My old boss at the auto shop in Phoenix told me something I still hear

I left college after my second year, feeling lost and broke. I got a job changing oil at a local garage. The owner, a guy named Carl who never finished high school, saw me struggling with a stuck filter one hot afternoon. He came over, showed me the trick with the band wrench, and said, 'You know, school teaches you the book. This place teaches you the book is wrong sometimes.' It wasn't a big speech, but it hit me right there under that car. He wasn't putting down college, just showing me a different kind of smart. That was five years ago, and now I'm running my own bay. For those of you who left, what's one thing someone told you that really stuck?

3 comments

3 Comments

williams.sage1mo ago

My welding teacher in Tulsa said the best tools are between your ears.

elizabeth9631mo ago

Oh great, so my mig welder was just a really expensive hat rack this whole time. Thanks, Tulsa.

schmidt.willow11d ago

Ever have one of those moments that just clicks? I get what @williams.sage means. Some lessons you only learn with your hands dirty.