Corey:
You also probably demonstrated another skill that can really help you with your goals - you listened and thought about comments that you received. While they may not all apply exactly to what you are wanting, taking the time to look at them and figure out what can help is a big step - congrats.

Bart

Following up, it seems as though you have an amount of training in machining. My background is primarily in welding and pressure vessel fabrication, and I really wish that I had expanded my experience in machining when I was younger and had the time and opportunities to do so. The most desirable tradesmen in the industry are well rounded in both, and welders/machinists frequently work together to accomplish different projects. An understanding of one another's trade goes a long way towards working as a team. For the direction you seem to be going in, I would definitely recommend pursuing more experience in a variety of welding processes and applications. Good luck on your journey!

-Sam

Listen a lot, especially when an elder tells stories. A lot won’t be helpful, but some will, and there’s always the chance you’ll learn some strange snippet of knowledge you’ll really need someday. That applies even if...

“We tried that and it didn’t work.” Yes, but why did it fail? What was impossible or prohibitively expensive even ten years ago many not be now or in the near future. For instance, go over to all3DP.com and look through the articles and tutorials, which are kept up to date. Laser engraving is another good skill to have in your shirt pocket and isn’t hard to acquire. It sounds frivolous, but isn’t. Solar energy has gone through two failure cycles, so a lot of people believe it’ll never work, but it has finally hit its stride and will be important, if only in taking power to places where it was impossible or impractical. Try to learn a little about whatever’s happening around you. Even if all you know is that it didn’t work a few years ago but does now, you’ll be ahead.

Don’t be afraid to start low and work up. Too many wannabes want to walk in and run a steam engine on their first day, and that’s not happening unless it’s a throttle time day or the like. Apprenticeships used to succeed because new hires started with simple tasks, watched the complicated ones, and knew how to perform when they were invited.

When you’re really bored, instead of surfing randomly, go over to the free online FEMA classes and watch some of their short (5 to 15 minutes, usually) videos. Some of them are like watching paint dry, some are just okay and a couple are worthwhile. I’ve learned a lot for the ones on handling workplace emergencies.

Cross-pollinate. When you get a chance to see, talk about or do something with a similar but not identical skill set, take advantage. At the very least, it’ll make you think. One of my relatives got his very good job because he can solve a lot of problems by making tools.

Most people fail the first time they try to learn a new skill, and most of us look awkward. That doesn’t mean we’ll always be. Listen to the safety lecture, watch what any instructor you have is doing, realize you’re not going to be that good instantly, and try it.

Lastly, show up when you’ve promised to be there. Years ago, managers got peeved by people who were chronically a few minutes late. Now they deal with those who may or may not show up and hardly ever have a good excuse. Show up sober with any PPE you need to bring, and you’ll be ahead of at least half of the field. Illnesses and other emergencies happen. “I didn’t feel like it today,” or “i decided to go out drinking” are not emergencies. If you do need to call off, do it as soon as possible.

If you’re asked to fill in and you feel confident that you can do the job, do it (assuming you’re not running afoul of union rules or company policy.)

Thank you! In my opinion, if someone on here takes the time to respond to me, I can at least listen to and think about what they said, and reply if I feel I have something to say.



You'd be right! I am in my senior year of technical high school for machine technology. Welding is something I definitely want to learn more of, and maybe I can ask my schools welding teacher where I could learn. Thank you for the luck, as I feel sometimes as I will need a lot of it. Good Luck on any future endeavors of your own, and once again, thank you for replying.



Thank you for your response Becky, and I try to listen to anyone knowledgeable whenever there's any around.

I haven't heard of that 3D printing site yet, I'll definitely take a look around it when I get a chance. Laser engraving sounds cool, and something that'd I'd learn if given the chance, but I unfortunately don't know of any chances to learn it. Good advice, learning is something that I try to do all the time.

I would love to start anywhere on the chain. Brush cutting? Perfectly fine. Track work? good. Cutting the weeds and other plants off of overgrown equipment? Good too. I have been waiting a long time for my eighteenth birthday so most places will accept me as a volunteer in some mechanical capacity, so I would love starting anywhere mechanical or maintenance related. I can do things like take tickets, or tell people about stuff in a museum, the latter of which I have done and enjoy doing, but I like doing stuff with my hands.

Well, there was one time that I was so bored I literally watched paint dry, so learning about workplace emergencies sounds like a much better idea than that.

Makes good sense to me.

I'd be lying if I said I succeeded the first time I used a lathe or mill. I learned how, and I'd imagine that's how it will happen with a lot of other things I try to learn, as you said.

I'd say for showing when I should, I'm doing pretty well. For school (The thing that I currently have to show up to on time for) I've only been late one day, and absent one more this school year. Both were valid reasons for me to be late/missing.

Again, thank you all for your responses and follow up responses. It means a lot to me.

Corey:
One other point to keep in mind is that, based on your postings, you seem to be a pretty good writer. That can be a rare commodity these days. Depending on what you may be working on, or would like to work on, a written plan may be called for either by a board of trustees or perhaps for a grant application. A person with mechanical talent who can also write is an impressive combo. Never lose your knack for writing.

I essentially write for a living, and have done so for close to 40 years, but have a full machine shop in the garage supporting my personal projects. I have done several grant applications over the years with success supporting projects of interest to me. You can do both – write and do “real work.”

And one other point…..never say “they should do this or that.” Who is “they?” “They” is you. You see something you think needs attention, assemble a plan (using your writing skills) and then make it happen.

Best of luck and keep up with those writing skills that you obviously possess.

J.R. May

Industrial electronics may be another discipline to pursue, Corey, especially for the more modern stuff.

I didn’t think about grant writing, but that really is an essential skill any volunteer-staffed organization can use. Corey has already shown he can write clearly and coherently with good attention to detail. As you say, that’s not common now. Good attendance (real emergencies always excepted!) is another point in his favor.

I thought of something else: Corey, start building your basic tool kit if you don’t have one or need to use the family’s: I mean a good hammer that fits your hand, decent wrenches, etc. Put your name on them (another good use for a laser engraver, and a college maker space is likely to have one.) If you acquire them slowly, it spreads the cost out and lets you decide what you like and need. If somebody gets you one of those small tool kits, keep those in your car and you’ll be surprised how often you use it, even though the tools won’t be as rugged as your (more tempting to thieves) good ones.

I'm sure I don't have to tell you that cheap tools are fine for the person who goes to Harbor Freight Tools or WalMart for something they'll need for one weekend once a year or so, but there are reasons why people who use tools for jobs that will risk their knuckles or worse pay dearly for the "pro" quality.
Build up that tool kit as recommended, and you'll quickly discover why mechanics with their own tools guard and protect them more ferociously than they do their spouses, and maybe even their children.......

You have that right. I was allowed to use Dad’s shop only after he knew I wasn’t going to wreck anything. My son is still using a four-inch Crescent wrench Dad brought home from a Navy supply ship dumping high-quality surplus in 1945. That’s how much difference it makes.

You don’t build this kind of tool kit by going to a big box store. Their assortments have stuff a given worker won’t necessarily need and pieces missing that they will. When you buy good tools that fit your hands, you learn which brands you prefer and which never seem to feel quite right. Asking for tools for gift-giving occasions is risky unless you can be clear about what you want and the gift-giver respects that (or hands you a Snap-On gift card.)

I’ve seen some junk so cheap and shoddy the screwdrivers would bend or come out of the handle the first time they were used, and there’s a reason some people still call cheap adjustable wrenches knuckle-busters. The car kit is a good brand’s lower line that was a Black Friday special. I’ve used it enough over twenty-odd years to know it’s safe, just not my favorite. The hammer is too light, the grip’s a little slick, the screwdriver bits wear down prematurely, but it’s always there. To paraphrase J.J. Young, sometimes the imperfect tool you have is better than the one you left home.