Similar story (sort of). After uni I went into IT for about 16 years. Climbed the corporate ladder fairly quickly, but decided I had enough when I looked at my calender one week and had 40 hour long meetings scheduled back to back for the entire week. Went into carpentry/construction then for about 6-7 years and learned a lot, and then moved into consultancy in the domestic energy sector for a while. I'm back in IT now but am building my own house at the weekends. It is slow but I can build it exactly how I want, and it is also massively satisfying knowing you are building your own house.
Ive rarely known pride in a job well done in an office like I used to every week in the building trades - and I wasnt even building my own place at the time!
I absolutely loved being able to look at something and think that it wasnt even there before I started, or how I had ripped out the old and installed new and now the place looks immeasurably better etc.
I ended up in development work, mostly VBA and SQL, and later SAS, and its the only thing thats come close to the same feeling.
Unsurprisingly because you start with a blank canvas and build something...
I was having a good chat with my aunt there about her kids, and how they fudged around in college switching courses for years. They hadn't a clue what they wanted to do and cost her a fortune. Never finished anything. She suggested that it might be better to let kids into the workforce for a few years, make some money, maybe learn a trade and then go to college later in life when they know what they want to do. I think it is good advice and might go that way with my own kids.
There are a whole load of jobs that will disappear with automation or be washed away by climate change. The trades will always be important though.
My eldest is half way through her GCSEs, and so is beginning to look at college options. Unsurprisingly she doesnt have a plan in life, she doesnt know what she wants to do etc - and shes 15 so why would she?
I put it to her, much to the Mrs annoyance, that she seriously consider apprenticing. And I stand by it.
To my mind, she can spend another 2 years at college wasting her time, and then hit the workforce at 18 with not a clue and not a skill, or she can spend 2 years learning a trade and hit the workforce at 18 with an advantage.
Took a while for the logic of that to sink in with the Mrs, she was very much pre programmed to expect college simply because thats what people do.
Similar to me. 12 years out of the trades and i do miss the camaraderie, challenges, problem solving, and plain old pride in what you create. BUT its hard graft and full of bricky dust and chemicals. i see some 60 year old spreads or brickies and they're shot and have little choice but keep on churning it out. That the reason i got out of it, didn't want to grind myself down and physically ruin myself, i still retain the skills though.
The primary reason I never went back. Im nearly 40, been out of the game a good while, and still have my health (mostly, as you say below).
Mate of mine, a year older, his shoulder is shot, chronic neck problems and lower back issues. My dad was the same. So was his dad. So was just about every guy I ever saw working. Its unforgiving and can ruin you physically.
The other thing was regular money, sick pay, holiday pay, had a young family and needed the security.
Id be lying if I said I didnt miss it though. Have a mate who is a scaffolder, am looking to get a bit of weekend work with him - pretty much for the nostalgia to be honest.
That said...The office chair is literally a killer...sitting 8 hours a day could be worse than the building site? Physically and mentally. As in everything, there is a balance and somehow you 've got to mix it up (and some jobs do that for you).
Currently in my spare hours project managing (and sh.it is it taking up a lot of my time) the extension and full renovation of our current home (and 'doing bits' myself as well, i have the skills
) The Regs have moved on a bit so some nightime reading of Part B, Part L etc etc is great fun
Not joking, by mid afternoon my ass hurts. Its like I dont have enough of a backside to cushion properly or something
I need to manage my posture carefully and make sure I get up and move around. Ended up starting at the gym a while back which has helped massively, otherwise I could be running into a different set of issues than if I had stayed building...
