These Are the Days

Sun shining
Gentle breezes blowing
Grass growing
Flowers blooming
Birds chirping
Squirrels scampering
Sticks-and-rocks-a-plenty
Kids playing
Mom smiling

Should I Become a Plumber?

Our shower head had been constantly dripping for a week, but now it's fixed, thanks to a plumber that our landlord called. Hooray! Now to attack the mildew that accumulated in the meantime...

Whenever we need some kind of home repair, I start to wonder why I didn't learn a trade. My "marketable skills" are rather nebulous - writing, problem solving, event planning. I mean, a lot of people share my same skill set. It makes it hard for me to know what kind of jobs to look for.

I don't think I could handle being a plumber (too many gross scenarios to encounter), but I do think I'd make a good electrician. I liked science class in school. I'm careful, so I would (hopefully) not fry myself or others. I like to analyze and solve problems. The one issue I might have is with bugs/critters/dirt. I bet electricians have to crawl around in some uncomfortable places to install or repair stuff. That would not be my favorite part of the job. Maybe with the proper protective gear, I could handle it. (Hazmat suit to avoid roaches!)

Plus, it would be cool to be a female electrician. I've never met one, so I could be a trailblazer. Then I could go speak at schools and teach kids to explore all sorts of jobs they might not have considered. 

Did you know that mean wage for electricians is about $55K (as of 2015)? And you don't even need a college degree? You can do some formal education, but you mainly learn through an apprenticeship program. Meanwhile, I have six years of higher education under my belt, but in the Memphis job market and my current line of work, I would have a hard time making $55K. Maybe I should give this new career path a bit more thought... :)