With most people there are a lot of jobs in the span of a lifetime. You will probably have a different job every 5 years on average in this day and age compared to our parents and grandparents who had careers that spanned over a course of 20-40 years, and sometimes longer.
My father was an equipment operator for over 45 years. He handled everything from a Massey-Ferguson135 pulling a Bush Hog to a Ford 4500 Backhoe, and everything in between. Before that he worked for a trailer co. in Santa Fe Springs, CA. He was part of a crew responsible for wiring the lights on the trailers (running lights, brake lights, etc.); as well as a couple of other jobs as a teenager.
As a child, I wanted to be an astronaut. That dream ended when I first saw the film “Alien” at in 1980. I was 9 years old and very much into the sci-fi genre. After seeing the film, I discussed the real implications of such a find with my mother (a nurse), and she mentioned that not only could life be so alien to our way of thinking if we were to encounter it in space, but that it would most likely be viral or bacterial in nature and we’d never even see it coming. Needless to say, I decided to be a Truck Driver within a couple of hours after that discussion.
Once I graduated from school, I followed my father’s foot-steps and became an equipment operator. I worked side-by-side with him on the job for over 11 years. Operating everything from a Ford 2910 with everything from Pak-Forks to Jacobsen mowers hooked up to her, on up to running a Massey-Ferguson 20B Skip-Loader.
Then came the decision to move on to larger equipment, and I went to CRST to get my CDL. After a few months with them, I switched over to Werner Enterprises. They were a better company for me and I liked the equipment hands-down. With them I drove all 48 states coast-to-coast.
After a time, I felt a need to be closer to home and moved on to J-Mar Trucking – based in Salt Lake City, UT. I had a regional run with them that kept me in the 11 Western States. Unfortunately, they went out of business shortly thereafter and I was laid off.
During my hiatus from trucking, I volunteered my time at a local nursing home as an assistant to Medical Records where my mother served as manager. The job ranged from filing to typing to “hands-on” file maintenance with the doctors. The hardest part of this job was the lack of a windshield.
In my opinion, you should study for several things that interest you. Then find what truly makes YOU happy. Once you have achieved that goal, don’t worry about what anyone else tries to tell you. It’s your life to live, and you only get one shot at it.
As my great-grandmother used to always say, “You only start to die when you stop learning.”
With that thought in mind, try to learn something new at least once a week. And remember to “Have Fun”.
- RCT