Now wait a minute you guy's, I landscaped for 35 years and made a great living at it. I was able to retire at the ripe old age of 55. I paid cash for all our SUV's , bought a home just off the beach here in Panama city beach and fish and hunt when ever I want. Yes it was hard as a young man because my parents didn't have much and raised five kids. I started working when I was 15 and never slowed down . FCB, Iluv2hunt is right study hard and learn all you can while your young because it will only get harder the older you get. :shifty
I didn't mean to imply that landscaping is a bad living at all. Some people can and will make a great career out of it. Nor did I mean to imply that only uneducated people will landscape. Just meant that an educated person can be qualified for both mentally challenging work and physical work....an uneducated person only has one of those choices.
Watching my father and uncle's as I grew up, and later on going to the jobs with them and working as a laborer quickly helped me develop my opinion that I did not want to beat my body on a daily basis at work. The back surgeries, pinched nerves, and arthritis that I watch them go through is enough to motivate me at school a little more. In addition to that, I worked on those offshore boats for 5-6 years, and spending 2-3 days on the ocean, rough or not, definitely doesn't make the body feel good either. If I'm going to destroy my body, it's going to be on my own terms, not on my boss'.
I type this as I have chemistry notes strewn throughout my apartment, preparing myself for the all-nighter I have to pull so I can *hopefully* do well on my orgo 2 test tomorrow. The way I figure is, a little suffering now can save me a lot of suffering later.
No one ever said you did push a mower. Landscapers and lawn maintenance are completely different. I don't care if you dig holes, mow grass, plant rhododendron , or cut sugar cane. We are just some guys trying to give you a little free advice. Thats all
I was an under achiever in high school,barely graduating. I busted my tail in the drywall business and did well but a business degree and some higher math skills would have been helpful. I learned math pretty much on my own. Sometime try and figure out how much material and fasteners are needed. Including number of studs,insulation,drywall,and all that goes with it. Then figure out how much labor is needed,W/C ins,witholding taxes and still make a profit. Lot more to it than just doing the work. My employees never understand how much work I keep doing after I get home.Before you know it you will have some chick knocked up and needing a place to live,hopefully you'll be ready and can speak properly and fill out a job application so the person hiring you respects you.That sun gets hot out there when you hit 40.
And I really can't figure out why you keep pointing out you buy your own stuff....no one has said anything about any of that.
Most of us on here are country boys, meaning most of us grew up paying our own way too....
For example: I have 4 younger sisters. I had to start working at my mother's grocery store when I was 8 years old....25 hours a week. From there, I started going to construction sites with my father and was he and his friend's laborer (read: slave) and did all the crap they didn't want to do. Then, the fun starts, when I was 14 years old, I started working on a boat called the Sea Trek. I fished/worked 60-80 hours a week during the summers, and 20-30 hrs a week during high school...sometimes going 24 hrs + without sleep so I could pay my bills and provide for myself. That continued into college but the economy and my choice of college location put at end to that. Since then, I've had some easier jobs including cell phone repair and unarmed security, but am currently doing manual labor such as installing fences and drainage, laying brick pavers, and painting, while attending school full time, in a difficult degree program. I'll be 23 in December and have 15 more months of suffering through school until I am finished.
Working hard is not an uncommon or valiant thing you're doing, so get that out of your head. I am glad you are learning to buy your own things and whatnot...but the key to what you're forgetting is that your parents are paying an enormous sum of your bills, I'd imagine....such as insurance, food, electric, water, cable, internet, and clothes, just to start. It ain't cheap to live in Florida, I dunno how it is elsewhere in FL, but you're easily looking at $600-800 a month including utilities to get a 1 bedroom apartment.
i dont plan on moving out on my own ANYTIME soon where did u get that idea?
"I dunno how it is elsewhere in FL, but you're easily looking at $600-800 a month including utilities to get a 1 bedroom apartment."
