Tradies

Last week, I wrote… I used to love this industry, and I do still love many of wonderful people in it. But as we’ve shifted from a craft to industrialization, everything I loved about the work itself has died. I’m constantly wondering, “What would I do next if I wasn’t in tech anymore?” And I keep coming up short. Trade & Craft I plan to keep riding the tech train for as long as possible, but treat it like a trade rather than a personality the way folks in plumbing or carpentry do with their work. That doesn’t mean you stop caring about the craft. The electricians who wired our house were exceptional craftspeople. The cables running out of our panel are neatly lined up, and each one is labelled before going into the panel so you know exactly what it’s for and which breaker its connected to. The runs inside the walls are straight and well thought-out. There’s an extra loop of cable at each junction box so that if someone accidentally pulls too hard, it doesn’t damage anything. A…