Noticed something at a temp job in a warehouse

I was working a temp gig at a warehouse in Ohio after dropping out, and I saw this older guy fixing a machine with a paperclip and electrical tape. It made me realize college teaches you theory, but the real world runs on whatever you can rig up with what's around you. Has anyone else found that street smarts matter way more than a degree in most jobs?

2 comments

2 Comments

wood.noah7d ago

My buddy in trade school fixed a forklift with a zip tie once. Book smarts get you through tests, but street smarts keep the world running. You learn way more rigging stuff than you ever do in a classroom.

evangarcia6d ago

Man, that paperclip and tape thing is exactly the kind of stuff I've seen too. I worked a summer job at a recycling plant once and the old timer there kept a belt sander running for like two years with a coat hanger and some super glue. The maintenance guys had a whole pile of "temporary" fixes that just became permanent. It's wild how much real problem solving is just about having the right junk in your pocket and knowing how to bend it.

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