I include myself in that. I’m an expert in the exciting world of caulks and sealants, which I usually describe as a sad commentary on my life.
We all play a part. I was just miffed at the argument that there’s no honor is turning a wrench.
I was just miffed at the argument that there’s no honor is turning a wrench.
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Just getting tired of the well-worn argument made by many here on any employment/jobs thread that “if you only were a blue-collar plumber, electrician, welder, etc”, you would be doing well, and they absolutely have disdain for anyone that took the college and white-collar route.
Of course there is honor and much value in that.
My dad was a master carpenter. He didn’t graduate from HS but could do math in his head like nobody’s business, figure angles, square footage, etc. all in his head and could make everything from furniture to houses and also worked in heavy construction, high rise office and apartment buildings when he was younger.
Not long before he retired he won an AIA craftsmanship award for the work he did on the restoration of a 250+ year old church in Baltimore in the construction and installation of recreated wooden doors and a wooden staircase.
Even though I was a girl, my dad taught me how to do the math, read blue prints and some basic carpentry, electrical, plumbing skills and even car maintenance.
When I was a teenager he and I spent every weekend one winter restoring a 1941 Chris Craft boat he bought for $300 that everyone in the marina told him was a waste of time, but when done it was a beautiful boat that he and I spend many hours cruising and fishing in the Chesapeake Bay, and yes, he also taught me how to navigate a boat and fish.
And I can’t tell you how those skills helped me in life. I have done things like repair a toilet, install a new light fixture with a dimming switch, a ceiling fan, a new thermostat, replace a P-Trap under my kitchen sink, all on my own and at a great savings by doing it myself.
When I bought my first car, he taught me some basic auto mechanic saying “I might not always be around to help you and you might not have a husband who can do this so you better learn some things” like how to change a tire, change the oil and air filter, how to replace headlight bulbs, basics on how an engine works. And when I took my car to a mechanic, there was more than one time that I avoided getting ripped off because I had some of this basic knowledge.
When I moved into my first apartment he gave me a basic tool kit and tool belt which I still own and cherish.
He was also very proud of me graduating from HS with honors and getting into accounting because he saw the value in that too.