[PoorLurker]

Originally Posted by M3 Number 86

My family is AZN. Physical labor was never a mental thought.

FTFY

[PoorLurker]

For those defending physical jobs, bump this thread when you are 60.

[McBride]

I'm work in construction (civil engineer) I spent 80% of my time at a desk and 20% out on site.

I do prefer being out in the air grafting away but couldn't do it full time, especially in the winter.

If I had to choose one it would be mental. But in truth I don't think I could do either full time so I'm quite happy as I am

[1MOREMOD]

Mines mental and think physical suits me better. Grass is greener

[M_Six]

I worked for UPS for a year and lost a ton of weight. I could eat and drink whatever I wanted and never gain an ounce. That was a seriously physical job. No need for a gym membership there. It was even a pretty decent job. I liked the folks I worked with and probably would have moved into management if I had stayed.

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by M_Six

That's why we were removing it. Nasty stuff.

I said to you WOW , because I really hope for you don't had too much contact with asbestos , if you got it in your lungs ..sooner or later you're paying the price for it with death !
Respect for your work , I really do but for your health it's/was Oughh..
Anyway I wish you only the best

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

I said to you WOW , because I really hope for you don't had too much contact with asbestos , if you got it in your lungs ..sooner or later you're paying the price for it with death !
Respect for your work , I really do but for your health it's/was Oughh..
Anyway I wish you only the best

Thanks. I've been out of the business for decades and I get a chest x-ray every year just to check. I was always very careful while working with it. Lots of guys I worked with would be ripping it out with their respirators hanging around their necks while smoking a butt. No too bright. Not sure how many of them have developed problems in their later years.

[08njSTEP]

I think it's interesting how physical translates to working outside. I've worked with my hands for over 30 years and never worked outside. I was a Patriot missile crew member in Army, then worked a CNC machine while in college and after, now I work in a body shop painting cars. My buddy welds fuel lines for GE jet engines. Another runs CNC for SigSauer. Another moves fine art and designer furniture. There are a ton of manufacturing jobs that are hands on. The reason I decided to work with my hands is the reward of seeing your effort result in a tangible thing. I know when it's excellent and I'm responsible for that excellence.

[saleen556]

Originally Posted by PoorLurker

For those defending physical jobs, bump this thread when you are 60.

Lol. I'll be retired well before that ;-)

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by M_Six

Thanks. I've been out of the business for decades and I get a chest x-ray every year just to check. I was always very careful while working with it. Lots of guys I worked with would be ripping it out with their respirators hanging around their necks while smoking a butt. No too bright. Not sure how many of them have developed problems in their later years.

Honestly this makes me really sad , may your friends RIP .
Advice:

Personal I would really keep all the papers from your asbestos job => don't throw them away !
If the day comes that you get sick (I really don't hope) from the asbestos the papers can serve as proof for your lawyer !
I saw here in Belgium several asbestos cases and they all won and they got a lot of money (financial support) for their medical treatment .

[Mr Tonka]

Originally Posted by te37

Work smarter not harder

This can be applied to physical work as well.

[dreamingat30fps]

Originally Posted by 1MOREMOD

Mines mental and think physical suits me better. Grass is greener

This. I have never had a physical job so I have no first hand experience. However these are the things that appeal to me in my theoretical view of physical work.

1. You can immediately see the results of your work. The boxes were all messed up, now they are neat, house looked like shit now its nicely painted, drywall is up etc. There is some instant sense of gratification I would imagine, like washing the car. Were I think most mental jobs the payouts are on a much longer time scale.

2. You can recover from physical work. You work your ass off and you get home and rest your muscles. You get that ahhhhhhhhhh feeling. Were as with a mental job you don't (at least I don't). Plus I can't just sit my mind down on the couch and tell it "ok stfu time".

3. Leave your work at work. Now I'm not sure this is 100% mental vs physical, however I would imagine most physical jobs don't require you to think about the job after you clock out. You don't have to sit at home after a long day wondering if so and so project is going to pan out or a lot of the corporate bs that I think accompanies a lot of mental jobs.

4. Free workout. You are basically getting paid to go to the gym.

[1MOREMOD]

I've had physical jobs also and they generally pay less and not sure I would want to do them forever, get busted up. But I like that kind of work.

[pikkagtr]

I've been managing people who do the physical job.
For the most part they do seem to be tired EOD but the job satisfaction is there as well.
Some of the happiest people come home from work filthy
My father worked hard labor to provide for our family and o told my self I would not go through that while I was in school.
Now he is retired at 62 and I pay for most things
The best part is he and I can look back and see all the sacrifices he made and then joke about my sissy desk paper pushing job.

[fareast1]

Originally Posted by upstatedoc

Sometimes I fantasize about mowing lawns for a living.

That is my dream job!

[fareast1]

I've done both,
I worked construction while in college, being paid under the table for many jobs, until one day I fell off a roof and hurt my leg. Quit the next morning while nursing a swollen ankle. I miss it sometimes, but do a lot of remodeling work for myself now -when the mood hits. It's not really the same.
When I do finally retire, I am going back to physical. Planning to pull trash from the Pacific until my strength fails.

[MaynardZed]

Whatever pays $200K+ per year

Really is mostly just mental jobs that pay that unless you're a pro athlete

[MKSixer]

Mental. Luckily my career allows a 40% time in the field. When I was a college student and wanted to drop out, my dad made me work on a roofing crew for the summer in south Louisiana. It kicked my butt in a way that I will never forget.

[Aatish]

Mental. Physical tasks to clear the mind/fill the gaps.

[TrevorM3]

Originally Posted by PoorLurker

For those defending physical jobs, bump this thread when you are 60.

it's not our fault you cant turn a doorknob.

[Axius]

Originally Posted by Mr Tonka

When you are able to perform "physical work" for stretches long than 2 minutes a pop, they'll pay you more.

Pfffffft, fuck that I'm out! Back to making excel sheets and getting free lunch from vendors!

[PoorLurker]

Does the progression of the work ladder lend itself to less physical and more mental jobs?

When I drive past a construction site, I typically see the younger people with shovels in their hands while the old people are carrying the plans.

The longer you work, the more you learn, the more you know mentally, therefore, the more you do mentally and the less you do physically?