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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: October 25th, 2023

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  • I worked 2 years at maintenance and fab shop for a contruction company. Went to school for two. Worked at Caddy for 2.

    So I can give you a beginners perspective.

    Tools: Dont buy everything off the truck. Do some research. You rack up a bill, you’ll be sorry. Especially if you leave the industry fast. I used a mix of snap on, proto and blackhawk, craftman and harbor frieght. Only buy what you know you need, aka you borrow something more than once in a month you probably need it.

    Toolbox: Get a regular box on sale. Later, if you want a better box and the quality is noticeable, I’m sure the debt dealer will give you a nice discount on the box. I paid 800 for a craftman box right before Sears closed. The Tool Lady gave my 2k for it. You dont need a large box. A good rolling cart will serve you better.

    Stay organized, a mess will be harder to sort through and slow you down. At the beginning of the day I would load my metric sockets, electric 1/4 impact, 1/2 air impact, some rachets and a impact sockets on my cart. At lunch if I wasnt in the middle of job I’d reorganize.

    And now my rant:

    Track your hours, diag, and book time. This is why I left the industry. The book times suck, I had to fight for pay. In my view it was a race to the bottom. Guys who chucked parts made more. Guys who reused torque yeilding bolts made more. Guys who bitched the loudest made more. Guys who didnt give two fucks made more. Its a fucking race thats rigged. If your good at the hard stuff that pays like shit, you will keep getting that work. Two years, no comebacks. Lots of electrical and an engine tear down, and everything I did was questioned. It drove me nuts. Everything was correct the first time and I was constantly second guessed. Do it by the book and get screwed on time. Dont do it by the book and get screwed on time.

    All that said, it’s 6 years later, and im considering going back in as im not the primary income anymore. I like fixing stuff and im glutten for punishment.

    -A Jaded Angry 36yr Old with lots of certs and a very varied job history (stay away from restaurants and nabisco…)