I learned a trade before I realized college was a better fit for me and I do think there’s a bit a “grass is always greener” phenomenon when it comes to people thinking about the trades.

There are plenty of hardworking, skilled welders who have pretty unpleasant, low-paying jobs and originally intended to get a lucrative oil rig job but couldn’t seem to get an offer. Ironically the ones I knew talked about how they were learning python on the side.

The trades have their own problems.

The way it worked for me:

Go out of my way to make things better -> get promotion and pay raise -> go out of my way to make things better again -> no promotion or pay raise -> do the absolute bare minimum -> big pay raise

Maybe they thought I enjoyed improving processes just to do it and saw it takes money to keep me doing it once I stopped.

Or maybe the forces that determine whether I get more money are beyond my understanding.

In my city we get to keep the $15, but they give you parking validation and impress upon you that it’s really important you show it to the attendant on the way out but then when you’re leaving the attendant just opens the gate for you and gets annoyed if you try to hand it to him.

Sprite but only if you’re getting one otherwise I don’t need the calories

No graphite on the roof.