Added black beans and tomatoes.
This tastes so good with sour cream and mexican cheese.
Apologize for crappy lighting. There is like no light in the kitchen
I mean at this point it’s just chili rather than a taco bowl
This is something I’d feel confident feeding someone else.
Nice dude, looks delicious. I love taco bowls
1 Like
Thanks boilerman. Can’t wait til I’m able to cook steak like you do.
YouTube is king for cooking, man. Just try to emulate whatever you see someone doing on some vids with good looking food
2 Likes
@anna_5588 totally random but in my major you cannot graduate without an internship. That is not an opinion, that is apart of the curriculum.
We also don’t know how far this covid nonsense will go. I know covid can definitely slow down construction. As a result, less companies will hire interns.
That’s just to add on to why I’m frustrated.
But like I said we had a great first event and I’m looking forward to the next one, which is next week.
1 Like
Based on reports, it seems quite the opposite.
There is a shortage of construction workers and record demand for housing.
You should be in a VERY good position
1 Like
Then now is the time for students to get movin
Before some other dystopian nonsense happens
1 Like
YEAHHHHH!!!
Night class is canceled today
IM GONNA CRUSH THIS OVERHEAD PRESS SESSION TODAY!!!
Isn’t there also record (hyperbole) high prices for materials, especially lumber? That’s not sarcastic or anything, I just have heard of a lot of people pushing back home projects due to high prices, and some construction companies (including the masonry company my dad works for) had pretty slow summers, which is unusual.
None of that means much for 5ish years from now though. If prices go back to normal levels and what you said holds true, it should be a good time.
Which will be awesome as starting a company is on my dad and I’s bucket list, hopefully sooner rather than later…only issue is startup money.
Oh yeah didn’t the price of plywood increase or something?
You make a good poing
not hyperbole
Is it not? I don’t actually know any numbers.
Yep.
There is absolutely a shortage of workers.
Where I am, every part of the plan and spec are in full supply. What the industry needs is more people willing to do the work, both skilled and unskilled labor. There are zero “kids”, meaning young adults out of high school, willing to put on the work boots and get their hands dirty.
Edit: I’m not trying to sound like a crotchety old man here. I’m 31 years old, and the only reason I started in this industry is because I felt like I didn’t have a choice (I hated school. I tried and hated college too). I understand that it may not appeal to everyone.
The company I’m working for right now has 7 or 8 sales engineers who have no issue selling. Guess how many service techs there are? One. Guess how many installers? Two.
We finally had a new hire. Someone completely new to the field who recently transitioned from teaching (a very underappreciated and underpaid gig). It’ll take years before any considerable competency will occur.
Yep. Everything is more expensive right now and in short supply. I’ve had to replace entire systems due to not having availability on replacement parts. Literally having to wait months for an integral part. The chip shortage doesn’t stop with cars and trucks, and prices have been skyrocketing. The manufacturer we use has raised prices almost 13% in the last 6 months.
I bought a 2x8x10 and a sheet of plywood for replacing a picture window in my.house. it ended up being close to $150, which is insane. When I was roofing, a sheet of 1/2" OSB was somewhere around $32, at the peak I saw sheets going for $75.
1 Like
Hey boilerman, have you ever thought about going back to school and getting a construction management degree or something?
I don’t think so. I don’t see myself going back to school, and management isn’t my thing. I like being right up on the equipment, taking it apart and putting it back together. I have a couple of opportunities coming up in the next 6 or so months, though where I’ll possibly be moving positions in the company. Either a industrial and process boiler control tech or a clean room/high precision HVAC service tech with another group.
TBH neither sound terribly appealing, as it’d basically be funneling my energy of what I do now into a more precise direction (less diversity of work), so I may start my own company.
1 Like
Hey boilerman do you feel as if society looks down upon those who work with their hands?
This is an opinion but I would say trades are definitely not encouraged by parents.
But honestly dude I personally could not imagine myself doing physical labor along with lifting for the rest of my life. Idk how u do it man but ur awesome at that.
You didn’t ask me, but I think it depends. I think some attitudes are changing. My dad is a mason, although maybe more commonly called a bricklayer. He’s really good, and is particularly skilled at laying stone, which is harder than brick/block since it’s not just straight lines. When he does work at a person’s house, and builds a porch or fireplace or whatever, they admire it and think he’s done a great job, because it took time and skill. They may not have the same appreciation for a roofer or someone hanging sheetrock, since those don’t take as much skill.
So I think the level of skill involved in the trade makes a difference. Masons, plumbers, electricians, HVAC, etc. might be respected more than roofers or guys who hang siding or install windows or something. I sometimes would hesistate to put masons in that category because they’re often trained on the job, rather than going to school, and they often have the same rough exteriors that construction guys are known for, but after living around the trade for almost 20 years, I can confidently say it requires skill.
Some of these jobs pay pretty good. Not everyone is aware of that. Parents might not push kids in that direction because they don’t think they’ll make as much as they would in an office with a college degree. I know plenty of people in their 20s, and there’s guys who went into a trade field right outta high school making good money now, and people who went to college and have an office job they hate with thousands of dollars of student loans. Sometimes older generations don’t realize that a good skilled trade can be a decent career and that a collge degree (especially just a bachelor’s) doesn’t guarantee any amount of success like it used to.
One thing to consider that was pointed out by a T-Nation member…can’t remember who though, is where the job will take you, or what it’ll be in 30 years. The member’s example was (I think) installing bathtubs. Getting up at 6am to do that for 12 hours might not be too bad at 25 years old, but what about at 50 years old? “Indoor jobs” have the benefit of not being very physically taxing which is appealing as you age. Or if you get hurt, what do you have to fall back on? My dad got hurt at his job in October, and still hasn’t healed. That’s almost a year of no regular income for a father of 5 with life’s expenses. Tons and tons of dudes get hurt and what looked like a promising lifelong career is no longer an option, and they don’t have anything to fall back on. Same with guys who plan their entire lives around college sports than get hurt halfway through highschool and can’t play the sport at the same level anymore.
I’m rambling, and like I said, not even the person you asked. But all in all, I think it depends on the job and the person who’s having the opinion. I’m a college boy, but was raised by a working class family with a dad in a construction field. I probably have more respect for people doing “dirty work” than someone who was raised by parents who went to work in an office (not that there’s something inherently wrong with that). I’ve just been exposed to it more and seen what goes into it.
But there’s differences between jobs. Almost anyone can be a garbage man or work for a landscaping company. They work with their hands and they work hard, but almost anyone could do the job if they were willing to get their hands dirty (many are not). Being a good plumber or mechanic takes education, experience, and some level of intelligence, so not everyone will ever reach that level, which might make it seem more repsectable.
When my kid is old enough, I’m going to encourage hard work in high school, to do everything possible to be able to go to college if desired, maybe even to at least get an associate’s degree from a community college, just so there’s something to show on a resume, and then from there, do whatever they want. As long as they work hard and are realistic about their futures I don’t care much what job they get, manual labor or otherwise.
2 Likes
That’s a tough one for me.
In my personal experience, throughout high school, college was essentially shoved down my throat by both my guidance counselors and my family. They made it seem as though there is no way to live in any decent way without going.
Hearing the way some people in my life speak about college and it being the end all be all of their life hurts sometimes. There have been multiple occasions that I’ve been speaking with people and they’ll make a comment in passing that “looked down” upon blue collared work. I understand the stereotype. Cat calling, cigarette smoking, cussing, dirty… people who couldn’t make it in school so they fall back on a trade. I get it, as there are definitely people like that. It’s not that they are directly calling me dumb to my face, but I work my ass off. I may not know mathematical equations or how to code or organic chemistry, but I know how to grind.
Again, this is my experience. There are some very compassionate, trustworthy, artistic and SMART people in the trades. The family member I was employed by for 8 years is legitimately one of, if not the smartest person I know. Multiple ASHRAE awards of excellence and is a walking encyclopedia when it comes to HVAC. Went to school to be an English teacher back in the early 70’s and never used his degree once.
I see that, and again, I get it. I think the mentality of tradespeople being “less than” has to change.
It’s just normal for me. Some days are more.physically demanding than others, but it’s fine. After 10 years of HVAC and 3 years of roofing before that, it’s just a dull ache haha.
Sorry to plug up your log man, but this hits close to home. The lack of labor has consequences for me, so I try to jump in and give my two cents.
1 Like