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| There are many good ways to wrap up an extension cord. This isn't one of them. |
Having a builder for a Dad meant that there was never a shortage of work when I was a kid. If I was whining about the new Starter Jacket or Reebok pumps I wanted, he would drag me out to the job site after school, on weekends and on summer holidays. He always had a way to make me earn it.
Because I started working when I was so young, I had an abnormally long apprenticeship in construction. My work was corrected relentlessly as I learned the "right way" of doing things. I was shown the right way to wrap up the tools, how many nails to drive into a top plate, which hammer to buy, which measuring tape to use and exactly what tool belts were the best. Then the next summer I would work for other builders and trades only to be ridiculed for doing these things the wrong way. "You'll learn", they said. So I proceeded to relearn the a new "right way". It was good to be shown different methods but it was frustrating. No one seemed to see the big picture.
Micromanagement abounds on a construction site and the minor details of a job are entangled with egos. If you are new to a crew, be prepared to be wrong about everything. Especially if you are young, or like me -- look young. If you can survive the ego trips, doing good work is manageable.
The "right way" is often referred to as some sort of objective concept but it is a construct of the current industry standards, cultural norms, regional standards and personal opinions. In other words, change the price point, the location of the project or the company performing the work and it becomes increasingly difficult to find consistent standards among the flux of influences.
A significant amount of time on the job involves discussion around the illusive "right way". If I am not directly participating in one of these adversarial conversations I can be found listening in. To an outsider, they often sound like ignorant badgering and arrogent posturing. However, several arguments and bruised egos later, the industry standards improve. Differing opinions around the "right way" merge and become better as they are tested on the job site. Significantly, those involved in the discussion are also the ones physically doing the work. Efficiency, productivity and quality workmanship are given a chance to progress and through grunts, scoldings and barked orders, they are passed on to the next generation.
