# How old are you? How long have you been doing this?



## rosethornva (Aug 15, 2010)

As a long-distance people watcher, it's fascinating to hear y'all opinions on a variety of topics, from everything to politics to work ethic to favorite tools to used cars. 

So, how old are you, and how long have you been in this line of work? 

I'm 52 and I've been working in housing-related industries since I was 18 years old. For the last 14 years, I've been an architectural historian, which suits me well. 

PS. I wish I could write and/or read. I screwed up one of the poll choices and can't figure out how to EDIT! ARGH!


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## nail401 (Aug 6, 2011)

i am 52 and been in construction full time since i was 18.i feel blessed to do a job most every day that i enjoyed.there some not so good


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## Randy Bush (Mar 7, 2011)

I am 60 years young. I started doing exterior remodeling in 1996, I enjoy doing what I do wish would of started sooner. Grew up being a mechanic.


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## WildWill (Jun 6, 2008)

I'm the young buck in the crowd so far. :laughing: I'm 41 and have been at it since I was 17. I've been an entrepreneur for even longer. :thumbsup:


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## barthard (Oct 6, 2009)

Gotcha beat, 22yo here been hardscaping since I was 17. Man do I love working outside during the summer, snow removal is my enemy though. I prefer vacation.


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## TimNJ (Sep 7, 2005)

53. As a job since 1975. As far as doing this work...does building forts and tree houses count towards experience


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## shanekw1 (Mar 20, 2008)

I'm 33, been working in construction since I was 17.


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## RS Sam (Feb 9, 2009)

58 and I bought my first tool, an Estwing leather wrap hammer, from a pawn shop in 1971 for my first full time construction job - been at it in some way or another since .


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## larryb (May 23, 2008)

*How old? How long?*

58 - started in 1970 framing, etc. then picking up roofing tear off in 15 degree MN Jan and putting it into bosses trailer for $2.50 per hour!


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## KnottyWoodwork (May 23, 2010)

Bunch of old farts in here! Or am I just a youngin? 26 here, my father was a GC. Taking me to the site was cheaper than daycare.


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## rosethornva (Aug 15, 2010)

And I was worried that *I* was one of the "oldsters"!


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## 480sparky (Feb 1, 2009)

I must be older than dirt, because I wired the factory God made it in.

And when God said, "Let there be light", he turned on a switch I wired.


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## FrehouseRemdlin (Dec 23, 2008)

25 here. I've been getting paid to swing a hammer since I was 13. But swinging one long before that.


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## DavidC (Feb 16, 2008)

58 last time I did the math. Started as a roofer in 1981, so 30 years in the business. 

Good Luck
Dave


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## FullerFramer (Feb 5, 2010)

19 years old. Started when I was 14 in the summers, was working full time by grade 11 and 12, started my own business in January of this year.


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## Winchester (Jun 29, 2008)

29. Father and uncle were contractors. I've been working on and off in the field since I can remember but I've done lots of other stuff in between. 3 years of electrical engineering and never finished...

worked in catering, tree planting, hardware store, landscaping, natural gas lines (fusing), electrical....

always come back to this. started my business in springtime of '08


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## KellyD&B (May 4, 2009)

I'm 30. Got my first job when I was 16 and I have been in construction ever since. I spent 2 or 3 years designing kitchens. A few years building sets for Broadway and the Metropolitan Opera. Opened my own business in 2005.


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## moorewarner (May 29, 2009)

Randy Bush said:


> I am 60 years young. I started doing exterior remodeling in 1996, I enjoy doing what I do wish would of started sooner. Grew up being a mechanic.





barthard said:


> Gotcha beat, 22yo here been hardscaping since I was 17. Man do I love working outside during the summer, snow removal is my enemy though. I prefer vacation.


Peter Gibbons: This isn't so bad, huh? Makin' bucks, gettin' exercise, workin' outside. 
Lawrence: 'efin' A. 
Peter Gibbons: [nods] 'efin' A. 


Efin A. :thumbsup:


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## Warren (Feb 19, 2005)

45 years young. 

Been doing this since the age of TWO! Ha, gotcha all beat!

Ok, not two, took carpentry as a vocation in high school and never worked full time doing anything else.


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## Tom M (Jan 3, 2007)

Never did anything else either.

41 Worked for Dad as a kid on weekends & summers. Roofed 1/2 a day senior year high school then a few years after. Then lots of siding & windows for while. Now I tackle nearly any carpentry tasks or projects that fit. Should been a cop with set security then could have retired then got into this.


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## katoman (Apr 26, 2009)

I'm about to turn 62. Started full time at 18. Summers and weekends since I was 14.

No wonder my body hurts.


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## FramingPro (Jan 31, 2010)

Warren said:


> I hied a guy two years ago who said he had been working doing roofing for seven years. He seemed young when we saw him in person. Turned 20 the same week I hired him. I don't count anyone's experience prior to when they were 18. If you worked weekends for your uncle, well good for you. It don't count as full time work experience in my book.


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## loneframer (Feb 13, 2009)

I turned 46 in August. 

Had my first paying job at around 8 years old, picking up tear-off debris from a roof my pop was working on. Went after school and worked until 5 for about 3 afternoons.

Did lots of go-fer work with him from then until about age 12, when I started working full time with him during the Summer and Saturdays/afternoons during the school year.

Got out on a work program at 10:21 my Senior year and worked with him full time for the next 2 years.

In 1985, I got on a crew doing new construction at the Shore and the next 26 years are history. Been in business for myself since 1994.

I can't remember ever getting paid for something that's not construction related.


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## Cole82 (Nov 22, 2008)

katoman said:


> I'm about to turn 62. Started full time at 18. Summers and weekends since I was 14.
> 
> No wonder my body hurts.


You use to eat rice kricpies for breakfast "snap crackle pop" Now all you hear getting out of bed is snap crackle pop.:jester:

Cole


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## I Mester (Aug 21, 2011)

45 here, was doing handyman type stuff helping my dad out on weekends and vacations,
went to college for computer science.
been self employed as a GC for almost 26 yrs now.


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## Winchester (Jun 29, 2008)

Warren said:


> I don't count anyone's experience prior to when they were 18. If you worked weekends for your uncle, well good for you. It don't count as full time work experience in my book.


You don't count working full-time during the summer months?

What about cole who dropped out of school?


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## TxElectrician (May 21, 2008)

50 years old. Been at it full time since I was 17.

Started business with a partner in '85, on my on since '89.

I'd give it up but there's still so much to learn.:thumbsup:


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## blackbear (Feb 29, 2008)

28. Was raised around wood and tools my whole life. Come from a long line of carpenters. Went into nypd after college. Wasnt my thing and been at it ever since.


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## katoman (Apr 26, 2009)

blackbear said:


> 28. Was raised around wood and tools my whole life. Come from a long line of carpenters. Went into nypd after college. Wasnt my thing and been at it ever since.


So now you whack and stack lumber instead of bad guys? :laughing:


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## overanalyze (Dec 28, 2010)

33. I have been working full-time in construction since I was seventeen. Did the work release my senior year and graduated early. As a kid I always worked in the summer with my dad or other small jobs. Only non construction job I have had was bagging groceries in 10th and 11th grade. I have been running my own company with a partner since 2001.


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## Morning Wood (Jan 12, 2008)

I'm 34 and have been doing it full time
Since 2002 and started summers when I was 19. Still got a lot to learn.


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## PowerWash (Mar 25, 2011)

36. Been working in construction/remodeling since I was 14. Got my builders license at 22. Switched to pressure washing 2 years ago.


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## Brutus (May 29, 2007)

23
full time work for the past almost 4 years.
took vocational school for two years before that
in my teens I helped build decks, sheds, and the like. small amount of siding. But apparently, that doesn't count :laughing:


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## katoman (Apr 26, 2009)

Holy Brutus, 23? I can't even remember that far back. :laughing:

Enjoy it buddy, it goes fast.


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## EthanB (Sep 28, 2011)

31, started learning when I was 11 and started my own company at 15. Mostly commercial painting and condos because I'd work at night. I switched to doing carpentry for another company at 17. Started out on my own again at the end of 2001 because Sept. 11 kicked the **** out of the union work in NYC and I wasn't going to sit on the dole for an undetermined amount of time.

I get the concept of discounting time before 18 but I'd much rather hire a 20 yr old with 8k hours of experience than one with 4k. One could argue that you shouldn't count any years past 50 because those guys can't learn anything new:whistling


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## rselectric1 (Sep 20, 2009)

46/too long, but I still kinda like it.

Short answer :laughing:


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## WNYcarpenter (Mar 2, 2007)

36...Landscaped from 18-23 summers through college....and have been working as a carpenter for the same company for 13 years....

I was told I was old for the first time 2 years ago when a guy asked if I wanted him to take over digging for the 'Old Guy'.....I told him "Hell Yeah!"


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## Warren (Feb 19, 2005)

Winchester said:


> You don't count working full-time during the summer months?
> 
> What about cole who dropped out of school?


If you work three summers full time, don't count that as three years experience. I count what was worked. If you worked as a minor and want to use that, then just tell me ahead of time. I will give you like half credit for that time. Just going by my own experiences with hiring and firing. People like to exaggerate in their favor. I always sucked at hiring. I am pretty good at firing though!:sad:


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## loneframer (Feb 13, 2009)

WNYcarpenter said:


> 36...Landscaped from 18-23 summers through college....and have been working as a carpenter for the same company for 13 years....
> 
> I was told I was old for the first time 2 years ago when a guy asked if I wanted him to take over digging for the 'Old Guy'.....I told him "Hell Yeah!"


I realized I was old when I was helping out a friend of mine one weekend. I was hanging out with a couple of his helpers at the end of the day, fitting right in....until I told them I graduated HS in 1983.....2-3 years before they were born.:sad:


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## Gus Dering (Oct 14, 2008)

I'm 52

Built tree houses and ground forts when I was still loosing teeth. No scrap lumber was safe and forget about that jar of nails in the garage.

I had a radial arm saw that hinged out of a closet in my dorm room when I was in the Air Force.

Started framing real houses in the summer of 81.


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## Oconomowoc (Oct 13, 2011)

Warren said:


> just tell me ahead of time. I will give you like half credit for that time.


That's a frickn classic line!!!!!!!!:laughing:

You guys who are doing this at 12,13 or 15. WTF is that? I mean, were you doing this in between skateboarding and school homework?

I can't remember what I was doing when I was 13, it wasn't plumbing. Probably putting firecrackers in the old mans mailbox or something.


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

EthanB said:


> One could argue that you shouldn't count any years past 50 because those guys can't learn anything new:whistling


Buzzer on that one, Ralphie. :laughing:

Products are continually changing, codes are changing, effective means of advertising are changing, business laws are changing constantly. If anyone is doing more than bare minimum subsistence in this area, he's learning practically every day. Not to mention years of experience with human nature.

The 50+ guys are the ones who have a clue. :thumbsup:


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## Cwcoomer (Apr 20, 2011)

I'm 27. Started doing handyman stuff around 20, wanted to get something official and move up from what I was doing so I went to HVAC/R school. Now a days I do a mix of light commercial electric, low voltage stuff, plumbing, ice machines, HVAC/R. Still love learning new trade stuff when the opportunity arises.


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

66
Started 'toe nailing' studs for a local framer after school and on weekends when I was 13.
Got out of the Army and went into construction.
Became a GC in 1984.

Just work occasionally now as a "handyman" for a REO flipper.


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## Paulie (Feb 11, 2009)

I'm 50 and I still use my first set of tools.

Rose I thought about you today....... I was in a classic green tile shower that was in perfect condition but leaked sooooo well I just thought how much someone like you would hate to see me demo it. Sorry.


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## Jaws (Dec 20, 2010)

28. Started at 10 or 11 occasionally on my dads and grandpa's jobs. I am with Warren on the school vacation as actual experience. The last 10 years have done it for my living. Before, some good practical experience, great character building, good exposure to being around good GCs in my dad and grandpa, but not the same, imo


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## darenrogers (Oct 2, 2011)

28 here. Studied architecture and spent the summers working in construction before getting into construction project management. A couple of years back started a home improvement business with my pops and continue to consult on larger residential and commercial projects. Yeah, I tend to keep a lot of irons in the fire :laughing:


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## WNYcarpenter (Mar 2, 2007)

loneframer said:


> I realized I was old when I was helping out a friend of mine one weekend. I was hanging out with a couple of his helpers at the end of the day, fitting right in....until I told them I graduated HS in 1983.....2-3 years before they were born.:sad:


when you're 35+ your best friend can be twice your age and you could give a sh!t!!, but someone 10 years younger thinks you're creepy!


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## loneframer (Feb 13, 2009)

WNYcarpenter said:


> when you're 35+ your best friend can be twice your age and you could give a sh!t!!, but someone 10 years younger thinks you're creepy!


Pretty funny story.

I went out to a sports bar one night with one of the builders I was framing for to get a few beers.

While we were there, two of the guys who worked for my buddy showed up. They were with some other guys and gals their age and one of them called me over to shoot the s#!t. After about ten minutes with that crowd....

Let's just say, that's the second time I felt really old.:laughing:


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## Brutus (May 29, 2007)

katoman said:


> Holy Brutus, 23? I can't even remember that far back. :laughing:
> 
> Enjoy it buddy, it goes fast.


Oh buddy.... I do enjoy it. :drink: :drink: :drink: :drink: 

Last weekend was a prime example of me enjoying life... haha... but that's for another day.


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## Gus Dering (Oct 14, 2008)

loneframer said:


> Pretty funny story.
> 
> I went out to a sports bar one night with one of the builders I was framing for to get a few beers.
> 
> ...


 Yeah well I helped a young delivery boy unload some plywood not long ago and he asked me where the old guy was that was here last time. I said we are all here, no old guy, you must be thinking about another shop. No it was here, he says. There was an old guy with glasses in the office.

That was me you Azzwipe 

You know that you old and been in this business a long time when your farts are dusty. :laughing:


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## RS Sam (Feb 9, 2009)

EthanB said:


> One could argue that you shouldn't count any years past 50 because those guys can't learn anything new:whistling


I'm just starting to do it right after 40 years, don't count me out yet :laughing: :laughing:.


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## bauler (Nov 10, 2006)

I'm 55, damn I'm one of the old guys. Started about when I was about 11 or 12. My parents owned a bunch of rental units. Good practice. Worked in a glass shop after school in high school. Went full time at 18. Have worked in varies trades ever since.


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## loneframer (Feb 13, 2009)

Gus Dering said:


> Yeah well I helped a young delivery boy unload some plywood not long ago and he asked me where the old guy was that was here last time. I said we are all here, no old guy, you must be thinking about another shop. No it was here, he says. There was an old guy with glasses in the office.
> 
> That was me you Azzwipe
> 
> You know that you old and been in this business a long time when your farts are dusty. :laughing:


You shoulda showed him a replay of "Bang It Home".

I can hear it now....

"That guy looks like you, must be your son.":clap:


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## CrpntrFrk (Oct 25, 2008)

33 years old. Been looking at 2x4's and such for 15 years. 

Started thinking of "safety equipment" as important just last year.


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## griz (Nov 26, 2009)

Younger than some, older than most,

Started digging ditches, packing lumber & bending nails at 16 years old.

I am now 58. Don't dig ditches, I'll pack a few sticks a few feet & they don't seem to make nails like they used to:whistling:laughing:

Sounds like 42 years. Think I would have learned by now.:laughing:


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## Winchester (Jun 29, 2008)

Warren said:


> If you work three summers full time, don't count that as three years experience. I count what was worked. If you worked as a minor and want to use that, then just tell me ahead of time. I will give you like half credit for that time. Just going by my own experiences with hiring and firing. People like to exaggerate in their favor. I always sucked at hiring. I am pretty good at firing though!:sad:


:laughing::clap: That's good. I've had guy's tell me they've been a carpenter for 30 years. Find out later they got their carpenter ticket in the 80s and then drove a truck or something for 15 years and want to be a carpenter again.

I've never had to exaggerate for work because nobody's ever asked.


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## kcremodeling (Nov 8, 2009)

I started framing houses when I was 19 and have been in the industry ever since. 

I am currently 28, I have had my business for 4 years. 

What you did before the age of 21 really doesn't mean a whole lot to me. A remodeling portfolio is how you should really measure somebody's qualifications.


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## griz (Nov 26, 2009)

kcremodeling said:


> ...What you did before the age of 21 really doesn't mean a whole lot to me. A remodeling portfolio is how you should really measure somebody's qualifications.


What I learned before I was the magic age of 21 is priceless:thumbsup:


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## Winchester (Jun 29, 2008)

griz said:


> What I learned before I was the magic age of 21 is priceless:thumbsup:


I don't know about you guys but I've been learning stuff since the moment I was put on this earth and haven't stopped yet.


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## FramingPro (Jan 31, 2010)

FullerFramer said:


> Yes of course I graduated. You just register with OYAP to start logging hours.


when you were 16? so i could do that and just get my boss man to sign for hours


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## dprimc (Mar 13, 2009)

I'm 42. 

Started working with a small remodel company when I was 16. Took a construction vocational class my junior year of high school and then they cancelled the program before my senior year.

Worked in the industry all through college and ever since.

(My dad was in data processing so I'm not sure where it came from other than holding a desk job for a few hours once.)

Started my company 13 years ago.


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## Ninjaframer (May 28, 2011)

I'm 32, started as a full time laborer at age 16 when I dropped out of highschool. ( got a Good Enough Diploma when I was 17 ) was lead man on a crew by 19 and have been on my own since last June.


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## SPCarpentry (Feb 12, 2007)

I'm 53 and a 1/2! I had a grandfather who was an Architect/Builder so as a child I was mesmerized by what he did. Although his partner took off with the money and bankrupt him, he always worked as an Architect. Since the age of 18 I figure I have spent half of my life as Carpenter/Painter 70/30 split. I have been on my own since 2002, and at times I have had a couple guy's working for me (brother/cousins). I have a brother (45) a cousin in-law, and a brother in-law who are also carpenters. I work alone now. I have tried using young guy's that I know (nephew's, college kid) but they don't know how to work  They mean well but, if I send them to get a tool out of the truck, they would walk slower than a turtle! I have also worked in the corporate world for my late father and I have worked in Restaurants. In addition to the carpentry, I have always been a Fine Art Photographer, and I have a Fly Fishing Business. For me Carpentry/Painting is just another extension of my Artistic Mindset. I never got married or had kid's, so I have never had that "have to do it" feeling. I find by combing the 3 different businesses it keeps everything fresh and I continue to enjoy them. The problem that I am having with the Carpentry though is, now that I'm getting older. Doing it less often makes it tougher on my body when I do work. I painted my garage and had some nasty tendinitis for a week after :sad: 



Tom M said:


> Never did anything else either.
> 
> 41 Worked for Dad as a kid on weekends & summers. Roofed 1/2 a day senior year high school then a few years after. Then lots of siding & windows for while. Now I tackle nearly any carpentry tasks or projects that fit. Should been a cop with set security then could have retired then got into this.


"Should been a cop with set security then could have retired then got into this"

I know of a cop in town who instead of taking on a lot of detail work (big $$ in MA!) He has a GC business instead and is a hands on carpenter. He has the second floor additions down to a science. He works the 4pm - 2am shift thur-sun on the police force.


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## Ashcon (Apr 28, 2009)

I'm coming up on my 39th year on this planet. I started at 17 

working summers. I quit University to work full time, i was cutting 

class to do side work.:sad::blink:

I started the business in 1998-99 incorperated within a year. 

I'm still learning. Love this business. I couldn't imagine doing 

anything else.


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## SAW.co (Jan 2, 2011)

I'll be 42 next mo, & I just bought my FIRST pair of reading glasses today:sad:
I used to think I would never be that middle aged guy in the drug store trying on cheap reading glasses & complaining about the cost, ($19.99):laughing:
I'm really hoping they forget about me this year:whistling:whistling


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## kyle_dmr (Mar 17, 2009)

23, 5 years at it


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## world llc (Dec 9, 2008)

coming up on 10 years in april since i incorperated myself... i'm 31


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## BamBamm5144 (Jul 12, 2008)

I'm 25 but man, I feel so much older.

I haven't learned a lot wisdom wise but I do believe that age has NOTHING to do with maturity, knowledge and work ethic.


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

BamBamm5144 said:


> I haven't learned a lot wisdom wise but I do believe that age has NOTHING to do with maturity, knowledge and work ethic.


I would dispute most of that, and not just because I'm an old buzzard.

While maturity is a state of mind, it's normally arrived at via life experience. I often cynically refer to maturity as "burnt out youth". :laughing:

All else being equal, the longer you've been around, the more knowledge you've had the chance to accumulate.

I'll grant that work ethics are generally garnered from your parents or other authority figures at an early age, though again, time and experience can do a lot to teach you just how much effort you should be putting forth to achieve desired results. :thumbsup:


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## griz (Nov 26, 2009)

Hey Grand Pa, You're beginning to sound old...:thumbsup::laughing:&
a bit philosophical...:no: a guy gets that way the more birthdays he has accumulated...:thumbsup::clap::clap::thumbsup:


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

griz said:


> a guy gets that way the more birthdays he has accumulated...:thumbsup::clap::clap::thumbsup:


Or maybe just the more he's been beat up by Life. :laughing:


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## BamBamm5144 (Jul 12, 2008)

Tinstaafl said:


> I would dispute most of that, and not just because I'm an old buzzard.
> 
> While maturity is a state of mind, it's normally arrived at via life experience. I often cynically refer to maturity as "burnt out youth". :laughing:
> 
> ...


It's just because your an old buzzard!

I've met a few old men who are picking bar fights every night however, majority of older people are more mature.

What I meant about knowledge is trade knowledge, not general knowledge.


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

BamBamm5144 said:


> What I meant about knowledge is trade knowledge, not general knowledge.


I know what you're saying, but while a smart young guy can suck up knowledge at an astounding rate, it still takes 8 years on average to reach PhD level. Especially in the trades, where there are relatively few intense and well-organized curricula to take you to the top quickly.

Even disregarding the above, you're still wrong--age does matter. Everyone knows that the older you are, the less you know. :jester:


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## BamBamm5144 (Jul 12, 2008)

Tinstaafl said:


> Even disregarding the above, you're still wrong--age does matter. Everyone knows that the older you are, the less you know. :jester:


exactly what im saying.


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## loneframer (Feb 13, 2009)

Tinstaafl said:


> Even disregarding the above, you're still wrong--age does matter. Everyone knows that the older you are, the less you know. :jester:


That may well be true, but with age comes experience and with experience comes instinct.

I may have forgotten as much or more than the youngsters here will ever know, but there's a reason for everything I do, even if I can't remember what the reason is.:clap::laughing::clap:


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## FramingPro (Jan 31, 2010)

Tinstaafl said:


> I know what you're saying, but while a smart young guy can suck up knowledge at an astounding rate, it still takes 8 years on average to reach PhD level. Especially in the trades, where there are relatively few intense and well-organized curricula to take you to the top quickly.
> 
> Even disregarding the above, you're still wrong--age does matter. Everyone knows that the older you are, the less you know. :jester:


3/8ths of the way there :clap:


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## jamestrd (Oct 26, 2008)

I'm 43 and doing floors since 91...been doing them right since 94..thats when i met my mentor...the gruff old timer who wore his belt buckle to the side..


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## FlatworkGuy (Jul 25, 2010)

I was in my first basement when I was 3 .. been on Dad's jobs since then and went on the official payroll when I was 16 .. been on my own since I was 19 .. I'm 51 now.

My son, seems to be following the same path .. these photos are of when he was 3 and 4 .. he'll be 5 this December .. and yes, he can drive the mini-X already .. can't really do a whole lot of digging with it yet, but he can put it where ever you ask him to just the same


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## Trim40 (Jan 27, 2009)

Looks like he is having lots of fun with Dad, But wearing a shirt " My Mom Rocks":laughing: Priceless.


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