I bought my first house when I was pretty young and soon came to find out that it was a MESS.
It was built in the 1930's, so it needed all new plumbing, electrical, gas, everything.
It was like I was living in an episode of "This Old House", which isn't quite as glamorous as they make it look on reality TV. A strong dose of reality hit me right in the face.
The basement had a lot of water damage. It had three steel columns holding up the house. But the water was rusting the bottom of all of them.
So, what did the engineer in me do?
I made a little sketch, brought it to a welder, and asked them how much the repairs would cost.
Their answer wasn't exactly in my budget.
Alright, I said, screw that! Instead I went out and bought my own little MIG welder and learned how to do it myself.
My first go at it? It was awful. But it worked. And I got better. By the time I got to my third one, my skills had improved leaps and bounds.
And through this experience, I learned what tradesmen go through every day, just on a smaller scale.
It taught me that you can't always rely on the guy that came before you for the answers.
I think it's beneficial for young architects and engineers to take part in an apprenticeship and learn the basics of the trades.They should get to know every little piece of equipment that trades folks come into contact with daily.
At the end of the day, it's go to make you that much better at your job and give you empathy for the people who are putting your work into action.
Listen, I still have that MIG welder, but more importantly, I have the knowledge it gave me.
The whole experience of fixing up that OLD house, though stressful, was a win-win for me, both personally and professionally.
Do you think it's beneficial for engineers and architects to partake in apprenticeships?
#skilledtrades #architects #engineers #construction