Hit 30 years in the trade last month and it caught me off guard

I was just looking at my old apprentice card from 1994 and realized I've been doing this for three decades. Started out in Baton Rouge at a refinery shutdown, fresh out of the hall and barely knew which end of the torch was hot. Never thought I'd make it this long, but here I am with a worn-out tool belt and a lot of stories. Any of you old-timers ever stop and count up your years in the field?

2 comments

2 Comments

joelthomas22d ago

...and I read somewhere that the average guy in our trade only lasts about 10-12 years before they burn out or move on. So hitting 30 is no small thing, you know? I remember reading a study a while back that said most people switch careers like 5 or 6 times in their life, but here we are still plugging away at the same thing since the 90s. That refinery shutdown you started at sounds rough, especially with no experience. I've heard stories about how those first year apprentices get thrown into the deep end (usually the ones who don't make it), so it says a lot that you stuck with it. You must have had a hell of a good journeyman or two to get you through, or just some seriously thick skin.

gavinhunt22d ago

Devil's advocate here... staying in one trade that long isn't necessarily something to be proud of. Maybe all those guys who burned out and moved on were the smart ones. They saw the writing on the wall, got out before their bodies gave out, and found something with better hours or less wear and tear. Ten years of swinging a hammer or crawling through pipe racks takes a toll that no amount of thick skin can fix. The whole "stick with it no matter what" attitude is just pride talking, not wisdom. Plenty of those career changers probably ended up happier and healthier than the guys still punching the clock at the same old plant.