You and me both. At 6’4, 190 (post holiday weight), stretching is not optional. Trying to get back into weight lifting to prevent injuries from over exertion.
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I am a Senior Platform Engineer (SaaS - Called ServiceNow) for a very large insurance company. I have worked from home for the last 10 years. I work east coast time and live in west . I was a consultant for a long time and then moved into non-consultant work once my kid was born. Ive, been a business analyst, system administrator, ITSM system developer, and I had a web design business for about 3 years. 100% self-taught I still do web design on the side even to this day.
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I’m not sure if the trades would be a good fit for you if your not wanting to deal with peoples drama.
The stress, especially once you hit management, is real on a construction sight.
I’ve been at it for 36 years.
The trades can be brutal, if you show any weakness they will chew you up.
Some Superintendents will fire you for not liking the way you look or looked at them.
Layoffs are always right around the corner and in an economic downturn you will be kicking rocks unless you are related to somebody or know somebody.
This is why so many people left the trades and never came back after the great recession.
The pay has not been keeping up with inflation and fewer and fewer regional councils are even offering a pension.
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this right here should never be a thing. how on earth do they not put in a portion of the hourly wage to the pension fund in a union? granted i’ve never made it past worker into management but every time we got a raise anything left after insurance ate most of it got voted to go into the pension. we were over $9 an hour going in due to all the old pricks that took the money back in the day voting into retirement. would’ve been nice on retirement but for those of us who lost it all due to not being vested it kind of sucked balls. those pricks looked for an excuse in the fourth year to kick you out when i was in. hell, i even quit smoking the entire time too. dirty bastards in the union in wv. at least then.
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I’m not glad I’m poor but it has learned me
To innovate, improvise, learn etc.
I’m a painter but I have done a lot of carpentry
And lots of stuff related to building etc.
I got in my van , it was the weekend
He’ll ya
Started van and put shift in gear and nothing
It moved but did not engage my transmission.
Hmmmm what to do.
I searched 2006 Chevy van transmission issues
Found the shift problem, watched a mechanic
Explain it was a common problem
And fixed it myself, yeah I used a 6 penny nail
To hold it on I get a Carter pin but he’ll
Ya I drove home.
Old lady was like you need to get it towed lol
I just saved myself 700 bucks for repair and tow.
Damn it feels good to be a humble yet
Working man.
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I do demolition in the union and night time I’m. A grower . And on the weekend I’m a fisherman. Love the fishing life
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Get stoned and grow weed…why?
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I work for an old school Hand carwash. I’m outside all day knocking them out one after another. The carwash I work for has been in business for quite a few decades, it’s also a locally owned mom and pop business and it’s pretty cool being able to stimulate the local economy with it for so long. I have a long handled soft hog hair brush on each side of the vehicle that sits in a square 30gal stainless steel container full of lustra Soap solution. I bring a vehicle in one at a time, the customer chooses 1 of 4 types of washes, then they pay me for it. First I pressure wash the vehicle off quickly to help knock off the light road grit and give me a blank wet slate, next I always start on the front bumper with my brush and soap. Scrub scrub . Then to the passenger side front rim tire and passenger window, I’ll work my way back from here. Scrub scrub. Next is the front windshield and passenger side mirror. Scrub scrub. Move onto the back passenger rim and tire, scrub scrub. I’ll Return my brush to its soap container and That side is done, quickly I run over now to the drive side. Grab the brush on that side front it’s vessel and scrub scrub the driver side front rim and tire. Scrub scrub, driver side mirror and window. Scrub scrub. Now it’s time to send them threw the wash so I manually press a button that engages the hydraulic roller wheels to pop up behind the driver side tire because the vehicle is being washed on a track/guide. since the customers vehicle is in neutral by this time the hydraulic roller will slowly start to bring the vehicle into the main carwash. While that’s happening I (believe it or not ) scrub scrub the driver side back rim and tire then finally scrub the back window/ trunk area, back and bumper!! With the hydraulic roller guiding the vehicle into the carwash I do my finishing touches on the vehicle and it’s on its way to get hit with all the chemical soap solutions, waxes, foam fingers and microfiber brushes that finish up the majority of the vehicle, just like that I’m guiding the next customer onto the track and do it all over… one after another… all day long. Believe it or not I love my job and look forward to being there every day I work. When it gets busy and vehicles line up it becomes extremely hard work, a fast paced intense cardio workout. However though it is incredibly satisfying to me. Here’s a bonus, if I’m lucky the customer will tip me a few bucks before I prep the car for the wash, I don’t have to declare or split my tips with anybody. What I make I keep as well as my hourly wage. Those tips add up pretty quick when you knock out 60-90 vehicles in 6-8 hours alone. Everyday is an endurance test and I look forward to passing it with flying colors. It’s truly an honest days work, a lost occupation. I am 37 now but physically I feel much younger, I have developed an incredible worth ethic. It’s not for everyone either, some people can’t handle the constant go go go of it. after quite a few years nowI have become acclimated. My movements are deliberate and intentional I have become smooth like silk. I work at a carwash and I scrub scrub scrub.
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Your job brought me back in time.
Does a hand job, no pun intended, car wash, cost a fortune?
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Best post ive read in a while
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I work for the military industrial complex
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Haha, you know what? No it doesn’t cost a fortune, it’s cheaper that Mister carwash, Metro carwash and any of the other touchless car washes in town. It’s attached to 76 gas station which is also owned by the same family. They have kept the prices of the washes down over the years because the store makes most of the money for both business to operate day to day no matter what. The cheapest basic wash is $8 and the most expensive with all the bells and whistles is $14. Our most expensive wash is still cheaper than any of our competitors least expensive.
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i worked washing cars at the capitol city auto auction in wv for about six months. we hand washed almost 400-500 cars in a week in two lines. well, used soft brushes on a stick by hand. we worked until 3 or 4 in the morning on wed and thu. ended up with like 50 hours in four days of work. i had about 6% body fat while i did that, kept me in great shape. sucked balls in the winter time though. i loved that job, great mindless work and i got to drive almost all the newer cars made, even if it was only pulling them up to the wash bay.
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Loved reading this. It’s awesome to see folks that take pride in their work. Seems so rare nowadays.
Wish I could bring my car through and give you a healthy tip 
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Love the story bro! 
Glad you’re happy and doing something you enjoy.
The exercise is a sweet bonus too!
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If you came threw and said you my fellow OG brethren,i wouldn’t charge you a dime ever. The only tip I would ever accept from you would be garden advice
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Thanks man, I was a professional corporate chef for 13 years before this. then the pandemic happened so I just needed something to fill time until the food industry was cool with getting a bunch of people together in the same room without freaking out. I kind of fell in love with this very simple kind of work, very low responsibility and I don’t have to answer to psychopaths in suits that look right threw you. I couldn’t be happier lol.
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this is the key to a long life. a lot less stress helps with that. i work for myself and have for almost 11 years and think of going to work for someone else again so i can have a retirement and a steady income that i can count on, then i think of your very next sentence in the comment and stay right where i am. if you ever get to this part of the country (charleston area wv) hit me up and we’ll have a safety meeting.
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Oh, I love safety meetings. If I’m ever that way, I will definitely hit you up.
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I’m a caretaker… With IHSS and I love it…thanks everyone for sharing and caring
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