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Posted

I am an engineer and couldn't get a job here. Danish is tough and metallurgical engineering isn't a big market here. I had to open a bike shop :-)

 

 

I really reckon the way forward in these first world countries is a trade of some sorts. Bloke I know in the UK had a dry wall shower put in (not exactly sure what that is) and the woodworker was a Marketer from cape town. 

 

If/when I have children, I would never prohibit them from learning to make things with their hands and fixing things. The world has too many 'business men/women', and not nearly enough to get their hands dirty. That is where the money is at.

I really enjoy working with my hands, would seriously consider doing it full-time if the opportunity presents itself.  :thumbup:

 

But not in those winters though.. :ph34r:

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Posted

Aren't we alll??

 

The Zuma reference youøre gonna have to explain to me - it Zuma'd right over my head!

 

i was there in..2009? mention you were south african and okes would worship the ground he walked on.

Posted

I really enjoy working with my hands, would seriously consider doing it full-time if the opportunity presents itself.  :thumbup:

 

But not in those winters though.. :ph34r:

 

 

One of the highest paying jobs is in Central heating, gas and fuel supply. Every house has gas central heating os working indoors in winter isn't a problem. No one builds in winter anyway so blue collar jobs can be highly seasonal anyway. 

Plumbers, builders, heating, aircon, woodworkers, road maintenance,...those guys always had the latest and greatest bikes. Also lots more disposable income as the state covered medical and schooling for the kids and even university fees if you attend a state owned university. The Tax you pay works for you and tradespersons are highly valued

Posted

 

i was there in..2009? mention you were south african and okes would worship the ground he walked on.

 

Ah ok THAT Zuma. I'm not really into football...

 

Last time I went passed Telia Parken his picture was still hanging on the side of the stadium :-)

Posted

Exactly this.

 

The more "advanced" the country the higher "basic" skills get valued. The issue is that unless you have an EU passport a basic trade won't get you into the country - gotta have certified skills to make the points...

 

Quite correct. I'm young (29), and if I could go back to my first year out of high school, I would have changed my B.com to some sort of trade. Electrical/plumbing/welding/woodwork. I know I could do it now physically, but it means giving up my job and the income I currently have, which wouldn't cover my financial expenses required (stupid choices have repercussions) 

Posted

I miss the days when this was a bike website discussing bike stuff and not a boiling pot of bickering differences in perspective. Yes, we disagreed, but it was about bike stuff.

 

The under tone was less affronted.

 

 

Since I added several people to my 'ignore' list, The Hub is a much better place for me.

It was either that, or stop coming here. And that's just crazy talk...

Posted

SA is such a screwed up place. It’s almost “ opposite world”.

 

I have a cabinet making trade, qualified in 1999. Realised soon enough that I needed to get out of the factory while I still had all my fingers.

 

Advance a couple of years, and a **** tonne of experience, that just being a cabinetmaker will earn you pennies. 

 

My second point: My missus studied really hard, got a hons degree in exercise science, and can barely get a job at the gym. 

The market in these two industries in south africa is non existent, Its a struggle..

I am opening myself up to a barrage of “ you should’ve could’ve from the hub oracle, and trust me, I would’ve if I could’ve. I made some big ass mistakes in my life, that I’m paying for still, daily, so there’s that. Not everyone is in the position to take the big leap and go it alone, which is we are we are at.

 

I guess what I’m saying is don’t post under the influence, because you will be scolded for that as well....

 

 

Posted

SA is such a screwed up place. It’s almost “ opposite world”.

 

I have a cabinet making trade, qualified in 1999. Realised soon enough that I needed to get out of the factory while I still had all my fingers.

 

Advance a couple of years, and a **** tonne of experience, that just being a cabinetmaker will earn you pennies. 

 

My second point: My missus studied really hard, got a hons degree in exercise science, and can barely get a job at the gym. 

 

The market in these two industries in south africa is non existent, Its a struggle..

I am opening myself up to a barrage of “ you should’ve could’ve from the hub oracle, and trust me, I would’ve if I could’ve. I made some big ass mistakes in my life, that I’m paying for still, daily, so there’s that. Not everyone is in the position to take the big leap and go it alone, which is we are we are at.

 

I guess what I’m saying is don’t post under the influence, because you will be scolded for that as well....

c19 has given us an opportunity to reevaluate what is important.  i have family in the usa who for years have stared down their noses at us savages living in our savage country, but today i watch that country eat itself alive.  the rampant materialistic and consumerist culture that america has thrust upon the world has been laid bare and its killing them. 

 

yes, we need to provide for ourselves and families, but do we really need to define ourselves by accumulating wealth defined by possessions and conspicuous consumption?  for me c19 has forced a rethink on many of these things, especially the hamster wheel that serves the billionaire class and few others.  if you can make a living with a rewarding and fulfilling skill like carpentry or at least have it as a part of your life , you are richer than most.  dont judge yourself by hollow and vacuous standards - those people are miserable ***** (Danish king)

Posted

SA is such a screwed up place. It’s almost “ opposite world”.

 

I have a cabinet making trade, qualified in 1999. Realised soon enough that I needed to get out of the factory while I still had all my fingers.

 

Advance a couple of years, and a **** tonne of experience, that just being a cabinetmaker will earn you pennies. 

 

My second point: My missus studied really hard, got a hons degree in exercise science, and can barely get a job at the gym. 

The market in these two industries in south africa is non existent, Its a struggle..

I am opening myself up to a barrage of “ you should’ve could’ve from the hub oracle, and trust me, I would’ve if I could’ve. I made some big ass mistakes in my life, that I’m paying for still, daily, so there’s that. Not everyone is in the position to take the big leap and go it alone, which is we are we are at.

 

I guess what I’m saying is don’t post under the influence, because you will be scolded for that as well....

Warning: te textwall of death imminent...

 

Dont be too hard on yourself dude, let me give you a perspective ftom the other side of the spektrum.

To become an architect you need a professional masters degree. After your bachelors (3years) you are expected to go do a years practical..they just wont let you in for 4th year without it...Easy as that. Then you come back for your honors and masters degrees. By the end of masters you have ‘6 years‘ of studying under your belt if everything went smoothly. After that you become a candidate architect and need to basically be a slave for 2 years to build up enough points trough practical experience and study contract law so you are ‘allowed’ to write the professional exam.

So by then you are 8 years in if everything went well...which it probably didnt if you graduated right in the previous recession haha.

Then you go write the test, pass and are allowed to join SAIA and SACAP and the likes snd then alone you can BE an architect.

 

Thats all good and dandy...but after 8/9 years of busting your balls you will on average earn around R30-40k a month still...even if you are/were considered above avarage. You will still do donkey work too.

And you will peak Around 70/80k if are very lucky and working in a highly regarded firm in a very senior position...and you wont be doing any architecture either...you will basically be an over qualified project manager.

 

I have friends that after 10/12 years of professional experience still struggle to earn R30k a month...abd thats with their OWN companies.

It is by far the lowest paying professional occupation in the world...why architects joke that you need a real job and do architecture as a hobby.

I think about those 8 odd years and all the experience I have and all the other epic stuff i could have done instead as lot. How long do radiologists need to study? Or anesthesiologists?

 

But it is what it is and nothing is a waste in terms of life experience. These days “design thinking”, “Agile” and all that crap gets thrown about In other industries like it is some new found religion or something....to us it is just tuesday. What i’m saying is...you learned a skillset that can be applied in many different environments...The trick is to free your mind from the shackles an ‘tertiary education’ puts on you.

 

We all end up in the same place...how we get there just differs lol

Posted

Warning: te textwall of death imminent...

 

Dont be too hard on yourself dude, let me give you a perspective ftom the other side of the spektrum.

To become an architect you need a professional masters degree. After your bachelors (3years) you are expected to go do a years practical..they just wont let you in for 4th year without it...Easy as that. Then you come back for your honors and masters degrees. By the end of masters you have ‘6 years‘ of studying under your belt if everything went smoothly. After that you become a candidate architect and need to basically be a slave for 2 years to build up enough points trough practical experience and study contract law so you are ‘allowed’ to write the professional exam.

So by then you are 8 years in if everything went well...which it probably didnt if you graduated right in the previous recession haha.

Then you go write the test, pass and are allowed to join SAIA and SACAP and the likes snd then alone you can BE an architect.

 

Thats all good and dandy...but after 8/9 years of busting your balls you will on average earn around R30-40k a month still...even if you are/were considered above avarage. You will still do donkey work too.

And you will peak Around 70/80k if are very lucky and working in a highly regarded firm in a very senior position...and you wont be doing any architecture either...you will basically be an over qualified project manager.

 

I have friends that after 10/12 years of professional experience still struggle to earn R30k a month...abd thats with their OWN companies.

It is by far the lowest paying professional occupation in the world...why architects joke that you need a real job and do architecture as a hobby.

I think about those 8 odd years and all the experience I have and all the other epic stuff i could have done instead as lot. How long do radiologists need to study? Or anesthesiologists?

 

But it is what it is and nothing is a waste in terms of life experience. These days “design thinking”, “Agile” and all that crap gets thrown about In other industries like it is some new found religion or something....to us it is just tuesday. What i’m saying is...you learned a skillset that can be applied in many different environments...The trick is to free your mind from the shackles an ‘tertiary education’ puts on you.

 

We all end up in the same place...how we get there just differs lol

hopefully on a tricked out piece of carbon!

Posted (edited)

How long do radiologists need to study? Or anesthesiologists?

 

 

That's a long road. My wife is studying to become an anaesthetist. In her case:

 

1 year BSC (because even with a matric average of nearly 90% and all your subjects distinctions you don't get in to med school)

6 years med school

2 years internship

1 year commuinity service (+diploma in emergency care to land a job after community service)

1 year to do a diploma in anaesthetics (not complusory but you won't get admission to a program without it)

1 year to do your primaries (exams meant to be written in 1st of specialisation, but it's competitive to get in so people write it before they are accepted just to get accepted - go figure) - this is where she is now

4 years specialising....

 

So 16 years, 13 if all the stars magically align for you.

 

That being said, they get paid well from internship, and all the years that follow is full on experience, so after the 16 years she is qualified and experienced, she doesn't have to start at the bottom.

 

But your point stands. I am also in a field where I had to do a Masters (6 years total), plus a 1 year internship, plus another year for board exams and professional registration - so 8 years. Even with a couple years experience my field does not pay much unless you have your own firm/practice (which is my eventual plan).

 

Like you said, we all get to the same place, just take different paths to get there.

Edited by Grease_Monkey
Posted

Not the response I was expecting, thanks for the posts guys.

 

I am in a great position, I have no place to complain, at the top of my game (I kinda morphed into the corporate interior design industry) working for a company that does amazing work, and who really cares about their employees.

 

I get what you saying Morne, architecture is an interest of mine, but def not what I want to be doing. Us humans are a fickle bunch, we always want whatever we dont currently have. While stuck at the office, all I wanted was to go home and work peacefully, currently, I get so excited when we have a colab session at the office, just to get out of the house.

 

Sorry about my life ramblings, we can get back to shouting about masks now...

 

and yes, steel for life!!!

Posted

Not the response I was expecting, thanks for the posts guys.

 

I am in a great position, I have no place to complain, at the top of my game (I kinda morphed into the corporate interior design industry) working for a company that does amazing work, and who really cares about their employees.

 

I get what you saying Morne, architecture is an interest of mine, but def not what I want to be doing. Us humans are a fickle bunch, we always want whatever we dont currently have. While stuck at the office, all I wanted was to go home and work peacefully, currently, I get so excited when we have a colab session at the office, just to get out of the house.

 

Sorry about my life ramblings, we can get back to shouting about masks now...

 

and yes, steel for life!!!

and then you went and ruined it!

Posted (edited)

My other half is reading a book by Bruce Whitfield. The upside of down.

 

There are so so so so many things we accept as fact in this country that are simply not true. Particularly around infrastructure and development. Yes we have our challenges but there are a lot of positives. We always seem to tend to the negative. I'm not sure if it's an SA condition or a human one.

 

We also tend to imply that our arguments are nuanced but the person with the opposing view to us is binary. I know I'm guilty of this.

 

IMO. As South Africans (And Africans) the very thing that annoys many of us (the bending of rules) actually points to an entrepreneurial spirit which flows strongly in most of us.

 

Anyway. Wishing all of you an amazing weekend.

Edited by Duane_Bosch
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