I was a VW mechanic back in the ‘70s.
Enjoyed:
Learning how things worked; sharpened my analytical skills
Satisfaction from fixing things; job was consequential
Getting to drive lots of different cars
Working around other ‘car guys'
Getting to use a rack to work on my own car after work
Working for ‘old school' German mechanics that taught me important mechanical skills
Things I disliked:
Crappy pay
Cold in the winter, hot in the summer shop
Noisy environment, sometimes high CO concentrations
Having to buy more and more expensive tools to keep up with the job
Being dirty most of the time
Low status
Working for very demanding German mechanics
What do you think of your occupation?
Enjoyed:
Learning how things worked; sharpened my analytical skills
Satisfaction from fixing things; job was consequential
Getting to drive lots of different cars
Working around other ‘car guys'
Getting to use a rack to work on my own car after work
Working for ‘old school' German mechanics that taught me important mechanical skills
Things I disliked:
Crappy pay
Cold in the winter, hot in the summer shop
Noisy environment, sometimes high CO concentrations
Having to buy more and more expensive tools to keep up with the job
Being dirty most of the time
Low status
Working for very demanding German mechanics
What do you think of your occupation?