-
Work – life balance and the skilled trades
***Updated for 2023*** *NOTE: This is primarily written from the perspective of having a family. There is nothing wrong with being single, but your time is your time when single – your work – life balance is drastically different. You … Read the rest
-
Convenience: How much are you willing to pay?
Convenience is everywhere today. It’s on every corner, it’s a part of many daily choices, it’s nearly incumbent in our entertainment, and it’s saturated in our daily lives. Convenience has just as much a place in American lives as affluence.… Read the rest
-
The 5 reasons why I really enjoy Thanksgiving – Happy Thanksgiving 2020
For many reasons, I thoroughly enjoy Thanksgiving. It’s a time to slow down and reflect on what we have to be thankful for and trust me, if you live in America, there is A LOT to be thankful for. Never … Read the rest
-
The benefits of the skilled trades
What exactly are the benefits of working in the skilled trades? Are there actual benefits to being a skilled tradesman? After all, doesn’t the stigma that those who work with their hands are somehow less intelligent have a ring … Read the rest
-
Conversations with Tradesmen – HVAC
I’m going to start a new category called “Conversations with Tradesmen” where I do primarily just that: I have conversations with tradesmen of all different crafts and discuss the pros and cons of their trade, location, work, etc. I find … Read the rest
-
Higher Education? – Book Review
***Updated for 2023*** I discovered The Math Myth and Other STEM Delusions by Andrew Hacker doing some research for something else entirely. I quickly ordered the book, read it in short order, underlined so many portions my pencil complained … Read the rest
-
Talent vs. Tenacity – which is better?
Talent vs. Tenacity Over the years I have come across some of the most talented individuals with varying interests. Nascent talent, whether latent in an individual or at work conscientiously, is a gift many do not have. Indeed, I can … Read the rest
-
The Math Myth and Other STEM Delusions – Book Review
Riveting, compelling, and tantalizing are but a few of the words I would use to describe The Math Myth and Other STEM delusions. I might follow them up with ingenious, stimulating, intriguing, fascinating, irresistible – all fitting adjectives for one … Read the rest
-
Neutron Radiography
As a American Welding Society (AWS) Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) and a member of the American Society of Nondestructive Testing (ASNT), I receive periodicals from both professional organizations. Sometimes the information isn’t interesting to me; I mean, I’m not too … Read the rest
-
The rare, elusive, and experienced field engineer
At the end of 2019, after the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and OSHA released their findings about the collapse of the FIU pedestrian bridge, I wrote a piece from a skilled trades perspective. It was a long piece, informative … Read the rest
