I'm curious what you did for a living to be so poor at communication.
About a year out of high school and after my first daughter was born I left my job operating a forklift and managing a warehouse for a small industrial manufacturing firm to go to work for a heavy, mechanical and civil construction firm specialized in water and wastewater treatment plants.
I took a cut in pay from $3.25 an hour to $1.65 an hour to use my vocational training in high school to be a draftsman.
With that company, we bid and built millions of dollars of public construction projects east of the Mississippi river from northern Ohio down to the tip of Florida. starting as a draftsman and being self taught on the engineering aspects and labor management of huge construction projects, I worked my way up in that company to managing up to six estimators and draftsman for the mechanical department that I convinced the owner would be worthwhile to pursue.
I left that company to pursue project management positions in many states from Massachusetts to California usually putting in 2 to 3 years on the largest water and wastewater treatment plant projects because that’s where the money was.
The last project I managed was a $200 million wastewater treatment plant in the mid Atlantic. It was an entirely new plant and I had gone to work for the company that was a successful low bidder to help them estimated and get the job.
Up to that point all the major water and waste water treatment plant projects on the east coast had ended in huge claims and lawsuits between the contractor and the owner. This owner and this design engineer wanted a commitment from the contractor that there would be no claims the lawyer is involved. It’s a completion of a successful project.
I played a huge role into seeing that objective being met. That was 20 years ago. I remarried and decided to go into estimating with that same company because I didn’t want to move around and uproot my family every few years.
I was a senior civil and mechanical estimator and the last project I was involved with was a design build project in the Houston Texas area all told worth about $1.2 billion dollars until I retired a few years back.
after I retired I was contacted by head hunters from across the nation and probably could’ve taken a position anywhere, but I didn’t need the money.
I did set up a consulting firm to help a major contractor in my area who use the exact same estimating system that I have been using for about 25 years.
I did several projects with them basically to buy some toys I wanted to have during my retirement. But when my granddaughter was born, I quit consulting to become grandpa care to help my kids both young professionals get a jump on life.
I have spent 18 months now in that role, helping my stepdaughter that I’ve raised since she was six and came into my life.
I am young. I’m healthy. I’m wealthy and I’m wise all on a public high school education.
The joy of being named “Bucky” by the 18 month old granddaughter that I spent five days a week with is up there with one of the greatest joys of my life.