focusing on lifting in my point.

I believe by the time guys get to their late 40’s, early 50’s and beyond, they become managers, or a foreman etc. or own their own shop/business etc.

That was basically my question to AC, is that his plan?
[/quote]

I AM a foreman. I’ve been a foreman since I was 27. I’ve run big jobs and small jobs. In my current position, I’m manage 25MW of power (backed up by 20 tractor trailer sized generators) for one of the largest data centers on the east coast. I’m also a member of my company’s testing division and I’m on the critical response team that responds to any event in the norther VA cluster. I’ve got plenty of time to sit on my ass behind the desk, but I also have plenty of opportunity to work on cool technical shit if I want to. I can also work on any constriction jobsite that my company has and get some overtime on the weekends or after my daily shift if I choose.

My plan is to keep doing what I’m doing for as long as I can. Part of that plan is staying in good shape so that I can work as much as I want. If I wanted to preserve a “perfect, arthritis and injury free” body, I wouldn’t have played rugby for ten years. But my old injuries have healed, and I go through my days pain free. It’s not really a “manual labor” job. It’s a SKILLED LABOR job. There is a difference.

100

[quote]carbiduis wrote:
My point is about the aging body and what it’s like to have a manual labor type job once your body starts to fall apart. I’m not focusing on lifting in my point.
[/quote]

My point was that I find it strange to suggest that somehow lifting isn’t relevant to how the body falls apart with age. The bone, tendon and ligament strength that comes from lifting is actually very relevant.