AndyG's favorite 4 letter word: work

AndyG

Because some other guys are perverts
Lifetime Supporting Member
Joined
Jul 30, 2018
Messages
15,995
Location
Alabama
I hear and see so much wrong in society, and I know all societies’ have ills, but humor me-

What happened to the value of work?

What do you mean Andy? A lot.

First of all, work is the foundation of our personal economy- or at least always has been mine. Why in the world would people avoid it and have less? It is a great money making scheme.

Secondly, nowhere in the world is it rewarded better to my knowledge. You can make a buck here. Ask Bill Gates.

When I was young my parents drilled it into me- work was essential. You wanted to do it well. You wanted to be known as a “good worker”. You needed to do a good job, and get it done and clean up and put up the tools and prepare for the next day.

Why? Because Mom would beat your butt if you didn’t, but mostly because you were praised and bragged on if you made Mom happy. She was a tough customer.

What did being a good worker mean?

You didn’t complain. You shut up, focused and got it done- all the way done. You didn’t argue, debate or try to get out of it. If you were smart.

I’m not talking about skill, really evolved skill only comes as a result of putting in the time, the effort, the failed tries and redo’s. Skill is a master course, but work is the foundation all valuable skill is built on. Once you master work, and gain mastery of the skills you need, the next step beyond that is being a professional- playing hurt, rain or shine, every day.

What I’m talking about isn’t about knowing how to perform a trade or vocation- I’m talking about an underlying attitude of showing up, on time, applying yourself and making sure you do all you are asked and little more. In other words, the basics to being a valued worker.

Really most of our education doesn’t cross over into applicable job knowledge- but not going out to play and getting your work done does.

There are still some winners going into the work force- and in my opinion good work habits will mean almost guaranteed success against the typical worker of the future.

Am I right? Love to hear your thoughts -

Andy
 
Last edited:
I came here for an F-Bomb.

Well now that you bring that up I’m in the construction business and that word has been uttered a few times-

And where I’m going is here-

You would not believe some of the people that have come to work for my company with real experience that were blown away with what we expected-

I have lost so many people because they simply would not even come close to considering what their potential might be

I had a photograph on my phone for a long time where two guys ran trim for hours- They produced so little work that you could put the scraps in your pants pocket- one pocket. They were a joke. And this is when you can get them to come to the job, 2 days a week.

At the same time my lead carpenter could measure and cut an entire house of trim while 3 to 4 guys tried to stay ahead of him nailing-

I have seen a guy come to work and set like four pieces of tile- And I have been the guy that went into a bathroom and set 996 pieces of tile in one day- After we leveled the tub and corrected any other basic mistakes left to us by the contractor.

Occasionally I would take a guy that would not have a good performance and start paying him by the job- I would get pretty upset sometimes when I realized how much they were holding back working by the hour.

A lot of this is just really a matter of how people are introduced into the trades and what they are told is considered a good days work-

My son recently worked as a helper for a commercial electrical company and he was nearly disheartened by the indifference of the workers on getting the job done that was terribly behind schedule and would not have been had they just worked anywhere close to the way they should work each day. If you are getting paid over $30 an hour and sitting on a ladder for extended periods of time talking to the other guy on a ladder (keeping him from working) about football, You’re not giving your company anywhere close to what they are paying you for- And all the experience in the world doesn’t matter if it’s not being put to use.

One of the biggest obstacles I run into hiring people is trying to get them to understand what a good days work should look like at the end of the day.

I had one guy tell me that I was embarrassing him- He needed to be embarrassed. His performance was embarrassing me.

It is amazing that these will always be the same people who swear up-and-down that life is unfair and that they just don’t have it as good as they deserve. Everybody has it exactly as good as they deserve. Most people have exactly the amount of success they have earned.

For the most part everybody can be just as successful as somebody else- The difference is that some are willing to do what it takes.

Professional golfer Gary Player was approached by someone who said they would give anything to be as good as him-

He said no you would not. He said you would not get up at five in the morning and hit 1000 balls with your hands bleeding. You would not live out of a suitcase in the trunk of your car trying to chase the dream.
 
Gen Z's favorite four letter word they can't even spell... Gvmt. Apparently everything should be equal, no matter what it is or who works hard. Hopefully the next generation gives a care, as I know my kids will, and reverses this course.
 
  • Like
  • USA Proud
Reactions: DEValken and RINC
Gen Z's favorite four letter word they can't even spell... Gvmt. Apparently everything should be equal, no matter what it is or who works hard. Hopefully the next generation gives a care, as I know my kids will, and reverses this course.
That is pretty much the fundamental thinking behind socialism.

The main problem with it is it’s simply rewards in difference and punishes excellence.

Another thing about it that really bothers me is it makes people actually buy into the idea that people are going to go to Washington and do things that will keep them from having to make the effort they should. Politicians have come to recognize that and they pander to that.

What we need to see a little more of is the killer instinct. It thrills me to see a young man who is absolutely determined to make something of himself. Ambitious.

It is an idiot who thinks somebody else is going to do it all for him- Especially if they think a politician is that person - Politicians are going to go up there and do whatever they want to like they’ve always done.

And I’m not cynical- We have a form of government that has worked beyond our founders’ wildest dreams I believe...But it was not created with the kind of thinking we see today.

Our government was never designed to support, reward or enable people not to work. It was designed to free us of taxation that was crippling enterprise and the desire to succeed.
 
Last edited:
Really most of our education doesn’t cross over into applicable job knowledge- but not going out to play and getting your work done does.

Agree with it. I joined a good (as I thought) university, but after one year I realized that I'll become a typical worker which you talk about. I started to buy my abstracts for university (because my parents wanted me to graduate) and begin my self-education. Soon I found my first work (it was nonrelated to the field I wanted to develop in) that helped me to understand in which way I must connect with customers. Life experience is more important than the papers we all did at the lection.
 
  • Like
Reactions: AndyG
Agree with it. I joined a good (as I thought) university, but after one year I realized that I'll become a typical worker which you talk about. I started to buy my abstracts for university (because my parents wanted me to graduate) and begin my self-education. Soon I found my first work (it was nonrelated to the field I wanted to develop in) that helped me to understand in which way I must connect with customers. Life experience is more important than the papers we all did at the lection.

And the combination of both can be extremely powerful- I’m not against education. People just don’t need to let school interfere with getting an education.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Hopper and Zorba
Agree with it. I joined a good (as I thought) university, but after one year I realized that I'll become a typical worker which you talk about. I started to buy my abstracts for university here https://ca.edubirdie.com/science-help (because my parents wanted me to graduate) and begin my self-education. Soon I found my first work (it was nonrelated to the field I wanted to develop in) that helped me to understand in which way I must connect with customers. Life experience is more important than the papers we all did at the lection.

And the combination of both can be extremely powerful- I’m not against education. People just don’t need to let school interfere with getting an education.
I agree with you