Follow Your Dream or Follow The Path?

Off Topic
121

[quote]LoRez wrote:

[quote]Steel Nation wrote:
I’ve been working for almost a decade now, and I’ve only met 2 or 3 engineers that weren’t either my age, younger, or 25+ years older than me. There aren’t many 40-50 year old engineers running around right now. It’s like a whole generation was skipped.[/quote]

Now that I think about it, I’ve seen the same in the software world. Not sure what’s up with that. There seems to be a gap of people between about age 42 and 52.[/quote]
LOL That’s actually pretty amusing.

122

[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]

I like this. I like this a lot. Too often people make surface level judgments when it comes to career pursuits. What they fell to recognize is the vast body beneath the surface until they’re in the shit. That’s hell of a learning experience though. It’s fortunate that he got a chance to figure this out before he sinked more time and false hope into his old plans.

123

[quote]CLINK wrote:
Almost everyone who has made a historical dent in a chosen field has NOT taken the path. They were all dreamers.

[/quote]
That’s not all that they were though. Noting this is critical.

124

[quote]LoRez wrote:

[quote]carbiduis wrote:
Theres a guy in our office who is borderline retarded, he constantly says things that don’t make sense, like at all. I often end up with a “huh?” look on my face. Then he indicates that what he said went over my head.[/quote]

Did you just admit that the stuff a borderline retard says goes over your head?[/quote]
LOL

125

[quote]cstratton2 wrote:
How bout do what you love, then you really cannot go wrong with it. [/quote]

The problem with “doing what you love” is that even if you love something, when you’re actually doing it as a profession (IE to put a roof over your head and food on the table) there are going to be parts of it you don’t like so much. There will also be parts that you can’t fucking stand.

Guess what you have then? Yeah, that’s right: a job. That thing you “loved” so much before is now…just…a job. A job with all the bullshit, all the highs, and all the lows that just about any OTHER job would have.

dt79’s post about his brother’s little movie-making experiment illustrates this perfectly. I can almost picture his brother, after it was all over with: “SHIT! Who knew making a movie would be THIS. MUCH. WORK!”

That was basically my point in my first post in this thread. Just about anything you have to do on a daily basis for 40-50 years is, at some point, going to require you to just put your head down and get shit done. It’s not going to matter if you love it, like it, or loathe it; it HAS to be done, and YOU have to do it. Then it’s just work; the better you are at it, the more you will enjoy it.

126

[quote]Steel Nation wrote:

[quote]cstratton2 wrote:
How bout do what you love, then you really cannot go wrong with it. [/quote]

The problem with “doing what you love” is that even if you love something, when you’re actually doing it as a profession (IE to put a roof over your head and food on the table) there are going to be parts of it you don’t like so much. There will also be parts that you can’t fucking stand.

Guess what you have then? Yeah, that’s right: a job. That thing you “loved” so much before is now…just…a job. A job with all the bullshit, all the highs, and all the lows that just about any OTHER job would have.

dt79’s post about his brother’s little movie-making experiment illustrates this perfectly. I can almost picture his brother, after it was all over with: “SHIT! Who knew making a movie would be THIS. MUCH. WORK!”

That was basically my point in my first post in this thread. Just about anything you have to do on a daily basis for 40-50 years is, at some point, going to require you to just put your head down and get shit done. It’s not going to matter if you love it, like it, or loathe it; it HAS to be done, and YOU have to do it. Then it’s just work; the better you are at it, the more you will enjoy it.[/quote]

Yes, no matter what you do there will be things that you do not want to do. Yes everything will be a job. But, not everyone wants to just become a worker.

127

[quote]SirTroyRobert wrote:

[quote]Steel Nation wrote:

[quote]cstratton2 wrote:
How bout do what you love, then you really cannot go wrong with it. [/quote]

The problem with “doing what you love” is that even if you love something, when you’re actually doing it as a profession (IE to put a roof over your head and food on the table) there are going to be parts of it you don’t like so much. There will also be parts that you can’t fucking stand.

Guess what you have then? Yeah, that’s right: a job. That thing you “loved” so much before is now…just…a job. A job with all the bullshit, all the highs, and all the lows that just about any OTHER job would have.

dt79’s post about his brother’s little movie-making experiment illustrates this perfectly. I can almost picture his brother, after it was all over with: “SHIT! Who knew making a movie would be THIS. MUCH. WORK!”

That was basically my point in my first post in this thread. Just about anything you have to do on a daily basis for 40-50 years is, at some point, going to require you to just put your head down and get shit done. It’s not going to matter if you love it, like it, or loathe it; it HAS to be done, and YOU have to do it. Then it’s just work; the better you are at it, the more you will enjoy it.[/quote]

Yes, no matter what you do there will be things that you do not want to do. Yes everything will be a job. But, not everyone wants to just become a worker. [/quote]

which is why i wrote this:

[quote]dt79 wrote:
If you aren’t the type of person that can find the personal motivation to dedicate the same effort to something you don’t like as something you have passion for, and want to tread off the beaten path to find success, you will not find it.
[/quote]

128

[quote]spar4tee wrote:

[quote]CLINK wrote:
Almost everyone who has made a historical dent in a chosen field has NOT taken the path. They were all dreamers.

[/quote]
That’s not all that they were though. Noting this is critical.[/quote]

Exactly.

129

[quote]Testy1 wrote:

[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.
[/quote]

No, I didn’t make it - I am FAR from that talented LOL

There’s a few other good ones too. I work side by side with Steamfitters who deal with the mechanical side of the data center (gotta keep those servers cool), so I showed them this one. It’s funny as shit.

130

[quote]carbiduis wrote:

[quote]angry chicken wrote:

[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…[/quote]

Well if the NEMA rating is good enough on an electrical enclosure, and it has an internal cooling system it can be positioned in a pretty nasty environment, am I right?

What I am saying kinda goes back to the “manual labor” point, we can stay focused on what you do for a good example and someone with a good background/exeperience to speak about it. But what about other “manual labor” industries? It can get nasty out there and I can’t imagine anyone would want to work in those areas up to retirement.

[/quote]

They make enclosures that can withstand just about any environment. I worked on a lot of Class 1, Div 1 equipment/environments when I was working in the GOM on oil rigs. But it was never that “hard”. Sometimes it got a little dirty, but who gives a shit? For the money I was being paid to do that, it’s a very easy decision - you can always wash up.

I hear what you’re saying: why would anyone want to do “manual labor” when they get old? But you are making it out to be a bigger deal than it actually is. I know plenty of older construction electricians that are in their late fifty’s and sixty’s. Worked construction their entire careers. The foremen LOVE those guys. Sure, they may not be as fast or as strong as someone younger, but they show up to work everyday on time, they are experienced enough to avoid many common mistakes that will save the job money, they can teach the younger guys tricks of the trade that makes them more productive and they generally don’t cause any problems. They show up, put in a solid eight hours and go home. Most of the “hard” work is rather unskilled work so it is generally not assigned to an older person.

I know personally, as a foreman, I always try to look out for a guy who’s been doing this as long as I’ve been alive and I try to give them a task that is suited to their level of skill and physical ability. They’ve put in their dues and they’ve earned the right to have some of the “gravy” job tasks.

Point being is that if you don’t use it, you lose it. I think everyone here will acknowledge that. But if you keep using it, you DON’T lose it. Skilled labor is a very well paying and satisfying career and one shouldn’t be afraid to work a little hard to earn their money. Most skilled labor jobs pay over a 100K per year. That’s better than most lower to middle management working a desk job… AND you can tell a dirty joke and cuss without being fired!

131

[quote]angry chicken wrote:

[quote]carbiduis wrote:

[quote]angry chicken wrote:

[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…[/quote]

Well if the NEMA rating is good enough on an electrical enclosure, and it has an internal cooling system it can be positioned in a pretty nasty environment, am I right?

What I am saying kinda goes back to the “manual labor” point, we can stay focused on what you do for a good example and someone with a good background/exeperience to speak about it. But what about other “manual labor” industries? It can get nasty out there and I can’t imagine anyone would want to work in those areas up to retirement.

[/quote]

They make enclosures that can withstand just about any environment. I worked on a lot of Class 1, Div 1 equipment/environments when I was working in the GOM on oil rigs. But it was never that “hard”. Sometimes it got a little dirty, but who gives a shit? For the money I was being paid to do that, it’s a very easy decision - you can always wash up.

I hear what you’re saying: why would anyone want to do “manual labor” when they get old? But you are making it out to be a bigger deal than it actually is. I know plenty of older construction electricians that are in their late fifty’s and sixty’s. Worked construction their entire careers. The foremen LOVE those guys. Sure, they may not be as fast or as strong as someone younger, but they show up to work everyday on time, they are experienced enough to avoid many common mistakes that will save the job money, they can teach the younger guys tricks of the trade that makes them more productive and they generally don’t cause any problems. They show up, put in a solid eight hours and go home. Most of the “hard” work is rather unskilled work so it is generally not assigned to an older person.

I know personally, as a foreman, I always try to look out for a guy who’s been doing this as long as I’ve been alive and I try to give them a task that is suited to their level of skill and physical ability. They’ve put in their dues and they’ve earned the right to have some of the “gravy” job tasks.

Point being is that if you don’t use it, you lose it. I think everyone here will acknowledge that. But if you keep using it, you DON’T lose it. Skilled labor is a very well paying and satisfying career and one shouldn’t be afraid to work a little hard to earn their money. Most skilled labor jobs pay over a 100K per year. That’s better than most lower to middle management working a desk job… AND you can tell a dirty joke and cuss without being fired![/quote]

I’m just getting my foot in the door at a data company here in the next couple of weeks. I wonder if it’s the same as you…

132

[quote]coolnatedawg wrote:

[quote]angry chicken wrote:

[quote]carbiduis wrote:

[quote]angry chicken wrote:

[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…[/quote]

Well if the NEMA rating is good enough on an electrical enclosure, and it has an internal cooling system it can be positioned in a pretty nasty environment, am I right?

What I am saying kinda goes back to the “manual labor” point, we can stay focused on what you do for a good example and someone with a good background/exeperience to speak about it. But what about other “manual labor” industries? It can get nasty out there and I can’t imagine anyone would want to work in those areas up to retirement.

[/quote]

They make enclosures that can withstand just about any environment. I worked on a lot of Class 1, Div 1 equipment/environments when I was working in the GOM on oil rigs. But it was never that “hard”. Sometimes it got a little dirty, but who gives a shit? For the money I was being paid to do that, it’s a very easy decision - you can always wash up.

I hear what you’re saying: why would anyone want to do “manual labor” when they get old? But you are making it out to be a bigger deal than it actually is. I know plenty of older construction electricians that are in their late fifty’s and sixty’s. Worked construction their entire careers. The foremen LOVE those guys. Sure, they may not be as fast or as strong as someone younger, but they show up to work everyday on time, they are experienced enough to avoid many common mistakes that will save the job money, they can teach the younger guys tricks of the trade that makes them more productive and they generally don’t cause any problems. They show up, put in a solid eight hours and go home. Most of the “hard” work is rather unskilled work so it is generally not assigned to an older person.

I know personally, as a foreman, I always try to look out for a guy who’s been doing this as long as I’ve been alive and I try to give them a task that is suited to their level of skill and physical ability. They’ve put in their dues and they’ve earned the right to have some of the “gravy” job tasks.

Point being is that if you don’t use it, you lose it. I think everyone here will acknowledge that. But if you keep using it, you DON’T lose it. Skilled labor is a very well paying and satisfying career and one shouldn’t be afraid to work a little hard to earn their money. Most skilled labor jobs pay over a 100K per year. That’s better than most lower to middle management working a desk job… AND you can tell a dirty joke and cuss without being fired![/quote]

I’m just getting my foot in the door at a data company here in the next couple of weeks. I wonder if it’s the same as you…[/quote]

If it’s the same one, then you know I can neither confirm nor deny anything… LOL

133

[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]

This entire conversation had me laughing aloud.

134

[quote]EmilyQ 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]

This entire conversation had me laughing aloud.

[/quote]
Yes we have established that basically once you hit 45/50 your fucking OLD, time to be put out to pasture. Sent off into the woods to die. You basically need to wear depends and move to Florida to wait to die. Sad. I only have a few years left. :frowning: I dont want to move to Florida

135

[quote]Derek542 wrote:

[quote]EmilyQ 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]

This entire conversation had me laughing aloud.

[/quote]
Yes we have established that basically once you hit 45/50 your fucking OLD, time to be put out to pasture. Sent off into the woods to die. You basically need to wear depends and move to Florida to wait to die. Sad. I only have a few years left. :frowning: I dont want to move to Florida[/quote]

We’ll all be peering around near-sightedly, trying to FIND the woods!

136

[quote]Derek542 wrote:

[quote]EmilyQ 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]

This entire conversation had me laughing aloud.

[/quote]
Yes we have established that basically once you hit 45/50 your fucking OLD, time to be put out to pasture. Sent off into the woods to die. You basically need to wear depends and move to Florida to wait to die. Sad. I only have a few years left. :frowning: I dont want to move to Florida[/quote]

enter the death panels

137

[quote]carbiduis wrote:

[quote]Derek542 wrote:

[quote]EmilyQ 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]

This entire conversation had me laughing aloud.

[/quote]
Yes we have established that basically once you hit 45/50 your fucking OLD, time to be put out to pasture. Sent off into the woods to die. You basically need to wear depends and move to Florida to wait to die. Sad. I only have a few years left. :frowning: I dont want to move to Florida[/quote]

enter the death panels[/quote]

138

[quote]Derek542 wrote:

[quote]carbiduis wrote:

[quote]Derek542 wrote:

[quote]EmilyQ 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]

This entire conversation had me laughing aloud.

[/quote]
Yes we have established that basically once you hit 45/50 your fucking OLD, time to be put out to pasture. Sent off into the woods to die. You basically need to wear depends and move to Florida to wait to die. Sad. I only have a few years left. :frowning: I dont want to move to Florida[/quote]

enter the death panels[/quote]
[/quote]

139

That’s a weird picture Spar4tee.

140

[quote]mbdix wrote:
That’s a weird picture Spar4tee.[/quote]
Problem?