Scumbag Employers

[Tarsun2]

i "can" weld but am not good at it. with that being said, i really enjoy it. fixing, building, creating. i like the whole idea of a day to learn and a lifetime to master.

your story sounds familiar.
going into college, im asked for a major. what do i want to do for the rest of my life? well how the hell am i supposed to know that; i havent really done anything. (aside from BS jobs in HS).
wound up changing my major 3 or 4 times.
ive done everything from dishwasher to cook, fairgrounds to gas station, construction to painter, green house to lifeguard.
i always enjoyed cooking but saw early on how demanding that can be; and the employment cap of being a short order cook.

automotive is a passion of mine and was doing motor swaps in HS, fixing small engines in elementary school, and wound up working at a garage after college. i enjoyed it but hated the dishonesty amongst mechs AND customers. hated being greasy and dirty, hated being forced to work on others peoples cars and being called a cheat and liar when i would point out issues on customers cars.

i went back to college for Biomedical engineering.
had maybe $20 between checking and savings accounts. would get shoes at salvation army and eat mustard sandwiches at work until my 1st paycheck. After that, after struggling while going to school, things started getting better.
i love what i do, $ is no issue and the device is either fixed/working 100% or is broken. theres no "band-aid repairs". theres no "it kindda works". its 100% or nothing. and i really enjoy that.

started at the bottom fixing IV pumps and worked my way up to ventilation/respiratory.
man oh man, being the vent guy during covid was extremely challenging and rewarding.

as a plus, theres no BS in the medical filed. too much liability.

[Twisted G]

Tarsun2 Great job man. You got what I am after. .

[Twisted G]

Paintslinger16 "You know sometimes this is just testing your mettle. Remember you have just met this gruff dude, but he’s probably met a couple dozen of you. You a being any newbie, and probably 2/3 rd of them quit. Which I guess you did also? What you described isn’t an actual apprenticeship sounds more like a helper position and if you make it more then a few days, the gruff guy gets a little nicer and they start investing in you. If you bail cause the kitchen is to hot, they get another helper and move on.
Everyone pays dues and expect everything is a test, be the best MF you can be, see what happens.
I am 60 this year, I have paid many dues, probably more then I needed to".

Im a little at a loss with this but I understand the jist of what you mean. Yeah both guys are C**** because life has made him that way. They have seen s*** and because of it they don't take none. The first guy was cool for the first few days but turned a switch on the last day and was so angry he was yelling at me for something he misplaced himself (same guy who was high and almost crashed the van). When I called him out on getting mad at me for something he did, he went on this whole spiel about the marines core and how I should just take his s*** and be quiet and obedient (like I wasn't already do everything asked of me). Yeah I asked him shortly after that if he still wanted to train me and he said no but its your call if you want to stay. I chose not to. And if the homeowner really did call the company like he said he would he probably does not work their still either. If you are going through dozens of helpers that says more on the employer than the employee does it not? High turnover rates is not a good business strategy. You either believe in the golden rule and treat other the way you want to be treated like god intended or you don't. He did not. Sorry but just because you know how to turn a wrench or swing a hammer gives you no right to be mean. You are mixing up good natured ribbing and busting balls and just being an a**hole.

The kitchen is hot analogy is hilarious to me since my roommate got all the way to executive chef and eventually ran an entire restaurant as the general manager. Yeah people are yelling a lot (cocaine is a helluva drug) but he had no tolerance for c****. Just because you can cut and dice faster than someone gave you no excuse to curse and insult someone. Allowing behavior like that is why these jobs I left still have ads online looking for workers. A big reason companies have high turn over rates is because of poor employee treatment. No one with any self respect is going to take s*** from someone being unnecessarily aggressive or cruel. I have had jobs where that is not case and so I will not work where its the standard. Sorry but life is difficult enough already. I don't need to add any more on to it. You are right they were not apprenticeships in the traditional sense but they were still "trade skill" type jobs and I was their to help them first and learn from them second. I never lied in my interviews and I told them I was completely a newb and I want to learn. Having knowledge is not an excuse to belittle those who do not know. Sorry my dad was a drunk who never taught me anything and you were rebuilding engines together by age 10 (talking to them not you btw) .

And the other guy. Yeah f*** him. I'm not a dog, I don't respond to grunts. If asking someone where exactly they want a tool placed in the van is enough to get them screaming mad at you. Go find someone else to be your punching bag.

Trust me I am still taking your advice. Not that I did not think I wasn't being the best employee I could be. .

[Paintslinger16]

I don’t doubt that last guy and probably a few of the others you have worked for were complete dumb asses that probably have no business running a business. I have went through it, my son had a similar situation as you with a fence guy he was working for ( under the table) while he was laid off. The guy was a owner and actually treated him well, but he couldn’t line up the job and have the material ready to save his own ass, Because my son was probably one of the best workers, not only worked hard but was smart he paid him full days a couple time when he as the owner didn’t have his shit together. But he couldn’t continuously do that and did the be there 0700 and then not show up with materials until 10 or 11.
Find an actual apprenticeship, though the plumbers Carpenters or Electrical union.
You will not get dicked around like the fly by night landscaping or fence installers.
Not knowing your area you may have to move a bit to find something, just bust your ass and learn everything.
That way you can honestly say, I did everything you asked and went above it.
Nothing saying that’s the absolute golden ticket, but it gets you forward, I quit over .10 cents once. And that next job was a really good gig for the next 21 years.

[Twisted G]

Paintslinger16 I am really looking hard into welding. I really am tired of the BS. I want to have a reason to have respect. I know a reason people treat me like s*** is because of my lack of skills and knowledge. I really want to change that. .

[Tarsun2]

find a job in what interests you. "you cant fake enthusiasm" - LK from Ammo NYC. he left the NY stock exchange to wash cars because thats what he was passionate about. once you figure that out, you'll be loving life all while having a skill set that cant be easily replaced.
even if it takes 2 years... it goes by quick. and you can use that time to build up connections.
the hospital i work at has partnered up in the past with the college i went to. even though the hospital was not on the colleges list of internship locations; i was able to make it work by talking to the right people and putting the right people in touch with each other.

you got this. it aint too late.