stanley Report post Posted May 1, 2019 7 hours ago, CatfishKev said: The only kids these days that have a good work ethic are likely kids of a business owner. I make my kids work with me just to teach them work ethic. There was a time I thought hiring young guys was better, these days I choose older and slower but good work ethic., Careful generalizing...... You haven't met my kids. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CatfishKev Report post Posted May 1, 2019 I'm refering to the younger generation of workers more specifically. But yeah still an over generalization. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
seek100plus Report post Posted May 1, 2019 heck I should do it for my cabelas habit 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pine Donkey Report post Posted May 2, 2019 I spend my life with today’s kids, almost daily. There is a lot truth in this post, but it paints all kids with the same broad brush. I know several who will bust their butts on any job available, but they are always busy working, not beating the street for a job. I also know a lot of entitled kids who are “too good” for that type of work. X-box and smart phones do play a role, but they are not a determining factor. Take a look at the parent...entitled parent, entitled child. Good luck Tony, hope you find someone soon. You might want to call the local high school, talk to a coach, or the front office lady, I bet they will send someone your way. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CanilleBowhunter Report post Posted May 2, 2019 It's been my experience that the kids that grow up with an agricultural background (i.e. farming and ranching) have a better work ethic than kids who don't. But I will have to agree, it is the parents who make or break the kid. If every dad would allow their son to spend a summer bucking hay we would have a much more productive young culture. And they'd be ready for football camp! Just my opinion. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Outdoor Writer Report post Posted May 5, 2019 Tony's Grand Yard Adventure is now over -- and earlier than expected. BUT...not without a couple stops and starts thrown in. I had Javier and Jesus set up to paint the wall Thurs. morning and Francisco with his husky Bobcat and helper set to spread rock on Fri. So to be sure everything was on schedule, I called Javier on Mon. -- no answer and no return call. Same on Tues. -- twice. Then Tues. night I called Francisco. He answered and told me he was in Mexico visiting family. I asked if he was still set to go on Fri. He said he wasn't sure but would try to get back on Thurs. I wasn't a happy camper at this point. Thus, Weds. a.m. at 5 -dark-30, I wandered back to Home Depot to search out Javier. He wasn't there. I hung around about 30 mins. and talked to several others who were looking for work. Finally when Javier didn't show, I talked to Luis (understood and spoke English well) and Ramone (no English at all). Told them I wanted the wall painted and asked if they were interested in spreading the rock. I offered to bring them here to look, and if they didn't like it, I'd bring them back. They liked it and agreed to paint the wall for $100 and spread the 26 tons of rock for $300. That was $50 less than I had going with Javier and Francisco. The first thing they did was change out the blown wheelbarrow tire. They also threw some dirt in the back planter that Javier and Jesus had forgot to do. Then I got them painting. Ellen went to get air in the tire because the filter blew on my compressor as they were doing the tire change. Another Big boom! Once the painting was done, they started with the plastic and rock. We also borrowed my neighbor's wheelbarrow again. I could tell Luis had done it before just from the way he measured out and cut the plastic. We used every foot of plastic and every single pebble! Now these two guys worked their tails off and did everything I asked them to do the way I wanted it done. As a result, I gave them an extra $100 for a total of $500. They were tickled with that. Then Weds. night I'm on the couch watching the Diamondbacks' game and thinking how ugly the two walls on the sides looked since one was white and the other yellow while the new on was tan. I decided to paint the other two to match. It was off to HD again at 5:30 Thurs., hoping I could find Luis there because he said he likes paint work. He didn't show up but Ramone did. We agreed on $100 for both walls. Even though he doesn't understand English, my limited Spanish and lots of sign language got us through the morning. We had a 1/2 can of paint left from the front wall. That meant I had to wake Ellen at 6:15 to make a paint run for two more gallons. At this point, she was the unhappy camper. Ramone finished the job in about 4 hours, and I took him back to HD so he might get a bit more work. Weds. night I called both Javier and Francisco. Neither answered so I left them both the same message -- don't bother showing up; the job is done. Javier finally called at 8:30 Thurs., and I politely told him that if he answered his phone or returned calls, he and Jesus could have made $500. THE END And...the finished project...………... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Outdoor Writer Report post Posted May 5, 2019 On 5/1/2019 at 7:40 AM, twigsnapper said: In my opinion it has nothing to do with Xbox or a cell phone and 100% to do with parenting and culture and big city culture. Growing up in a small town, we kids were always picking up side jobs and learning construction along the way. Parents nowadays don’t let their kids outside let alone go work a side job and parents put more emphasis on school and activities then they do on getting life skills through work experience as a teenager. I hope when my boys are old enough I have guys like Tony around to chew their butt and give them a chance to make a buck or two. Don’t blame the kids, it’s the parents. I think you're spot on with the above. I grew up in an Italian family. My grandfather worked for the NJ road dept. all his life, and one of his sons also worked construction, while a 2nd one worked for Western Electric but was always around when construction work was on the agenda. They built the house they lived in during the 1940s. My dad was a night shift (4-12) supervisor at a Ford assembly plant in Mahwah, NJ. During the summers I was in high school, we painted houses. He also knew how to do concrete, block and carpentry work, which he learned when he was growing up. So that was the basic construction crew I grew up with -- grandfather, two uncles and my dad. On many weekends we were building garages, laying concrete driveways or walks, erecting block walls or doing general remodeling inside. They did just about everything. I think I started hanging out on the jobs when I was about 10-12. Thus, I learned it all, too. So when my health was good, I did everything needed -- even plumbing and electrical stuff. Then when I lived in Colorado during the mid-70s, I had the best of both worlds. I guided hunters in the fall and fishermen in the summer. When I wasn't doing either, I worked for my neighbor building very expensive custom homes, most of them just across the street from our lodge. Much of what I did was finish carpentry, but I did lots of other stuff, as well. When we moved back to Phoenix and bought a fixer upper house, I added my 25'x25' workshop and the first trophy room. When I was remodeling my master bath several years back, I needed to move the water and waste lines around a corner so I could relocate the sink/vanity on a different wall. I had a plumber come out for an estimate. He wanted $600 to run about 10' from one wall to the other. I told him he was f'ing goofy, paid him his $25 for the estimate and sent him packing. Off to Home Depot I go where the materials I needed cost me all of $35. Two hours later, the job was done. I also soldered in a brandy new shower manifold the next day. Again, several years ago, I took my kitchen and dinning room down to the bare studs and rafters and combined them into one big kitchen. I custom built distressed pine cabinets and a 10' center island on wheels using salvaged 3/4" knotty pine paneling T&G boards that came out of the Phoenix Coop when they built the D'backs baseball stadium. One side had a decorative molded edge that I ripped off and ran through my shaper. It became baseboard molding for almost the entire house. I've also used it for door trim and window sills. The whole pile of boards, which were random lengths (6'-14') and widths (6"-10") was about 4' high and 6' wide. I paid $300 for it all. AND... I still have at least 200 board feet left. The remodel cost me a TOTAL of $5600, which included all the counter tops, a dishwasher (added), microwave and a $600 fancy copper sink faucet to match all of the copper knobs and drawer pulls. And after the kitchen, I added a 35'x15' family /trophy room addition. My oldest son and I did all of the work except the concrete. Pot rack is made of 2" and 3/4" copper plumbing pipe. I made the hooks from electrical ground wire using a bending jig for uniformity. I built the table from a recycled waterbed. The chairs came unassembled and unfinished. The fancy trim on the ceiling is nothing but 3 layers of 1/2" sheetrock of different widths. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Outdoor Writer Report post Posted May 5, 2019 On 5/1/2019 at 4:24 PM, seek100plus said: heck I should do it for my cabelas habit Hey, come one, come all. Age isn't an issue, especially if you have some rudimentary carpenter skills! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Outdoor Writer Report post Posted May 5, 2019 On 5/1/2019 at 6:55 PM, Pine Donkey said: IGood luck Tony, hope you find someone soon. You might want to call the local high school, talk to a coach, or the front office lady, I bet they will send someone your way. Great suggestion! After I recoup from this last project, I will indeed give that a try. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Outdoor Writer Report post Posted May 8, 2019 Still looking for the industrious teen for part-time work. There has got to be at least one out there somewhere. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anaconda Report post Posted May 8, 2019 I would send my son over but he lives about a thousand miles away, and his car isn't that reliable. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Edge Report post Posted May 8, 2019 2 hours ago, Outdoor Writer said: Still looking for the industrious teen for part-time work. There has got to be at least one out there somewhere. Just grab a couple of these youngsters and save a few bucks. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Outdoor Writer Report post Posted May 9, 2019 On 5/8/2019 at 6:59 AM, Anaconda said: I would send my son over but he lives about a thousand miles away, and his car isn't that reliable. Probably wouldn't make for a good situation since I need dependable. But thanks for the thought anyway. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Outdoor Writer Report post Posted May 9, 2019 On 5/8/2019 at 8:43 AM, Edge said: Just grab a couple of these youngsters and save a few bucks. I need sawing, not saving. I already found Jesus in the Home Depot parking lot a while back. 😉 It would be nice to save money, but they would have to take off their ties and maybe get those white shirts a bit sweaty and dirty. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GreyGhost85 Report post Posted May 9, 2019 good luck in your search. From what I have been seeing the last few years, construction isn't a "young man's" industry anymore. We have been actively trying to hire people for over a year now. I would say the average applicant is 50 years old. about 1 out of 10 people we hire in their 20's turn out to be a good hand. We pay VERY well with awesome benefits and can't give away jobs Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
