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I often get the sense that I'm in the only one here doing manual labor but I'm sure there are others.

Identify yourselves.

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[-] Cryophilia@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour ago

Facility maintenance. We grease motors, change belts, tighten bolts. One of the fuel pumps on our generator has a leak, so that's a fun bit of dirty hands.

My approach to maintenance also involves a lot of cleaning, because I believe clean equipment runs better over time. So cleaning off fan blades, insides of electrical cabinets, sumps, etc. We also fix sinks and toilets.

[-] Wolf314159@startrek.website 1 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 58 minutes ago)

I generally wash they with warm water and soap after I'm done or taking a break. I usually take one of those little dish soap bottles from the hotel when I travel to keep in the truck, cuts right through the grease and grime pretty well even if all you have is a jug of water on hand.

[-] timduncant@lemmy.world 3 points 3 hours ago

Diesel mechanic, the black never washes off!!

[-] tiredofsametab@fedia.io 1 points 2 hours ago

My primary job is that of a software engineer, but I also run a small farm business. Out in the dirt, greasing equipment, repairing equipment, etc. all make me long for the Lava soap I remember as a kid.

[-] spittingimage@lemmy.world 3 points 3 hours ago

I unload pallets of computer gear. That's not the main part of my job, but it's something that happens from time to time.

[-] 10_0@lemmy.world 2 points 3 hours ago
[-] sockman@sh.itjust.works 5 points 5 hours ago

Window manufacturing Our 2-part industrial sealing silicone gets everywhere; hands, clothes, hair, whatever. Never comes out of clothes and you gotta scrub hard to get it off skin.

[-] Anticorp@lemmy.world 7 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

I don't have a dirty job anymore, but the dirtiest job I've had by far was industrial carpenter. I'd go to work with clean jeans and a clean white shirt, and every day I'd come home with jeans that were black from the knees up, and a shirt that was black from the chest down.

I had to wear white shirts because nothing else would come clean. Only white with a lot of bleach would give any appearance of being laundered after a day at work on that job.

I still have a T-shirt from that job, some-odd 20 years later, and it has Hilti C100 industrial epoxy stains all over it, just as hard as the day the shirt was stained. That's my "shit's about to get real" work around the house shirt.

[-] Tyfud@lemmy.world 3 points 6 hours ago

what about industrial carpentry caused that?

[-] Anticorp@lemmy.world 4 points 6 hours ago

Working up in the rafters for concrete tilt-up buildings that had already been in service for decades. There's so much nasty-ass grime up there, and years worth of dust and crud.

[-] frigidaphelion@lemmy.world 2 points 2 hours ago

crud being a technical term I assume

[-] Anticorp@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour ago

I believe the industry standard term is "fucking bullshit". ie. "Now I've got this fucking bullshit all over me!".

[-] leftzero@lemmynsfw.com 12 points 8 hours ago

My boss just had me change two coworkers' passwords so they wouldn't be able to log back in.

I keep washing and washing, but the blood won't come off.

[-] That_Devil_Girl@lemmy.ml 15 points 8 hours ago

Shipwright welder. I crawl all throughout the bowels of Navy and civilian ships with my gear in tow. I build new areas, cut out old areas, and perform repairs on hulls and pipes.

[-] ContrarianTrail@lemm.ee 8 points 8 hours ago

I love welding. One of my favourite things to do in my previous job. I'm highly skilled at oxy-acetylene welding steel pipes in really tight and difficult places but my favourite one was TiG welding stainless steel with automatic and ventilated mask while listening to podcasts. Really meditative just being in your own bubble staring at the bright spot of molten metal.

[-] Anticorp@lemmy.world 1 points 6 hours ago

I'm shit at welding for someone who's generally handy in just about every other area. If you want two pieces of metal that barely stick together, with wires sticking out all across the seam, then I'm your guy!

[-] domdanial@reddthat.com 2 points 3 hours ago

Right? I tried my hand at welding a rec tube to a plate to make an oil tank for knife making. I had to use epoxy to keep it water tight.

[-] Anticorp@lemmy.world 1 points 6 hours ago

Do you get covered from head to toe with grease and grime? Does it pay well? I have a friend who's about ready to wrap up his underwater welding classes, and supposedly he'll make some big bucks after he graduates.

[-] ryan213@lemmy.ca 40 points 11 hours ago
[-] Anticorp@lemmy.world 1 points 6 hours ago
[-] Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world 4 points 6 hours ago

Hands themselves stay clean, but through my gloves/gown, I'm regularly elbow-deep into blood, guts, and poop.

Surgical technologist. It gets pretty nasty.

Pay is kinda shit though, so I'm trying to switch over to nursing.

[-] Anticorp@lemmy.world 2 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago)

Damn, I wouldn't expect the words "surgical" and "shit pay" to go together, especially when a basic surgery gets billed at $40,000+. From what you described your day at work to involve, you deserve all the money! Especially since you're helping people.

[-] Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world 2 points 2 hours ago

We're ultimately 'just a tech'. We make enough to pay the bills, but not enough to make things like the check engine light not-terrifying.

It's a good foot-in-the-door job, especially if your path of entry is like mine (enlisted USAF, they just told me "You're going to be a surgical tech!" and I was like "Cool! ...what the fuck is a surgical tech?" and they covered all my training for it).

I generally discourage people from actually paying to go through a surgical tech school, cuz if you can afford that, then you can afford to go to nursing school, and nurses make about twice what we do.

Super cool experience, but not a good long-term career choice.

[-] Track_Shovel@slrpnk.net 20 points 10 hours ago

Soil scientist. I spent 10 years stomping through the bush and digging pits when I got there.

Now I sit behind a desk.

[-] Anticorp@lemmy.world 1 points 6 hours ago

How can I reduce my poly count IRL to look more like a Dire Straights video like you do?

[-] RamblingPanda@lemmynsfw.com 3 points 8 hours ago

That's a good picture, great beard. And it's exactly how I imagined someone in your profession.

[-] Track_Shovel@slrpnk.net 2 points 8 hours ago

Best I can grow is a Syndey Crosby playoff beard, but you're not far off for most of my colleagues

[-] RamblingPanda@lemmynsfw.com 2 points 6 hours ago

There's hope, at least for Halloween and if you have access to a 3D printer.

Behold! https://youtu.be/_MR7JzPXWNU

[-] shinigamiookamiryuu@lemm.ee 2 points 6 hours ago

Cleaning CD's, tapes, cameras, computers, cartridges, all the stuff you'd expect from a typical Blockbuster store.

[-] francisfordpoopola@lemmy.world 1 points 5 hours ago

Used to clean toilets, vacuum, mop and buff floors, clean windows, build bicycles. Loved it all.

[-] rc__buggy@sh.itjust.works 13 points 10 hours ago

Flooring and Flooring Accesories

[-] BlueLineBae@midwest.social 7 points 10 hours ago

Ah, the ol' Hank Hill of flooring.

[-] theatomictruth@lemmy.world 11 points 10 hours ago

Tallship sailor/rigger

[-] Swerker@feddit.nu 12 points 10 hours ago
[-] clay_pidgin@sh.itjust.works 4 points 9 hours ago

Awesome. What do you farm?

[-] ContrarianTrail@lemm.ee 13 points 11 hours ago

I'll go first.

Self-employed general contractor / plumber

[-] ryan213@lemmy.ca 5 points 11 hours ago

Do you happen to be in the Toronto area?? I'm looking for a plumber. Lol

[-] ContrarianTrail@lemm.ee 5 points 10 hours ago

Sorry, I'm across the Atlantic

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[-] RamblingPanda@lemmynsfw.com 8 points 10 hours ago

Software engineer. Sometimes I spill coffee, sometimes it's chocolate or chips crumbs.

It's honest, hard work, but someone has to do it.

[-] TheBakedPotato@sh.itjust.works 4 points 9 hours ago

As a software dev, I have spilt coffee on myself a number of times. People just don't understand what a hard working environment it is. 😞

[-] BluescreenOfDeath@lemmy.world 7 points 10 hours ago

I work for an ISP in the southeast USA as a field technician and it's dirty work sometimes. Fixing rodent damage to fiber connection boxes for businesses, placing temporary cables when underground lines get cut, working in dusty equipment closets, etc.

It's not bad or hard work most days.

[-] rowinxavier@lemmy.world 10 points 11 hours ago

I work in disability support so I may use various creams while massaging, I get messy while helping people with washing and toileting, and I feed people which can get messy. I also help people with their yards, cleaning their house, washing their pets, whatever they need.

[-] RicoBerto@lemmy.blahaj.zone 9 points 10 hours ago

I load and run two large fiber lasers cutting sheets of metal up to 1 1/4 inch thick.

[-] dafungusamongus@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 6 hours ago

Same. Well, except for thickness. I’m only running a 4kw.

[-] Tazerface@sh.itjust.works 4 points 9 hours ago

I work as an assembler in a sporting goods store. I assemble bicycles, indoor and outdoor furniture, bbqs, snowblowers, lawnmowers walk behind and rideon), log splitters.

[-] Bad_Engineering@fedia.io 6 points 10 hours ago

I'm a mechanical engineer for a small manufacturing plant and I run their maintenance department. Its more hands on than most engineering jobs though.

[-] spankmonkey@lemmy.world 6 points 10 hours ago
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[-] nick@midwest.social 4 points 10 hours ago

I work in tech now, so I’m a lazy schlub. However, I’m also a college dropout out (English major) who had a ton of actual jobs in the past. Warehouse loading delivery trucks, worked in a cabinet shop, food service, etc. i

I think college grads who go into tech should have to work a normal job for at least a year before getting their tech job and making six figures right out of college.

Otherwise you end up with these entitled shitbags who complain that their company provided duck confit at lunch doesn’t have crispy enough skin (an actual thing that actually happened when i was at a big FANG company. Fucking unbelievable)

So even though I’m a techbro shitlord, i have respect for the people who work jobs.

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[-] over_clox@lemmy.world 4 points 10 hours ago

I do occasional vehicle maintenance, like replacing brakes, starters, alternators, water pumps, radiators, etc.

Last one I did the other week was replace an old rotted leaky fuel line. Fun fun..

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this post was submitted on 24 Oct 2024
51 points (94.7% liked)

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