How It All Started

About 2 years ago I lost my job. I worked as a busser at a diner until that diner shut down. A little bit after this my mom met what is now my stepdad, Jon. I was still warming up to Jon we didn't really have too much in common and it's always a little awkward at first. After losing my job I didn't have any spending money like I did before and it sucked. I would conplain about not having any money to my Mom and she would just say "You just need to find another job". This went on for a couple of weeks of me just complaining, knowing I had to find something else to fill my time (and pockets).

One day Jon, my Mom, and I were eating dinner in the living room, I was scrolling on my phone sitting a little distant from them and they were eating together and chatting. It was probably the second or third time we had shared dinner with Jon. My Mom then said to me "Mase, you can work with Jon here and there and he will pay you". At first, I didn't say anything other than "Ummm" because I didn't even truly know what it entailed. I had no background knowledge of carpentry, I always thought it was the same thing as a construction worker's job. So I asked what I'd be doing and he said "We will start you off slow". I then asked how much I would get paid to work with him and he said he would start me off at around $16 an hour which I was fine with, but I still wasn't sure If this was something that I wanted to do so for the time being, so I just said "Ill think about it.

After a couple of days, I decided to tell him I'd work with him and we later went to buy some proper work attire like boots, work pants, gloves, etc.

The First Day

As I had touched on before I had ZERO prior knowledge of what carpentry even was, what I was going to need to do, or what tools I would be using. We were going to be taking down some sheetrock walls today. He showed me a couple of ways to do it, one was taking a hammer and making small holes that connect just about halfway down the sheetrock and taking out larger chunks of it. Which is what I did. We wore gloves for this, and for every day we worked together from here on, we wore boots aswell. After getting the walls down he showed me how to use a drill, how to reverse it, change the battery, and a some simple techniques.

Later Projects

Demo A Garage

Painting An Apartment

Staining Shingles

Laying Dirt

Later

We have been working on the garage here and there for around 2 months. We haven't been prioritizing it necessarily because we are moving in January and have been doing some work on the house we will be moving into. We plan to keep working on the garage but slow down progress on it, as it comes closer to winter. We are focusing on making sure the garage is ready for the winter weather.

Now

Me and Jon are now building a new garage. The garage will have 2 floors with an overhang for cars to park on the side. All of our "later projects" have gone well and have been leading up to us building this new garage. Since me and Jon had been working together now for around 7 months and everything has been going well, we have gotten much closer.

Hard Job Skills

Machinery
Math Skill
Use Of Tools
Installing Structures

One of the most important HARD job skills is the Use Of Tools. Tools are a necessity for carpenters. Understanding how to use tools effctively and safely leads to getting jobs done efficiently. One of my favorite tools is the Impact Driver. An impact driver is like a drill. The impact driver is more lightweight, has more torque, and has a quick change clamp to hold bits. The impact driver is one of the most common tools used in carpentry. When using an impact dirver you cant push too hard are too soft. If you push too hard you could bury the screw and too little the screw wont catch. When using an impact driver be c =areful to keep your non-working hand clear incase your bit slips off the screw and hits your non-working hand.

One of my other favorite tools would be the oscillating tool or some say multi tool. This is a tool that has a blade at the end of it and it moves the blade very fast. The tool is usually used for cutting or sawing jobs as the blade can quickly cut through things like wood, plastic, and metal. One thing I learned about this tool would be to go slowly in circular motions while using it to cut through something, letting the blade do the work.

Soft Job Skills

Balance and Coordination
Time Management
Communication
Teamwork
Attention to Detail

One of the most important SOFT job skills is Teamwork. One of the ways we use teamwork is when doing a job that requires multiple steps. Each step is normally filled by one person to work as effectively as possible. Some steps require multiple people so in those steps teamwork is also used to help one another.

Another important SOFT job skill is communication. Communication is important for everyones safety who is working on the site. Communication can be used in many ways one for example is when I was confused about what I should be doing or how I would ask; because if I had not, the job would of been done wrong.

How It All Started

The First Day

Later Projects

Later

Now

Hard Job Skills

Machinery

Math Skill

Use Of Tools

Installing Structures

Soft Job Skills

Balance and Coordination

Time Management

Communication

Teamwork

Attention to Detail

Get In Touch: mnorth9412@gmail.com