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Lies you were told as a kid? (lemmus.org)
submitted 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) by to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world
307 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 
  • Most outrageous / unbelievable lies
  • Most offensive / dangerous lies
  • Most "adult meant it as genuine advice but it's laughably out of touch" lies
  • Lies you wish you still believed
  • Lies you took as truth and didn't question it until you were way too old
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[–] 88 points 2 days ago (19 children)

Trade schools are for those who couldn't make it into college.

I would have absolutely gone into welding if I had been told the honest truth about what the trades can earn.

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  • [–] 13 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 child)

    In Germany we have the following system:

    • Lehrling (Apprentice. Just learning)
    • Geselle (Done with learning. But still fresh. Done after 3 years)
    • Meister (Can be considered as a bachelor. Authorized to employ Gesellen and may instruct Lehrlinge until the finals)

    And Meister can make bank in the current climate.
    Remember who connects your toilet or your lamps legally and what you can do without either.

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  • [–] 31 points 2 days ago (2 children)

    Better live in a country where welders qualify for early retirement then, as the welders I've known have all developed issues with their eyesight, often starting in their late 20s or early 30s. Yes there's a mask and every professional welder uses it because they know just how quickly they'd fuck up their eyes otherwise, but even then you're still staring at a spark for a significant portion of your workday.

    Health-wise, it's one of the worse trades to get into because of that. Financially, of course... that's probably part of why it pays so well.

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  • [–] 21 points 2 days ago

    Weirdly nurses too we're super high risk for musculoskletal injuries that can really add up over the years. Even if you use 100% prefect lift mechanics every time you logroll or transfer a patient, or help them stand up, the patient often doesn't know proper lift mechanics and will do wild shit like use the back of your neck as a grab handle. Even in psych where our patients are mostly ambulatory it can be even worse because my patients are more likely to intend to injure me.

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  • [–] 29 points 2 days ago

    Similar story - binmen. Teachers warning you that'll be you if you dont try hard and get good grades.

    Id fucking love to be a binman, way better hours, pay and perks than any other job ive ever worked.

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  • [–] 10 points 2 days ago (10 children)

    I've noticed that when people talk about not needing a college degree, they always mention welding. I've personally never met a welder, but it seems they're the gold standard of blue collar work. Why is that?

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  • [–] 10 points 2 days ago (2 children)

    I've been a welder. It's a big field with lots of variety. It all mostly sucks. Super hard on the body. Lots of bad fumes and dust.

    If you're actually looking to get into it, learn to weld pipe. Best pay and job opportunities.

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  • [–] 4 points 1 day ago (1 child)

    Lots of bad fumes and dust.

    Can’t recall where I saw it, but I have run across a welding helmet that doubled as a respirator for exactly those conditions. Looked kinda like a full-face respirator only with a permanent clear plastic front and a welding mask that was in front of that and could be flipped up. Capable of working with beards, positive-pressure so no shroud needed over the nose and mouth that would otherwise muffle the voice.

    Now granted: stupidly expensive. But the filter was on the helmet, not on the back or the waist (no hoses to get in the way). And it had a normal power-tool battery slot with adapters for the common ones like Milwaukee or Bosch.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 day ago

    The best set up I came across was a pump that mounted on your waist, it pumped in filtered air and kept a positive pressure under the mask. I snaked the tube up under my leathers between my shoulders. Wasn't too cumbersome.

    I've seen the one you're talking about. I thought it was too much weight to be carrying on my neck all day.

    But unless you're prepared to go full hazmat you're getting exposed to foul air.

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  • [–] 6 points 2 days ago (3 children)

    Welding is like sewing. Any old mug can darn a sock… but to repair a historically important high quality silk sock to such a high standard that the repair is invisible to the naked eye takes an elite level of crafts(wo)manship that very few would ever attain. Not a perfect analogy but close enough…

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  • [–] 3 points 2 days ago (2 children)

    I understand that welding takes skill. But I'm more wondering why I've personally talked to several parents/grandparents with kids about to graduate highschool with poor grades - and nearly everyone of those people has said that college isn't the right choice for their kid, so they're going to go into the trades and become a welder.

    So far, none of the kids I'm referring to have actually become a welder. Are those family members saying their kid is going to become a welder because of the skill involved at the highest level of the craft? Is welding the blue collar equivalent of becoming an artist?

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  • [–] 3 points 1 day ago* (1 child)

    My childhood friend became a welder. But my suspicion is that it's a skilled trade that doesn't sound gross (plumbing) or super dangerous (electrician). Everyone knows we need welders, they understand what they do too. All this makes it the perfect thing to assume your kid is going to do when they decide not to go to college. Actually going to trade school and apprenticing on the other hand…

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  • [–] 2 points 1 day ago

    Yeah, I think not sounding gross or dangerous is part of it - combined with the skill level. Personally, my in-laws encouraged my nephew not to go to college, but instead to become a welder - or an electrician as a backup plan.

    He did neither and now works for the city cleaning sewers. It's a needed job and pays ok, but no one ever says "you don't need to go to college, you can clean a sewer." It's always "you can be a welder."

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  • [–] 5 points 2 days ago

    The only reason I mentioned welding, is I did some welding and plasma cutting in college and actually enjoyed it. I would have gone into the specialty welding like pipe or something like that for the higher wages.

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  • [–] 12 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

    and it's entirely possible you would have washed out as a traders person and never earned that.

    very few people make bank in the trades, most make a OK living, but trades have massive drawbacks too.

    this whole 'we need people in the trades, it pays so well' is a lot of bullshit, just like 'everyone has to learn to code'

    all it mean is they want more competition in the field to drive wages down.

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