[M_Six]

That's the way it was in the environmental engineering firm where I once worked. Once you began to amass seniority, you started writing more reports and doing less field work. That's what ruined it for me. I loved the field work and building remediation systems. I hated writing the same dry EPA reports over and over.

[M_Six]

[RJ_]

Originally Posted by UncleWede

Doing the physical labor on weekends reminds me just how cushy my controlled airspace is during the week. I drag my kid along with me, as motivation to stay in school.

When I was detailing uppity German cars at a Mercedes dealership for minimum wage in college, my boss would occasionally check on me while I was dripping sweat on the lot and say, "So you're gonna stay in school, right?"

That definitely stuck with me.

[csu87]

Originally Posted by PoorLurker

Does the progression of the work ladder lend itself to less physical and more mental jobs?

When I drive past a construction site, I typically see the younger people with shovels in their hands while the old people are carrying the plans.

The longer you work, the more you learn, the more you know mentally, therefore, the more you do mentally and the less you do physically?

Pretty much. The more you know, the more you are planning/preparing work instead of actually doing the work. Having a guy with tons of experience doesnt help you at all if all he is doing is using a shovel.

[UncleWede]

Originally Posted by MKSixer

work on a roofing crew for the summer in south Louisiana. It kicked my butt in a way that I will never forget.

There was that one summer I worked with a neighbor painting. They put me up on the roof to paint the eaves with a brush, and it was hot, and I took off my shirt and bent over and exposed my poor young, not yet developed plumbers crack.

Lets just say I've never spent more than about 10 minutes on a roof again while the sun was shining. I think there is still a subtle V

[Flying Ace]

the grass is always greener on the other side with this subject. Mine is 99.9999% mental. On a nice day, I see my father in law who renovates homes work outside, and I'm jealous.

He put me to work a few times when he was working on our house, at that time, it was NOT fun...

Even with physical labor jobs, attention to detail is STILL important...at that point, it becomes physical and mental.

[Flying Ace]

Originally Posted by MKSixer

Mental. Luckily my career allows a 40% time in the field. When I was a college student and wanted to drop out, my dad made me work on a roofing crew for the summer in south Louisiana. It kicked my butt in a way that I will never forget.

I've never done roofing, but I know that's tough.

For 3 months after college back in 2005, when I was still looking for my first real career job, I was doing misc work for an apartment complex for peanuts. Hours were flexible, jobs were a full spectrum of assembly furniture to furnish a unit to minor landscaping and cleanup.

I ran into a high school friend who was doing roofing at the complex for a week. While his pay was double that of mine, he said, it was the worst job ever. His feet and ankles hurt, and by 2 PM, it gets so hot in the summer, he's done for the day, so he starts at like 6:30 AM. That and the risk of falling and injury made me work my butt off to find my first job...

That summer was still fun nevertheless. My best friend from high school and I worked at the same time at the same complex and looking back at it, it was the last time you can work with your friend at a job and not care too much about it.

[John 070]

I'm more cut out for mental, imho, although it can be quite draining when something is going wrong (think back to a situation at work, where you wished there were more than 24 hours in a day so you could make headway on something).

I always thought that you could pay me $300/hr. to do moving and storage, and I'll last maybe a month and quit. It's just miserable for me. I will help a friend move, just that I've often though man if I did this for a living I'd be so miserable....

[Flying Ace]

Originally Posted by John 070

I'm more cut out for mental, imho, although it can be quite draining when something is going wrong (think back to a situation at work, where you wished there were more than 24 hours in a day so you could make headway on something).

I always thought that you could pay me $300/hr. to do moving and storage, and I'll last maybe a month and quit. It's just miserable for me. I will help a friend move, just that I've often though man if I did this for a living I'd be so miserable....

mental is draining....

Often times, I am engaged every hour of the day, eat lunch at my desk, fight traffic to get home, pick up the kid, prep dinner, clean up, by 9PM, you're head is blown....

Moral of the story: Do all your college, continuing education, professional licensing stuff before your life gets more complicated, personal and work!