WORK.. What do you guys do?

[RockShawn]

I take it no one actually believes I'm a fry cook. Or maybe ya'll do.

I have been fortunate enough to have worked in a family business most of my life, learning management and executive skills side by side with manual labor skills. I started out on a framing crew, learned that trade then moved up in the world to the concrete crew. We built and moved houses to rural areas and set them on pier and beam foundations. I was the rat that crawled under the house to shim it tight. I worked my way through all the trades, my dad wanted me to have a firm understanding of how the product was made, not just a practical knowledge. I've always been engineering minded and I reverse engineer shit all the time just to figure out how it was made. I managed his multi-million dollar construction business for 9 years.

Today, after many twists in the road and a bankruptcy of the family construction business, I scraped together enough money to buy out my Dad's granite countertop business. Then found a bank to take a risk on me to purchase CNC and sawing machinery. 4 years later I have the second largest grossing countertop business in the city and only operate with 3 full time and 1 part time employee. In other words I deal with ROCK. God has been gracious to me for sure.

 

[JM750]

Good for you Shawn!

 

[Paulrockr]

I installl windows and doors nothing else just windows and doors for the big orange and big blue.... I lift shit all day lol

 

[peewee]

Carpenter, custom renovation buisness

 

[CB1]

I work for a large Elevator company. Construction, repair, Maintainence and modernization. Decent union job. One of the highest paid blue collar jobs.

 

[flyingfox]

I too am very fortunate. I came from a family that had nothing. We never owned a house, nor a car. When the rent went up, we hadda find a cheaper place to live. Living on the 3rd floor of an apartment house sucks growing up. I can remember one place we were at, there was no heat.
The only heat we had was the stove. On the side of it, you could turn on the thing and heat would come out of it.
I can remember getting up in the AM for school getting dressed next to the stove cause we were freezing.

Fast fwd to my life now and I got it pretty damn good. I have a great job with really good pay. I started out in my trade knowing nothing at all. and worked my way to the top. I was given a great opportunity. Sadly, I'm not so sure that opportunities like I got come that easy anymore. And I really shouldn't use the word easy, because I earned everything I have today. Nothing was given to me. Hard work does pay off.

I feel ya bro, sounds like you grew up in my building! We had the stove heater also...man was it cold in there. I grew up in a dumpy three family house, born to an alcoholic father and a teenage mom. My parents divorced when I was 11 and I remember my mom had to buy ice to fill the cooler because we couldn't afford a refrigerator, tough times but when your a kid you really don't know how bad you have it. I still drive by there once in a while just to remember how little we had and how far we have come. My kids will never know that life....not sure if that good or bad though as there is something to be said for humility.

 

[lith56bigguy]

I feel ya bro, sounds like you grew up in my building! We had the stove heater also...man was it cold in there. I grew up in a dumpy three family house, born to an alcoholic father and a teenage mom. My parents divorced when I was 11 and I remember my mom had to buy ice to fill the cooler because we couldn't afford a refrigerator, tough times but when your a kid you really don't know how bad you have it. I still drive by there once in a while just to remember how little we had and how far we have come. My kids will never know that life....not sure if that good or bad though as there is something to be said for humility.

I can relate to both of you. Conditions weren't that harsh, my ole man became disabled in a mining accident and we still had money coming in however, Ive pretty much held full time jobs since I was 13 yrs old. I had new tvs, vcrs, kick ass stereos etc but it was all purchased by me. I would buy my own school sneakers and alot of clothes just to help out. I would never turn down a chance to make money. Started with my own lawn mowing business at 14, and worked with various contractors(electrical, hvac, framing, masonry, remodeling, etc) from there on out.

 

[mountain monster]

I started out working construction( drywall and remodels mostly) then worked my way through college and got a two year degree as I landed an industrial maintenance job for a company in the sport industry, with two more years of college I recently landed a promotion to part of an R&D and projects engineering team( my dream job for the last 10 years) and now I build, modify and research machines and process techniques for a world leader in our "field" of work. Just returned from 3 weeks in Europe working with the corporate office near Amsterdam. I love my job and slot of hard dork is really starting to pay off these days. Aside from that I'm partners with a good friend of mine developing and managing an online supplement shop that's really still got a lot of work to be done but doing ok for now,and spend what little spare time managing a forum and hanging out on others like this great board thanks to Grimm and all of you!🙂

 

[goodfella]

I installl windows and doors nothing else just windows and doors for the big orange and big blue.... I lift shit all day lol

I was doing this a few summers ago with some $10-20K windows. Heavy as shit, but good pay for only couple hours work (usually sitting/waiting around to set windows inplace). Plus windows had insurance, so had nothing to worry about.

 

[Paulrockr]

I was doing this a few summers ago with some $10-20K windows. Heavy as shit, but good pay for only couple hours work (usually sitting/waiting around to set windows inplace). Plus windows had insurance, so had nothing to worry about.

had a sliding glass door four slabs wide that wieghed 400lbs a slab.... fml had to carry up 2 flights of stairs

 

[goodfella]

had a sliding glass door four slabs wide that wieghed 400lbs a slab.... fml had to carry up 2 flights of stairs

Hahahaha Oh man! I never had to do stairs, but yeah there pretty sick windows, but a bitch to move with those suction cups.

 

[JM750]

I installl windows and doors nothing else just windows and doors for the big orange and big blue.... I lift shit all day lol

As I said, I am a manufacturing engineer for making jet engine parts that fly. I know all the tricks to my trade.
But I'll tell you one thing, I bet I couldn't install a fucking door or a window properly. I dont know the tricks to that trade. And there are tricks to every trade.

The point being here is, I never look down on another mans profession. Installing doors and windows sounds like anyone can do it. But as I just told you, I wouldn't know where to start....

 

[Paulrockr]

As I said, I am a manufacturing engineer for making jet engine parts that fly. I know all the tricks to my trade.
But I'll tell you one thing, I bet I couldn't install a fucking door or a window properly. I dont know the tricks to that trade. And there are tricks to every trade.

The point being here is, I never look down on another mans profession. Installing doors and windows sounds like anyone can do it. But as I just told you, I wouldn't know where to start....

damn JM now i do feel berated hahaha

 

[JM750]

damn JM now i do feel berated hahaha

No! not at all. I only used you as an example cause some would think that installing doors and window is easy. It is only easy to the guy who does it every day and knows all the tricks. I'd be lost. Honestly!

 

[Paulrockr]

No! not at all. I only used you as an example cause some would think that installing doors and window is easy. It is only easy to the guy who does it every day and knows all the tricks. I'd be lost. Honestly!

true story.... lmfao