A predominately outside and varied work life. How has yours been?

[daveindales]

Age 15. Took a job with EFG (Economic Forestry Group) in 1985, rather than a £25 a week apprentice gamekeeper. Lots of planting,  fence maintenance, Brashing, and a thing they called oceanic thinning. Never was quite sure what that meant. But we just thinned the trees and left them in the woods.

 

Got laid off in 1990, and made Wensleydale cheese for about a year. Got my old job back, with the forestry firm (name now changed to Tihhill Economic Forestry) Different name,same job. Always looking at the clock waiting for home time. Lasted about another year. Left and did NC Arb at Myerscough with Gerald Bonner et al. Left there and did HND Arb at Houghall for a couple of years. Left in 95,and started up by myself. Been doing it ever since.

[Mark J]

Got turfed out of school at fifteen, was more interested in getting hammered then education. Did a YT course in IT for a bit, went quite severely off the rails. Couple of years later got a job as a screen printer, then did an HND in Multimedia design. Animated things for a few years until at thirtyish I split up with a partner and was sick of me life.  Decided that I liked climbing trees so did an ND in Forestry/Arb and got a job with a local firm. Stayed with that firm for three or so years and then made my own way for the last decade or so. I've recently got a bit more qualified and split my time between climbing and surveying/consultancy.

Edited December 8, 2018 by Mark J

[Ratman]

I was recruited by MI6 straight from school and I can’t tell you the rest.

Wimp!

[Ratman]

Was Vesp your handler ?

You may be right Stubby! Hes clammed up and not giving anything away. Vesp has defo given him the hard word me thinks!

[Stubby]

1 minute ago, Ratman said:

You may be right Stubby! Hes clammed up and not giving anything away. Vesp has defo given him the hard word me thinks!

Vespies people and the Vespie circle spring to mind . ?

[maybelateron]

Spent all my weekends and school holiday working on the dairy farm over the road in the 70's, loved every minute of the hard work.

First experience of chainsaw use was being shown how to stand on the tractor bonnet and cut back badly overgrown hawthorn hedge around the field. No PPE, no chain brake, no mobile phone, 1/4 mile from nearest house, farmer left me to crack on alone after showing me how. SORRY, DID YOU SAY HEALTH and SAFETY?! Lol 

Parents felt I should go to university, dad was a surgeon in NHS, older sister gone to medical school, I ended up doing the same. Coped OK with it, but always aware I took the more practical/pragmatic approach to things compared to many of my peers. Went into full time general practice for 14 years after a total of 9 years training.

Late 2000/early 2001 had  to take time out to sort out my head/depression. In the very lucky position of my wife being part time GP, so we could make changes and allow me to change to part time GP and set up my small business doing groundcare and tree work. Did part time GP for 12 years while also doing trees, at age 53 decided to quit the desk and go full time on trees etc. Regarding the medical job I feel I need to make it clear that I feel we were well paid for what we did and to my last day I still loved doing what I actually trained to do - dealing with patients, even the few difficult ones. It was the "constant change" of moving goalposts pointlessly that made me quit. It is the same for teachers, police, and many others.

I realise that I was in the lucky position for 12 years of having a stable good income to live on while investing in kit etc. Even with this fortunate start in the trade it is difficult enough to invest in really decent kit.

For three years we also had a grounds maintenance contract for a nearby up market housing estate, and this allowed me to invest further in kit. Having managed this I eventually packed in this contract, so we could focus more on trees.

I am now 59, well past my prime, but still climbing and loving every minute of it.

 

[Mick Dempsey]

11 minutes ago, maybelateron said:

Spent all my weekends and school holiday working on the dairy farm over the road in the 70's, loved every minute of the hard work.

First experience of chainsaw use was being shown how to stand on the tractor bonnet and cut back badly overgrown hawthorn hedge around the field. No PPE, no chain brake, no mobile phone, 1/4 mile from nearest house, farmer left me to crack on alone after showing me how. SORRY, DID YOU SAY HEALTH and SAFETY?! Lol 

Parents felt I should go to university, dad was a surgeon in NHS, older sister gone to medical school, I ended up doing the same. Coped OK with it, but always aware I took the more practical/pragmatic approach to things compared to many of my peers. Went into full time general practice for 14 years after a total of 9 years training.

Late 2000/early 2001 had  to take time out to sort out my head/depression. In the very lucky position of my wife being part time GP, so we could make changes and allow me to change to part time GP and set up my small business doing groundcare and tree work. Did part time GP for 12 years while also doing trees, at age 53 decided to quit the desk and go full time on trees etc. Regarding the medical job I feel I need to make it clear that I feel we were well paid for what we did and to my last day I still loved doing what I actually trained to do - dealing with patients, even the few difficult ones. It was the "constant change" of moving goalposts pointlessly that made me quit. It is the same for teachers, police, and many others.

I realise that I was in the lucky position for 12 years of having a stable good income to live on while investing in kit etc. Even with this fortunate start in the trade it is difficult enough to invest in really decent kit.

For three years we also had a grounds maintenance contract for a nearby up market housing estate, and this allowed me to invest further in kit. Having managed this I eventually packed in this contract, so we could focus more on trees.

I am now 59, well past my prime, but still climbing and loving every minute of it.

 

Wow, that’s an interesting story, qualified medical doctor!

[openspaceman]

6 hours ago, daveindales said:

Took a job with EFG (Economic Forestry Group) in 1985,

 I started with them them but 11 years earlier.

 

The company was formed by an accountant, Rankin IIRC, who saw a loophole between  schedule B and D forestry land.

[Baldbloke]

As has been mentioned it’s interesting to see we were mostly disinterested students ( except the Doctor) who either left or were chucked out of school by 16.

Another strikingly apparent point is that many, like myself,have had a very varied life mainly spent outdoors(with the exception of Vesp- who appears to have spent some inside).[emoji3]

Another point is that there was little advice available for early school leavers 40 years ago, and many nearing retirement age are still unsure of what they finally want to do for when they grow up[emoji3]

 

 

[maria warwick]

1 hour ago, Baldbloke said:

, and many nearing retirement age are still unsure of what they finally want to do for when they grow up

 

 

When I grow up I want to be an astronaut ! ?