Kudos to those who really work for a living..

[jcj]

I admit it. I have a desk job. The closest I come to doing any manual labor at work is making coffee when it runs out.. I'm not lazy, but it's the nature of my job.

Today I volunteered to help a coworker fix his car. Spent the entire day and part of the evening crawling around under the car turning wrenches.

Satisfying work, but the muscle aches are reminding me that those who go out every day and do the tough jobs deserve major respect. I've done it myself, but it's obviously been a while.

I enjoyed seeing the car repairs completed successfully more than anything I've accomplished at work in a long time.

Just thought I'd share some totally irrelevant thoughts from my day.

[Murgatroy]

I used to do manual labor.

Then I worked my way to a desk job. I have gotten very lazy.

[gregintenn]

Well stated. I've done both, and while I actually prefer the labor, I've found that the management type job pays better and is more stable.

[vontar]

Well stated. I've done both, and while I actually prefer the labor, I've found that the management type job pays better and is more stable.

I have a desk job, have not found a way into management though. Funny I see problems but I am not allowed to act on them.

At times I wish I could get outside and do something hands on, until the weather gets bad then I am glad to be indoors again.

Don't get me wrong, I have done some manual factory work, it is satisfying when done and you sleep well afterwards but it does not pay as well.

Edited February 20, 2011 by vontar

[mav]

While I have never had an office job, I have had a labor intensive job as well as a lab job. I have found that the lab job a lot more tiring and stressful than the labor intensive job. Having 50 something people running to you for answers every 2 minutes can really be a drain on you.

[Mechanic_X]

No way would I work on cars all day long....Oh wait a minute...

"There is honor in a hard days work." Doesn't make it less hard.

I am good at what I do and there is satisfaction at pushing them in and driving them out.

[Good_Steward]

Not to bash, so please don't take it that way, but I am a QA manager for two manufacturing facilities in Chattanooga. While my job is not labor intensive, my mind and body hurt every day when I get to go home (whatever time of the day or night that may be), and then get to deal with work until I go to bed and then hopefully no middle of the night calls, which are relatively frequent with new product runs. I have a direct staff of 2 QA / Process Engineers, 2 Lead Auditors, and 8 Inspectors, to go along with 300+ production employees. I also "get" to travel about 25%, deal with suppliers, customers, and DC's, and third party auditors, as well as make sure we are compliant with ever changing federal regs. I'll admit, I'm a self described workaholic, and I truly do enjoy my job, but I promise I slept a lot better when I could clock out and just go home with no worries.

Edited February 20, 2011 by Good_Steward

[gregintenn]

I promise I slept a lot better when I could clock out and just go home with no worries.

...and that's where the more money comes in. A lot of people who've only worked manual labor jobs do not understand this.

[Guest Bronker]

My grandfather always told me to "find a way to work smart, not hard."

Of course he also tells everybody that I have a job where I get out of breath just picking up my paycheck.

A wise-a$$, but wise nonetheless!

[LagerHead]

Not to bash, so please don't take it that way, but I am a QA manager for two manufacturing facilities in Chattanooga. While my job is not labor intensive, my mind and body hurt every day when I get to go home (whatever time of the day or night that may be), and then get to deal with work until I go to bed and then hopefully no middle of the night calls, which are relatively frequent with new product runs. I have a direct staff of 2 QA / Process Engineers, 2 Lead Auditors, and 8 Inspectors, to go along with 300+ production employees. I also "get" to travel about 25%, deal with suppliers, customers, and DC's, and third party auditors, as well as make sure we are compliant with ever changing federal regs. I'll admit, I'm a self described workaholic, and I truly do enjoy my job, but I promise I slept a lot better when I could clock out and just go home with no worries.

Work to live. Don't live to work. You're going to give yourself a premature heat attack.

[jcj]

I promise I slept a lot better when I could clock out and just go home with no worries.

So did I. Like you, I have the dreaded company paid cell phone and occasionally get calls at all hours. Last year while I was on vacation I spent 7 hours one day trying to get an app I support up and running again. Not the best way to relax.

There's stress and rewards to be had in all types of work, for sure.

[deerslayer]

Not to bash, so please don't take it that way, but I am a QA manager for two manufacturing facilities in Chattanooga. While my job is not labor intensive, my mind and body hurt every day when I get to go home (whatever time of the day or night that may be), and then get to deal with work until I go to bed and then hopefully no middle of the night calls, which are relatively frequent with new product runs. I have a direct staff of 2 QA / Process Engineers, 2 Lead Auditors, and 8 Inspectors, to go along with 300+ production employees. I also "get" to travel about 25%, deal with suppliers, customers, and DC's, and third party auditors, as well as make sure we are compliant with ever changing federal regs. I'll admit, I'm a self described workaholic, and I truly do enjoy my job, but I promise I slept a lot better when I could clock out and just go home with no worries.

+1

I didn't know how good I had it when I was a manual laborer.

[Guest mikedwood]

Mainly now I do computer work and webpages, sometimes I run network wire and that is getting farther between. It's pretty physical running the wire and I can tell a difference when I do.

The last couple of months I do something physical everyday like walking or a workout video and lift weights 3 times a week. It has really helped me cause I was getting pretty sorry physically doing noting but typing.

[Rightwinger]

No way would I work on cars all day long....Oh wait a minute...

"There is honor in a hard days work." Doesn't make it less hard.

I am good at what I do and there is satisfaction at pushing them in and driving them out.

That's something you can hang your hat on! Shamelessly stolen from a great song.

[gregintenn]

I applaud anyone who makes a living via physical labor. I've done it, but I found out I wasn't able to work hard enough to provide the kind of lifestyle I wanted for my family. I decided to "work smarter" rather than harder.

[DWARREN123]

I like manual labor, it allows me to work with both my hands and mind.

[Mike.357]

the biggest thing I see of blue collar vs. white collar is that white collar guys are fairly expendable. The world will always need those who are tradesman or work with their brawn.

If the world is EMP'd and all you know is how to run a computer network you are going to be down the list on the foodchain. But the guy who can weld, make things with his hands, or is used to working with their back will be on top.

[mav]

If the world is EMP'd and all you know is how to run a computer network you are going to be down the list on the foodchain. But the guy who can weld, make things with his hands, or is used to working with their back will be on top.

If you remember from One Second After, they were also taking in chemists, so I might have some use.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

There are various stresses and downfalls to the occupations.

Some endeavors that are fun as a hobby get miserable if you have to work fast enough to make enough production to pay the bills.

Jobs which require too little thinking can become boring. Jobs which require too much thinking leave you blown out worse than hard labor at the end of the day.

I do best when I can work on a single project to completion, then work on the next project to completion. Paying full attention to just one thing at a time. It is nice if the pace of the work can be slow enough to make sure to do the job right, rather than slapping together the first thing that works just so the issue can be checked off the to-do list.

Some jobs are not physically demanding as bad as roofing or digging ditches, but require simultaneous attention to many details at the same time. A juggling act. Hospital jobs, or medical jobs in general may be like that. When I worked in that field awhile, there always seemed to be ten different things that needed to be done right away. There were just as many different things that needed done right away when you clocked out as there were when you clocked in.

That environment would whoop me mentally. I'd go home confused and stay confused all night. A persistent feeling that there were many things I had forgotten to do. Folks in medical fields seem to need good ability to juggle lots of things simultaneously.

Perhaps police and emergency work is the same kind of juggling act. Dunno.

[Guest Bronker]

If you remember from One Second After, they were also taking in chemists, so I might have some use.

At 6'7" and 350 lbs, I'd apparently be useful to the Posse. For at least three days.

[Rightwinger]

Not after they compared calories needed to keep you producing work vs the calories you could provide the rest! LOL

[Good_Steward]

the biggest thing I see of blue collar vs. white collar is that white collar guys are fairly expendable. The world will always need those who are tradesman or work with their brawn.

If the world is EMP'd and all you know is how to run a computer network you are going to be down the list on the foodchain. But the guy who can weld, make things with his hands, or is used to working with their back will be on top.

Please don't underestimate white collar folks. It's good to be able to use brawn, but without direction, it's pretty useless. This is when engineers will rule the world.

[peejman]

Not to bash, so please don't take it that way, but I am a QA manager for two manufacturing facilities in Chattanooga. While my job is not labor intensive, my mind and body hurt every day when I get to go home (whatever time of the day or night that may be), and then get to deal with work until I go to bed and then hopefully no middle of the night calls, which are relatively frequent with new product runs. I have a direct staff of 2 QA / Process Engineers, 2 Lead Auditors, and 8 Inspectors, to go along with 300+ production employees. I also "get" to travel about 25%, deal with suppliers, customers, and DC's, and third party auditors, as well as make sure we are compliant with ever changing federal regs. I'll admit, I'm a self described workaholic, and I truly do enjoy my job, but I promise I slept a lot better when I could clock out and just go home with no worries.

You sir, have the single most sucky job in all of modern manufacturing. I mean that in the nicest way. While I've never been a Quality Manager, I've been an engineer in factories long enough to know that I'll never be a Quality Manager.

Manual laborers have a direct outlet to relieve some stress, both in the actual work and in the environment. Us pencil pushers trapped in a stuffy office don't get that (other than on the fax machine...). I get far more satisfaction from spending a saturday working in my yard than most anything I've accomplished professionally.

[Punisher84]

Please don't underestimate white collar folks. It's good to be able to use brawn, but without direction, it's pretty useless. This is when engineers will rule the world.

"God help us. Our lives are in the hands of engineers." -Jurassic Park

[Good_Steward]

"God help us. Our lives are in the hands of engineers." -Jurassic Park

lol! Touche!