For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for March 17, 2023

touché, Gordon

Nothing wrong with making a living by working with your hands. Find a job you love and you will never work a day in your career!

Michael: Brian, you’re gonna go into chemistry or something, aren’t you?

Brian: {says} …or something> {thinks} It would nice to have friends who did not think of me as an Asian stereotype.

If something breaks on the job, always call a mechanic… they are your friends.

The comment makes sense!

My father got pretty well to do as a mechanic.

Lawyer or mechanic. Hmmmm. Go for the mechanic.

Good mechanic with a good accountant/financial planner = early retirement.

Life is a passion play in many respects.

Brian?? I thought this was Dawn.

At 40, my son switched jobs to train to be a welder.

Way too many lawyers. Not nearly enough mechanics. Or plumbers. Or electricians.

A good mechanic is worth their weight in gold.

Making good money instead of paying off crushing college loans.

he’s not wrong… :J

These days a college degree does not get you anywhere. The money is in the trades. Carpenter, plumber, electrician, mechanic.

Nobody calls a million mechanics on the bottom of the ocean a beginning.

Spoiler alert: Gordo becomes very successful & that’s all I’m sayin’…

In my life and in my career, I have met many, many lawyers. Some have been very kind and caring, and some have been real jerks, which is true of most professionals.

Gord has the right attitude and goal. The colleges are not what they once were. We need more good trades people.

Good to see the gang having this discussion now instead of after graduation. For those who are potentially college bound, you should be working on getting accepted into college. For those that are not you should be working on placement for training for what it is you want to do.

I remember this from the original run. Always stuck with me. And, Gordon is wise.

Stay a mechanic. You will enjoy life more and probably make more money than a lawyer…..unless you become a politician, then you’re in the millions doing public servant work.

My high school was a college prep, and nobody talked about working after graduating. We just went straight to college

Most work done by lawyers will soon be replaced by AI. Programming is done overseas in India and China or using Indian nationals on Visas here in the states. However mechanics, plumbers, electricians, etc are all done locally and they make good hourly wages. And to learn to become one is much cheaper than 4 years of college.

I worked two years for that big Mart outfit as an assembler. I built thousands of bicycles, also grills, furniture, and even did some repair work. There were no bosses hovering over me although technically I did have a manager. That all changed when they decided they didn’t need store assemblers any longer and they cold hire it out cheaper.

I spent one year on the sales with a bunch of idiotic bosses, most of whom had no clue how to do their job. They thought being a boss just meant giving orders, often contradictory. I finally just had to quit.

If they hadn’t gotten cheap, I would probably still be there. It’s a grossly mismanaged business. Try to find help. There isn’t any.

I was tired of twelve years of school and had no desire to go to college. If teachers could keep kids from hating school… I get bored easily. I prefer to learn by doing.

I seem to recall that Gord did very well as a mechanic. From the “be successful” point of view, he was completely successful at doing what he loved!

True, especially with the cars today………

Very good point, Gord! No matter computerized the world gets, we still need skilled laborers like auto mechanics, refrigeration mechanics sanitation workers, ad infinitum. But these days, even auto mechanics need some computer knowledge since many of today’s cars run on computer chips and microprocessors.

I’m told that my grandfather was an accountant until he did a plumber’s books, saw what the guy made and switched to plumbing.

Hooray for you Gord!

We have separation of church and state. Now it is time to consider separation of school and state.

There has been a lot of propaganda shoved down everyone’s throats that anyone who lacks a college degree is a second-class citizen.

“Do you have any experience?”

“No.”

“Then you’ll have to fill out an application.”

And you’ll never hear from them again.

Mechanics make BANK if they’re good! Gordo’s got the right idea.

Gordo will be making 60K a year when he’s 20 with no college debt.

Got that right and I know starving attorneys….

People working with their hands make darn good money and they don’t have college debt.

Gord’s right! Wish there were more mechanics.

Do you know what an auto mechanic makes? Yah baby.

\\//

That’s true. Harry Orwell had a good mechanic, but when Spence (the mechanic) was killed, the series ended.

It’s a good gig. My brother-in-law wound up as Jay Leno’s mechanic.

Typical recent car repair: Parts $22.75. Labor $850. Gordon is making the right choice.

My oldest grandson decided he didn’t want to go to college. He apprenticed as an ironworker. His union bosses saw his potential and sent him through some special training programs that they offered. Today, at 28 he is not only a successful journeyman ironworker but a job supervisor, making a heck of a lot more money than he would have with a college degree – and he’s got no student loan to pay off!

Conversly, the eldest of my Ecudoran grandchildren graduated from high school today and is planning on going to university to study sports broadcast journalism.

Whatever career path my grandchildren decide to take, whatever dream they want to persue, it is their choice and their dream but I will encourge and support them in any way I can.

There is good money in garbage and construction…because both are rife with fraud and heavily mobbed up.

In the same way mechanics are always needed for auto theft rings. Gordon already has experience boosting cars.

When I was forward deployed, I remember this sermon from a chaplain:

“What is is success? Do you associate success with…”

*Education?

*Sports?

*Social class?

*Money?

*A car?

*A house?

*Election to political office?

*Getting married and having kids?

*Being awarded an honor?

“If you associate success with any of the above, it is easy to give up. But if you consider success to be never giving up, then you understand the definition of the word.”

I’m a product of not having a college education. Worked for the Bell System starting in the 70’s. Never “worked a day in my life” as I h=was having too much fun. Started as a lineman (person) and moved into electronics (switching systems). Bell paid for and trained me to do my job. Actually learned what algebra was used for (think Ohms law, and potential). The job was never dull, and learned about computers as they grew into what it is today. Not bad for just a HS degree.

He’s right, you know.