The Search for a Job

The foreboding question in my mind is obviously when I'm going to get a job, where is it going to be, and what field will it be in? Woodworking or Carpentry. There are pros and cons to each. They are as follows:

Carpentry

• Pros

- Pay is better

- More variety in sites

- More of an accomplished feeling at the end of the day

- More use of power tools

- Get to work with more varieties of materials (shingles, wood, drywall, etc.)

• Cons

- More things can kill you (has the highest death rate of any working profession)

- Possibly driving further which will cause wear and tare on your car

Woodworking

• Pros

- Get to work in more detail

- Can see the use for each board cut

- More aesthetically pleasing work

- Easier to sell

• Cons

- Paid less

- Very expensive tools

- Very time consuming

- And let's not forget those splinters

Those are all of them that I could think of. lol. Really when it comes down to it, I'd take anything since I've gone to school for both of those. It's just that times right now are so horrible for construction workers and getting hired on is kinda slim. That's why I've put my resume' out to so many contractors and possible employers. I know that I'd take just about anything now. lol. I just need to keep on trusting that God knows what is best for me. Although that's hard sometimes, that's when I need to trust the most. He knows what to do.

Carpentry stories thus far

Well, I went to Carpentry school at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa for the 2008-2009 semesters and went to the AWA (The American Woodworkers Academy) in late 2009-2010.

Ok. Enough of the boring stuff. Onto the stories.

I can't really remember when this happened but this story takes place at the Telluride Apartment Complex in downtown Iowa City. It was a colder day and was one of my first days on the job site. (which lasted about 1.5 weeks due to lack of needing me. lol) On construction sites, there are always new materials being delivered. This day was no different. Literally a ton of wood studs (beams) were being brought in. Mark Wagner, my boss, wanted me on the top floor of the complex. He told me to go over and cut some studs at a certain length. So I grabbed the number of studs that he wanted to be cut, and took them over to the sawhorses. I finished cutting them and started to walk over to Mark. All the sudden, we all hear this GIANT BOOM! I turn around and see the crane that was lifting the wood onto the job site, SMASH threw the wall we just got done building. It was actually kinda comical how quickly and how many of the workers had their camera phones out, taking pictures of the crane operator. It was his error because he forgot to put the stabilizers out. Then it occurred to me that not even 5-10 seconds before it came crashing threw, I was standing RIGHT...THERE. If I had stayed there for a little while longer, I probably would have been killed or severely injured. God is very good to me.

But as for right now, I am looking for a job. I have applied to over 30 different companies. I was even hired on for a total of -1 days. What do I mean by this? Well the day before I started, Mr. Randall called me and said, "Hey Ryan. This is ______ Randall from Randall's Custom Cabinets. I'm afraid I have some bad news. Three of my job bids fell through this morning and I don't have enough work for you. [Here the good part] I hope that's ok with you." lol. Ya, it was juuuuuust fine. lol. NOT. That same day, I started to look for more jobs. I have a few strong leads and look forward to the calls.