Well done, sir! Well done! That pride is justified.think I'm a proud Dad?
Well done, sir! Well done! That pride is justified.think I'm a proud Dad?
My father was incredibly smart but grew up poor, and lacked higher education. So, he pushed college like mad (while giving me great DIY practical skills, as the thread title and my original post note). I ended up getting an MBA and worked in the corporate world before starting my own company years ago.Seems to me the smarter investment would have been to keep those trade - oriented public schools.
He wasn't in much of a laughing mood after figuring out how badly he had been ripped off. Looking back on it, I've decided you just can't prevent some people from running off a cliff or into a wall. He could have saved half by getting advice from several experienced people, but he instead went with advice from people who know nothing about home repair. Ya just can't fix that.As to the OP's situation at the watering hole, I would have pointed out to the other person that hot water does not need to be heated (hopefully to get a laugh)
FWIW, we interveiwed an EE with a BS degree and he couldn't answer basic questions. I used to work in process control in pulp and paper so we spilled a bucket of old photocells, power supplies, 4-20ma stuff.... he couldn't ID a thing. But don't you worry, someone in HR will hire him but he's useless to me. I'll take self taught over degree any day. Self taught shows initiative and ambition.My dad was a time served Coach builder, he taught me nothing other than how to get shouted at when holding a torch that did not shine directly on the nut he was undoing. I am self taught (don't count the engineering degree as its of no practical use), have my own workshop with Lathe and Bridgeport Mill and learn new stuff all the time. Also I do not shout.
I had a similar thing happen to me. Dad always yelled at me for leaving the garage door open after I had left the house. I Profusely claimed I closed it everytime. After I had moved across the state, and hadn't been home for almost a year, he calls me to chew me out about leaving the garage door open again, I reminded him I live 4 hours away and haven't seen him in months... the phone went silent and all he said was, "I have to call your mother..."My dad was forever mad at me for losing his tools. about 10 years after I'd moved out of the house, I was riding in the back of their car... dad had an epiphany.. he was still missing tools and I hadn't been home in 10 years. He looked at my mother.... a light bulb went on in his head. lol
Your...I had a similar thing happen to me. Dad always yelled at me for leaving the garage door open after I had left the house. I Profusely claimed I closed it everytime. After I had moved across the state, and hadn't been home for almost a year, he calls me to chew me out about leaving the garage door open again, I reminded him I live 4 hours away and haven't seen him in months... the phone went silent and all he said was, "I have to call you're mother..."
It's hard to build a career out of being 'self taught'. I'm a self-taught embedded firmware developer who started messing with my dad's accounting computer back in about 1978. I was kicked out of university for reasons we won't delve into but the end result was I got my first industry job in 1986. It was a hard road consistently making less than my degree'd co-workers, some of whom I identified as high-functioning idiots (and of course, many who were awesome at their jobs); being passed up for promotions, getting the crap-tasks, etc. It wasn't until 2007 that I was recruited by a company who wasn't allowed to hire me as an employee because I didn't have a degree so they offered to hire me as a contractor. Suddenly I was being paid a lot, valued for my skills and what I brought to the table. I was also recruited by other companies and worked on some amazing products. Finally retired at 56. The big reward for me was mentoring a high school robotics team because I craved showing kids that they can conceive of ideas, come up with a design, and build it with their hands. I love the look on kids faces the first time they use a drill press to make a hole in some metal because their parents have no tools and pickup the phone to get things fixed around the house. Many of these kids go on to STEM type programs/roles because they now have a passion for that stuff.I'll take self taught over degree any day. Self taught shows initiative and ambition.
OK, may be a dumb question. I have a large slab I need to construct for my Garage/workshop. Is it worth mixing your own concrete versus having a trucks come in for the pour? Does it save much money?Mixed about 750 bags of concrete by hand.
Good question. I had to use 80lb bags, because the 1000ft dirt driveway wouldn't allow a large delivery.OK, may be a dumb question. I have a large slab I need to construct for my Garage/workshop. Is it worth mixing your own concrete versus having a trucks come in for the pour? Does it save much money?
No. For two reasons. The bagged concrete mix is not the best since it has very small aggregate and also the work involved to mix and pour is a lot.OK, may be a dumb question. I have a large slab I need to construct for my Garage/workshop. Is it worth mixing your own concrete versus having a trucks come in for the pour? Does it save much money?
Run the numbers (for concrete costs in your area) but in my experience, the redi mix trucks wins. I own a 5 gallon mortar mixer and a 1/3 yard mixer my grandfather used back in the day before redi mix. I have concrete rock and sand on hand. But to fill the 3 foot x 9.5 foot holes for my next array, it will take 4 yards and I'll be ahead with redi mix just due to time.OK, may be a dumb question. I have a large slab I need to construct for my Garage/workshop. Is it worth mixing your own concrete versus having a trucks come in for the pour? Does it save much money?