I worked as a welder in a shipyard for a couple of years after the .com crash.
No complaints, I actually enjoyed the work, but it was exhausting in a way that no office job can compare.
The experience also makes me want to throttle folks who have never lifted anything heavier than a pen as I hear them whine about utter trivial things.
I don't, because it is considered rude to throttle one's co-workers.
Can we stop acting like work is a competition? People with shittier jobs don’t have a monopoly on complaining. Otherwise, I could say “oh yeah? What about people who worked with asbestos and died? You think welding is hard? What about dying from lung cancer, HMMM?”
Just because your work isn’t as grueling as someone else’s doesn’t mean you don’t get to be unhappy or dissatisfied with it.
That's not the point I'm after. I liked my welding job. A lot, actually. I never felt it was a 'shitty job'. But I also like not dying by industrial accident or poisoning my body with metal fume. And the stresses of a career in tech are much more tolerable when you have other work to compare it to.
Having a wider perspective leads to a greater appreciation for what one has, after all. And that is a good thing.
No complaints, I actually enjoyed the work, but it was exhausting in a way that no office job can compare. The experience also makes me want to throttle folks who have never lifted anything heavier than a pen as I hear them whine about utter trivial things.
I don't, because it is considered rude to throttle one's co-workers.
The urge remains.