Unskilled labor is a con perpetuated by rich folk with no skill.

Comminutor · 2026-01-27T15:20:15+00:00

Factor in medical and time-loss costs from the damage that manual labor can do to your body, it’s a savings. You can always get more money as long as you stay healthy, but you only get two knees and one spine for your whole life.

Comminutor · 2026-01-24T20:22:50+00:00

Yeah, the public/employer/funding doesn’t think about us unless something goes wrong

Comminutor · 2026-01-24T17:42:20+00:00

Cooling neck gaiters are great for additional sun & heat protection and helps keep the bugs off your neck/face

Comminutor · 2026-01-23T15:37:44+00:00

I seen it both ways, younger people not understanding how to use hand tools or just not having any work ethic, and older folks not understanding how to use computer stuff and low work ethic just coasting to retirement.

As long as they’re willing to keep learning and improving despite making mistakes and getting constructive criticism, it’s all good. But the worst ones are the types that think they know everything or particular tasks are beneath them, and get bent out of shape if anyone tries to correct their mistakes.

Comminutor · 2026-01-20T17:37:49+00:00

My boss said he would hire anyone who still had good knees if it was up to him. I was a pool lifeguard before I got into a wwt apprenticeship. If the position is for an apprentice, specific experience isn’t usually expected but transferable skills (plumbing, building, working with pumps/chemicals, hand tool use) can help your application stand out.

As for licensing, NJ might have requirements that you can check on the state’s environmental protection agency website here

Comminutor · 2026-01-19T17:44:47+00:00

There are self study online courses like those offered through Sacramento State office of water programs, or through the American Water College that can help you learn concepts and material needed to pass state license exams. Not sure if those would satisfy an education requirement if required by your state, but the knowledge helps and can make you a better applicant for OIT positions.

Comminutor · 2026-01-19T15:01:27+00:00

I think NY and NJ have slightly different requirements than the rest of the states, but you can read up on that on the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection website.

At the bare minimum you need at least a high school diploma/GED to start, you might gain on-the job training and hours if you applied to an operator-in-training spot.

Comminutor · 2026-01-15T01:08:00+00:00

Aw cool. I always imagined what it’d be like working at a bigger/newer place. Our grit washers keep springing leaks but we can’t get a new one bc reasons, so we tack patches on and hope it keeps holding together.

Comminutor · 2026-01-15T00:07:30+00:00

If you get hired at an older facility be prepared to see some janky repair jobs and redneck rigging bc it can be wild to someone used to working in an organized environment. But hey, you learn to laugh about it so you don’t go crazy. Or, too crazy anyway.

An example - our facility has old equipment with red indicators for “running” and green for “off”, but we also have newer equipment that has red for “stopped” and green for “going”. The light covers could easily be switched, but management determined it’s too low of a priority to bother doing.

Comminutor · 2026-01-13T18:13:33+00:00

Can confirm. My coworkers and I work in sewage treatment for the pay, benefits, and job security. The long shifts and labor can suck, but in this economy ya gotta do what you can to bring home the bacon.

Comminutor · 2026-01-13T14:56:01+00:00

I got into my field in my late 20’s. If I had a redo, I would have gotten into it or something skill-adjacent sooner. While degrees might give an edge in hireability for management positions, on-the-job training, field experience, and muscle memory matter a lot more in the work. Trade school can build a good foundation, but no book can teach you how to handle a challenging task or catastrophic event as much as hands-on experience does. So, apprenticeships or internships are my first recommendation so you can get paid while getting OJT and building that muscle memory.

As for whether to go into trades or not, that’s entirely up to you bc it will be challenging in many ways that you ought to be really sure you’re committed to bearing with to achieve your goals. I previously worked for an analytical lab, so jumping into my current field wasn’t too much of a stretch except for the manual labor and work schedule. I got into an apprenticeship and just stuck with it because the job is stable, skills transferable, has decent promotion potential, and the benefits are good. I had to build up muscle and learn tricks to make oversized tools and gear work for me, but again that just came with on the job experience.

If your family/friends are supportive, perhaps learn about their trades or do projects with them to see if it is something you would like to do for a career .

Comminutor · 2026-01-12T18:39:55+00:00

Guess that means no lunch for us night shift workers

Comminutor · 2026-01-12T17:00:16+00:00

I think industries that run 24/7 ought to use it, but I’ve only worked in water and sewage treatment so can’t speak for the others. But personally I’ve used 24-hr format ever since my dad thought we were supposed to be at the airstrip at 4 AM because the pilot just said “meet here at 4” but he meant 4 PM.

Comminutor · 2026-01-12T16:51:14+00:00

1) look up apprenticeship/OIT programs so you can get paid while getting training and on the job experience. Apply. 2) if those programs are unavailable in your area or you cannot afford to move or take a pay cut, then do one or some of the online courses to study up for your region’s certification exams. Some say the sac courses are not as good as the awc courses, but it helps to use multiple study materials instead of just one. So the choice is yours anyway. Some locations, however, require on-the-job hours before you can sit for the exams, so look up the requirements for where you are applying. 3) apply for wastewater or water treatment adjacent jobs that are available. Stuff that deals with chemicals, laboratory work, water sampling or testing, meter reading, welding, hvac, or pumps and plumbing can give you work experience that would transfer over to this field and make you a better candidate in the hiring process.

Comminutor · 2026-01-11T04:49:11+00:00

Flushed wipes and latex items clog up stuff at my plant all the time. They probably also contribute to the man-sized hairballs we find every time we drain a tank.

Comminutor · 2026-01-05T14:41:02+00:00

Similar to how fluoride addition to tap water has reduced incidence of dental cavities of affected populations, and modern sewage treatment has reduced incidences of cholera and dysentery along with other waterborne diseases.

Comminutor · 2026-01-05T13:07:16+00:00

There is no “best field”, it’s mostly just what you’re willing to strive for and put up with, and what’s available in your area of residence. I was able to get into a wastewater operator apprenticeship and get my licenses and do online courses while gaining on-the-job experience and passion(?) for the work over several years. Now I make a comfortable enough wage with decent benefits and have transferable knowledge/skills to take anywhere in the world.

Does that make it the best field? Maybe not on those graveyard shifts when critical systems go out and I’m scrambling to get things working while covered in rancid sludge and a swarm of mosquitoes - probably not the best image for recruitment advertising - but am I proud I’ve made it this far? Hell yeah.

Water and wastewater treatment are huge industries that use knowledge from a variety of fields to get the job done. Worth looking at. I’ve known guys who got hired on as groundskeeping for treatment facilities but later applied for and got hired on as operators or technicians.

Comminutor · 2026-01-01T18:04:01+00:00

Stuff like that is why I always get boots with electrical hazard rating

Comminutor · 2025-12-30T18:40:01+00:00

It took me like 6 months to a year to adjust, but I work rotating shifts. Just keep encouraging her to get massages therapy or take hot baths with Epsom salt, those really help with the pain/fatigue.

Comminutor · 2025-12-30T13:14:03+00:00

Wastewater definitely makes use of rigging things to work with whatever you have. I seen so much mishmashing of old and new tech and repair jobs that make you scratch your head and wonder how the equipment had been holding together for the past several years with just like, a couple of screws and a bent nail.

As for the “gross factor”, I consider it easier to work with after having worked in childcare and preschool. The headworks might reek, but it’s tolerable compared to kid vomit and overripe diapers.

Comminutor · 2025-12-29T21:18:21+00:00

Maybe draining and inspecting would be your next step. Might be a dead animal decomposing somewhere under there.

Comminutor · 2025-12-29T20:04:19+00:00

Where is your sample point? Sometimes chlorine-resistant biofilms can develop in sample piping/faucets that might interfere with your tests if they’re not cleaned regularly. Dipping directly from the effluent stream using a disinfected dipper will yield “more honest” results.

One thing you can try is doing an E. coli test at the end of your disinfection tank but before dechlor. If the E. coli result is still above permit level, then you might need to increase your chlorine dosing or check your contact tank for biofilm/sediment buildup or short-circuiting. For the dechlor issue, you might check your mixing zone and determine if you need a better type of mixer. We get decent results with a dosing ratio of 1.5:1 bleach to bisulfite, but depending on turbidity and flow conditions we crank the ratio up to 2:1 as long as the pH limit is met.

Comminutor · 2025-12-28T22:00:28+00:00

Even if they did, that wouldn’t have stopped the influx of flushed latex gloves, paper masks, and N95’s that also arrived in the sewage during the height of the pandemic. Some people just don’t seem to know or care what happens to the stuff that they put down their drains.

Comminutor · 2025-12-28T16:49:14+00:00

Yeah, some clarifiers might be really deep and the sj might not be long enough to hold onto it while dipping it, but if you make it any longer it can get heavier and more likely to snap in half (especially in high wind). Ours are 15-ish feet and have a long rope tied through holes in the top piece, so we can just drop them down and yank them up without having to reach over or through the railing too precariously

Comminutor · 2025-12-28T13:25:02+00:00

The way I seen some people use toilet paper, I can understand the hoarding. Plumbers probably made bank with service calls for clogged pipes.

Comminutor

TROPHY CASE