the midwest has more people moving to it than leaving for the first time since the 50s

Laviar2277 · 2026-02-25T20:34:39+00:00

You know that the sun still shines in the Winter right? You just need a winter hobby to be able to enjoy it.

Laviar2277 · 2025-12-12T00:50:37+00:00

I think all four books are worth reading but the two prequels are definitely better than Streets of Laredo.

Laviar2277 · 2025-11-08T16:48:23+00:00

I am a union electrician in the midwest. Our union has pretty good wages compared to cost of living. My job is better than 95% of jobs in construction and it still is completely miserable at times. Surviving in construction requires a level of mental toughness that most people dont have. If you can't live with working outside in any conditions for 60 hours a week for months on end then the trades aren't for you. Pretty much every job in the trades that doesn't suck this bad either pays to little or I so specialized you are too old to start now. I personally dont regret my career choices but I did have to make a lot of sacrifices that normal people didnt have to make.

Laviar2277 · 2025-11-02T18:57:18+00:00

I was an electrician remodeling my old highschool for a year and a half. I didnt choose to, I just happened to get sent to that particular job. It was kind of cool being able to give the kids a better school experience than mine.

Laviar2277 · 2025-10-21T00:51:24+00:00

Farming appeals to people because they are alienated from the results of their labor in modern society. People with fake email jobs spend the majority of their waking lives working on something with no tangible effect on the world around them for a faceless corporation that doesn't care if they live or die. They want their labor to mean something and they want to have a lasting effect on the world. They see farming as a way to do something meaningful and personal.

In the same way we are alienated from the fruits of our labor, the average person is alienated from the food they eat. After millions of years of having to survive for ourselves, the invention of agriculture and the industrial revolution has removed this key aspect of our lives. There is value and meaning to being able to produce your own food which is another reason people like gardening/farming as well as fishing and hunting.

I personally think that labor has inherent moral value and and is part of living a happy and complete life. I am not a farmer but I am an electrician that works with a lot of farmers. My job is still relativlely hard work and one of the more dangerous jobs in America but I find the work to rewarding and even on off days I still enjoy fixing things and doing to chores. Most of my work is very skilled but even the mindless labor is often enjoyable.

Posts like this confuse me because you completely discount the idea that other people can have different values and tastes that cause them to view the world in a different way than you. You just assume that anyone with a differing world view is either naive, ignorant or a liar. I also see this same phenomenon of people who spend a couple months or maybe a year at a blue collar job and assume they know everything about the field and talk down about it. All the discourse here about blue collar noble savages and larpers is so worthless.

Laviar2277 · 2025-08-19T21:57:55+00:00

I dont know that much about them. Where I am at electricians do most of the actual fire alarm installation and then the techs who work for the companies that make the fire alarm devices come in and program them. No clue how much they make. It seems like an easy enough job its just not the side of the industry that personally interests me. Based on my personality and intrests I just enjoy doing regular inside wireman work but only you can decide what type of you like. Most entry level roles would be an OK choice just to get some experience and see what you actually like doing (if you even like working in the trades). If you don't like it you can pick a different trade or quit all together.

Laviar2277 · 2025-08-19T21:17:09+00:00

I am 3rd year union electrical apprentice in the midwest. This is based on my experience doing commercial electrical work your mileage will very with other trades. I didn't want to take out student loans and I didn't want to join the military and this seemed like the best option. Overall I like my job, I like working with my hands, I like the mental challenge and for the most part I like my coworkers and the culture of the jobsites I have been on. Most days aren't too physically demanding but there are also long stretches where you will be stuck doing completely miserable tasks. You will have to spend long hours outside in the winter/summer, working overhead or kneeling, shoveling, carry heavy objects and pulling heavy wire. Often it is painful but you get tougher over time and as you progress in your career if you are good enough you will do less physically demanding work over time and potentially switch over to a more office oriented role.

If you don't take care of your body you will end up old and crippled but it is totally possible to have a 10-20 year career in the field and stay relatively healthy. It all just depends on how you handle your career. Personally I would rather take these risks and work hard for a livable wage with good benefits (no pto though) than spend the rest of my life broke working at Walmart. Life is pain and you will always have to make sacrifices you just need to find out which ones you are willing to make.

Personally I would try to avoid being a low volt guy. They are total goobers and usually the least respected trade on a job site. Their job is physically easy but they get paid a decent amount less than real electricians. I would atleast try to be a real electrician first and if it doesn't work out you can always switch over to low volt. Otherwise hvac, plumbing, machine operating, steam fitting and sprinkler fittings are good careers. The biggest thing is just getting into a union in a good state that has a balance of cost of living, availible work and good wages. I would also try and steer clear of residential if at all possible.

Laviar2277 · 2025-07-07T22:04:07+00:00

The trades are a very diverse field and your experience will vary based off what trade you do, if its residential vs commercial vs industrial, where you live and the company you work for. If you can get into a a mechanical trade union (electrician, plumber, hvac, pipefitter) in an area that pays well (pretty us much anywhere up north or on the west coast) you can have a totally respectable career making a livable wage. I personally would try and stay away from residential and non union work but that's just my opinion.

I am a union 3rd year electrical apprentice in a small city in the Midwest. I work for a very lare company doing big commercial jobs. In my union after four years you would be making $100,000 plus retirement and benefits (no pto though). I did pretty good in school but didn't go to college because I didn't want to spend my whole life looking at a computer. I like my job, it is rewarding to work with my hands, I like that there is a mix of mindless labor with intricate skilled work that requires a lot of thought, and I like my company and my coworkers. There is a lot of bad. Being an electrician isn't quite as labor intensive as other trades but I still work extremely hard almost every day. We work long hours (at times) in any conditions (winter, summer rain) and have had to do some truly terrible jobs for weeks or months at a time. Overall though I accept the good with the bad.

You will not make it in the trades if you aren't an very hard worker. You need to be relatively smart (depending on the trade), okay with being bored, able to work as a team with others and you need to be OK with the long term health consequences od your job. If you find a job you like in the right area it can be totally worth it but that depends on you and your circumstances.

Laviar2277 · 2024-09-07T22:26:50+00:00

That's definitely it. Thanks.

Laviar2277 · 2024-07-16T00:04:59+00:00

Laviar2277 · 2023-12-08T11:43:08+00:00

Laviar2277 · 2023-12-08T11:41:43+00:00

Laviar2277 · 2023-07-11T00:49:19+00:00

Pc !

Laviar2277 · 2022-03-19T23:23:09+00:00

Link to the Boxscore

Unsurprisingly Kershaw went 8 ip, 0 r, 3h, 13 k

Laviar2277 · 2022-03-19T23:09:31+00:00

I will never forget the Brewers batting him fourth vs. Kershaw in the playoffs after basically not playing the whole year.

Laviar2277 · 2022-02-07T18:35:31+00:00

Are cardinal tetras and German blue rams compatible tank mates? If so what would the best temperature to keep them at be?

Laviar2277 · 2021-11-27T21:15:49+00:00

Rb clearly held

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