Plumbing has changed a lot since I started in 1971. We put packed oakum ( rope) in cast iron pipe, poured lead in the joint. It then went to rubber gaskets, then to no hub clamps. This is commercial work. They don’t use PVC, because it kills when it burns. We use PVC outside and underground, but cast iron above slab. Water pipe was all copper or threaded galvanize pipe. We don’t see much threaded steel now. It’s victaulic now, both steel and copper. Copper is also propressed. They have invented all of that to save labor. Years ago there would be thirty hands on a job, now fifteen. We laid our work out with a transit, tape measure, and string.
Now they use GPS on big jobs. You figured out dimensions by adding and subtracting from columns. Now you a computer will do that for you. Plumbing was once a better trade in my opinion.

Some jobs probably haven’t changed much. How has yours changed or is it the same?

The people I work with have all gotten younger over the years.

At my job (44 years), more work expected out of fewer workers. Two guys are expected to do what 6+ guys once did.

That and meskinized

I started Plumbing and Heating in 1971 also. All the underground was cast iron. I have a very new Reed chain soil snap cutter I've been trying to sell; guys don't know what it is! Most recently before retiring I worked as a residential boiler serviceman. Had to keep taking classes and continuing education to keep up with the electronics involved. I kept a paper map in the truck to find where I had to go...the helpers would just use GPS; then look up the solution to the problems on U-Tube. Glad I could retire!

for me the biggest change is telecommuting (working from home)

I'm still old school and go into the office every day, but 4 of the 5 people that work for me all work from home. 2 of them don't even have an office to go into even if they wanted.

I have the option to work from home, and occasionally I'll do it if I have a reason to be at the house that day, but I believe out of site, out of mind and I want people to see me contributing around the office.

The thing about people getting younger isn't just a joke though. We're losing boomers to retirement at an alarming pace and as such we're having to invest quite a bit of effort and money into recruiting young college grads. The average years of service at my company is 18 years right now.

Started out using slide rule.

Now it's Excel or Aspen or some other computer stuff.

I cover about five times the territory that I did just 12 years ago. There were seven of us salesmen in a region that now has only two.

The means for putting a crop in, making it more productive, and getting it out, have improved astronomically.

As muleshoe has ,said the crop farming has changed nearly altogether. Cows, not so much.

Everyone had a real telephone and a land line.

I work when and where I want to, and set my own prices. Such is the reward for spending 60 years developing the skills necessary to do my job, being in the top 1/0 of 1% of nationally certified automotive technicians, and being "retired". Now I only travel 1,000+ miles a week in 9 states, but I do it my way. Other than that, not much has changed.
Jerry

Cows themselves have not of course, but our means to care for them certainly have.

I used to work hard as I was labor. Now I am management so I pretty much just stand around. Or sit, if I want to.

When I started in International sales, you came in every morning to see how many fax had come in overnight. Very little phoning as international calls could cost $100+ for just a few minutes. Now, they can reach you by cell phone any time of the day or night. We occasionally get someone who did not pay attention to the time difference. After they woke me in the middle of the night a few times, I returned the favor. They caught on real quick to not call in the middle of the night here. Miss the friends I made but have not missed the travel or the work since I quit 12 years ago.

My job has really changed........I went from having to work, to now only working when I want to......because I'm retired. But, when you have a farm, you're never really "retired."

And you never really have a payday either

Hell no, private work career has, and always will be the same, cows, no there too, I live in the free state of Oklahoma, hell you can burn a brushpile with tires here if you want, the eco epa pussies won't venture out this far, they have a built in survival mechanism much like the cowardice coyote.

A retired farmer is one that wouldn't tell a mule to "Git Up" if it sat on his lap!
Jerry

And I bet you that it is the same two workers that they always rely on to do the workd of the other six.

This hasn't changed my work, (landscaping contractor), it's shifted it to a different direction




These are great tools for cutting pipe in trenches

We cut with a hand saw or a hack saw at one time. They haven’t figured out a way to do away with muddy ditches yet.

Water heaters and boiler controls are mostly electronic now. Very few standing pilots except in residential heaters.

When I took over my position in 2007, it was a simple test & repair proposition. Because of a new generation of products launched a couple of years later, it has evolved into a full blown product support function complete with everything from document management, customer support, parts management, rudimentary IT functions, database maintenance, test equipment maintenance, and other functions, plus I've taken on a lot of training responsibilities. Things just keep getting more interesting to the point that I'm considering delaying retirement a couple or three more years. I'm getting weary, but I must say that I really do like my job.

We cut with a hand saw or a hack saw at one time. They haven’t figured out a way to do away with muddy ditches yet.

Water heaters and boiler controls are mostly electronic now. Very few standing pilots except in residential heaters.
.

The young boys where I work have no clue how to make a lead joint. They know how to use snap cutters to cut cast iron. There is a couple that don’t know to use the big die head to thread 2 1/2 to 4”” steel or the 6 to 8” die. I have no idea how to install pex pipe.

I got my Master Electrical License when I was in my twenties. Source of pride because they weren't required in 117 of 120 counties in KY back than. Kept them up and continued education for thirty years. I made a living calibrating and maintaining GE current , voltage, watt and synchronizing relays in power plants for last twenty years. Now most of these relays have been replaced with programmable microprocessors and engineers with laptops do most of the programming. Nobody I work with even worries about keeping their license up anymore or knows what the logic they just downloaded even really does in effect to relay logic anymore.Power plants are ran on a need to repair only in case of shutdown status because of the winds of change constantly changing directions these days.

My staff used to take orders from customers while I was out selling. Now I have far fewer staff members, people don’t come to us anymore, and I have to train my people to be inside sales people to take full advantage of the interactions we do get with our customers.

I’m more of a sales manager than a sales rep. Not my thing I’d love to have no one reporting to me except an administrative assistant.

The times they are a changin...

Through no one's fault but my own, I didn't keep up with tech in heavy equipment repair. But since I'm too old to give an honest days work in the field anymore, I guess the timing was about right. Some things don't change though, worn out moving parts, hydraulics, power train. I used to resent the phone calls of folks looking for free advice and tips on how to keep their old obsolete iron running. Now, I secretly enjoy getting a call from an old customer, or a referred call. Since they don't give out medals in my trade, I am well satisfied with a good reputation.

My space has changes significantly. Back in the day analysis could be done with paper and pencil. Then it was excel. Now it's SSIS, SQL, Tableau, Python R etc. My work laptop probably has 10k worth of software licenses that have to be renewed each year.

When I got started in Special Inspection in Commyfornia we made more than the Engineers and we had to basically teach them how things worked in the real world
30 years latter I get paid a $1 less than the unskilled Laborer pushing a broom on most jobs that I go on.
This is due to the Engineers being butt hurt for being taught their jobs from people that grew up in the trades when they came out of a book.
And the Fact that the majority of inspectors are coming from the book to the real world and do not know anything them selves.
They call it Fake it till ya make it.
The New comers will work for penny's until they move on to another job. They use it as a stepping stone job.

I sure hope I am out of Commyfornia before the next big Earth Quake in the big city's hits because it is not going to be a very nice place when Shhitt hits the fan here and things start collapsing everywhere and people are killed.

It seems like my job changes drastically every year.

Every year?

I thought it was every time the weather changes?

Me, I retired a coupla years back, so my job is to keep my wife and dogs happy.......................




and keep an eye on this place.

Geno

I retired in 2013 but saw some real advances in technology and also some hard headed ideas get pushed aside. There were open cabs and riding on tailboards on old brush rigs. Air conditioned cabs and automatic transmissions. I took my engineers exam in a double clutchin', mutha fuggin Pierce Arrow open cab. Our paramedic rigs got air conditioning in 1997, I became a PM in 1984. There were chiefs that thought AC would distract PM's and didn't want to order them with AC. SCBAs became lighter and more efficient. We learned a lot more about the science of fire behavior. After 911 we got into mass casualty incident control including mass decontamination and all the terrorism crap. We were issued body armor.
For better or not, our wages climbed substantially. Where this was a negative is that we would all get together and build walls or patios or paint a house or help do a valve job or clutch job. The better wages moved people into the ability to pay someone else to do it. It kind of diminished the team concept. This kind of tied in to the PC culture that got to us. Our dorms went from gladiator style barracks to private cubicles. People would put a TV in and then go hide in the evenings. I had to take a class in dealing with Gen X, I felt that they should keep their heads down and their pie holes shut while they were on probation and thank God out loud everyday for the the job they were fortunate to have. Some bitch from HR gave the class on sexual harassment and said if accused we would be going down. Everything became racial. You couldn't even fart out loud at the end. I never dealt with HR for almost 30 years. In the end I was in the "principles office" 3 times and retired as a subject of investigation. It was sad to contrast my early career enthusiasm with how bad I wanted out at the end.

From being a machinist to an engineer to a scientist. Blue prints, to CAD drawings, to solid bodies. From conventional machines to DNC machining centers. From working to sitting on my butt and working. To sitting on my butt working to sitting on my butt getting others to do my work. To being retired and back to doing all the work.

Sounds like a liberal trainwreck.

Started out programming on 80 character punch cards, then moved to on screen typing. Wrote every program by hand, line by line, every dot, comma and semicolon. Had to know a lot of syntax and obscure modifiers.

Now it's mostly drag and drop and fill in the parameter boxes so my syntax skills have atrophied. Although occasionally I still get to do a little old fashioned coding, those are the fun days.

I started in 1975 with a gas company. I designed distribution systems for new subdivisions, designed large industrial and commercial metering facilities. Designed regulator stations, etc. All using formulas for gas flow and capacity. I figured the bill of material down to the nuts and bolts. I also did the cost estimates for these jobs. I also bid the jobs, and worked with the winning contractor to get the projects done. I also inspected said projects. All using drafting pencils and drafting tools and a calculator. Then in the 1990's I had to learn AutoCAD as we began drawing everything with the computer. Cost estimates, and bids were done on the computer.

I stuck my head under water and there were sharks everywhere. Then I bought a speargun.

Kind of the way it went with flying and ATC. Telling pilots where to go is fun.

In my industry, much like the federal and state governments, we have made great use of technology to reduce our administrative overhead costs and to run the business more effectively. So even though margins are lower, our sales are much higher and we're making a living still.

Well, technically I suppose you do, but the problem is that it's usually spent before you get it.

I'll be 70 in four months. Still working. Will probably work until I keel over, unless something happens to my wife. Construction estimating. The industry has changed to the point that medium and large general contractors are really brokers. Subs do all the hands on work. Electronic plans, electronic take-off programs, electronically submitted bids have all increased the amount of work one person can do. Keep up or go away.

In reading the posts about crop farming and cattle farming, we couldn't feed this country without the technology to process the food. Most people don't understand that. Or even know that. You look at a chicken processing plant where the line processes 1000 chickens an hour. Look a the the cattle processing automation. That is how Wally World sells a loaf of bread for 88 cents.

Being a machinist of 44 tears I’ve seen mega technology changes in tooling and CNC equipment. The saddest thing is seeing a skilled machinist go from a respected tradesman to a machine operator on the same level as a button pusher. Management now only sees college educated office types as skilled and goes to them for advise. The attitude now is anyone can do my job. So in 7 more days they can get anyone to do my job. I’m retiring.

Good luck to you! I hope you have a long healthy retirement

I started land surveying in 1990. We had a minimum of 3 guys on a field crew. Now with GPS and robotic total stations, I survey alone most of the time.

Jealous as heck on you guys who have had A career.

I have just had jobs all my life.

Farm, auto detailing, construction, farm, logging, truckdriving,
mechanic, security guard, construction, dump truck, hauling fuel,
factory, hauling fuel, factory for the last 11 years.

And I'm 50.

Is that a list of jobs? Maybe.

It's also how my work has changed.

Really hope there aren't anymore changes.
But I miss driving trucks!

Milk cows to beef cows.

Husqvarna chainsaws to Stihl

Corn, beans and alfalfa...looking at doing hemp.

I started remodeling full time in 1981. I started with electric drill, and nails. We didn't even have a nail gun for several years. We used to install nice cabinets made out of wood. 3/4" plywood for the sides and such. We used to install nice real hardwood floor. Now it is nail guns most of the time but I do swing a hammer a bunch yet , it is mostly plastic panel flooring made in China and the cabinets are so cheap they are made of sawdust and OSB. As for doors, they used to be compressed sawdust with vermeer over it, not it is leterally called MDF? It is ground up brown stuff and the boss said it is made of paper. The case and base used to be wood , now it's the MDF pre painted . It looks nice but for how long. The door frames are so thin sometimes that even a pin nail blows it apart sometimes. Just wish I could put in doors that had wood for jambes, even finger jointed would deb an upgrade.

You gentlemen have documented some great work experiences. In some ways I am a bit envious of the knowledge out there. While I have done many jobs over the years (timber faller, farm hand, concrete worker, tire service, gunsmith), my main career is what has paid for most of life's expenses.

I started my career in 1984 wrenching on small and large aircraft, which progressed to various positions in quality assurance, manufacturing, product development, and finally went to work for the feds inspecting others performing those tasks. I served in two foreign postings, then came back to the U.S. and specialized in repair stations and regulation enforcement. Now I am a technical specialist doing drone (UAS) certifications under an Executive Order signed by Mr. Trump. The companies like Google, UPS, Flirtey, Amazon, etc. have to go through an extensive testing and evaluation before they can use drones for deliveries, which is what my team does. I used to drive into the office every day, but now I telework full time. 17 years civilian aircraft experience, 18 years in federal service.

While I have had struggles, I have also been extremely blessed and thank God each day for my life, liberty, and freedom.

You're spot on. Bosses know who they can lean on to get the job done right.

Education - prior military. Biggest change DISCIPLINE in the schools, that and EARNING a high school diploma is not a priority.
We've gone to babysitting and trying to keep the little schitts out of trouble, and we get reprimanded when a little schitts doesn't "do right".

Too many "educated" stupid people making the rules and decisions.

I used to sell process control systems to the continusous processing industries.

The customers were ignorant and some treated our stuff like the Indians seeing Columbus's ships for the first time. Now the customers are very sophisticated.

On the road a lot, we used to know where every pay phone was that had a long cord and was in a quiet hotel lobby. Cell phones now.

It took a long time to prepare proposals, beause they were custom. We had to send them to company HQ to get prepared. Now everyone has a computer and a printer.

And, oh yes, at least half of my former customers have gone out of business. I'm glad I'm retired.

Now that all the builders, contractors and homeowners are all connected with state of the art phones
and computers, no one still can answer a simple question.

BINGO!! I'm at that exact crossroad in my career. These new millennials are something else. Camaraderie doesn't exist like it used to. Sad,,,,, teamwork.....what's that??

Our job has gotten way better , safety wise and equipment wise . The young guys do a bit of bitching that I find amusing and aggravating at times as they have no Idea how it used to be .
But never the less they are good men with good family values .
And did I mention the equipment , good Lord the physical work that used to be involved and the junk we had to work with .
Kenneth

The injection of lawyers into virtually every aspect of administrative management and professional practice. Can't set policy, make a decision, or take an action without consulting legal counsel.

Much of the time the lawyers don't really understand what they are dealing with, but that doesn't stop them from rendering opinions and telling others what to do.

A three year JD program doesn't produce omniscience.

Paul

Sure as schit was. It's happening everywhere. When I got hired the department was about 1800 over 13 battalions. It's now almost 4,000 and 22 battalions. It's too big and too spread out and more like a cold corporation.

When I started, we would write down where every wire was landed with a pad and pencil. Now we just snap a pic with the cell phone. First guy I saw do this, I complained that it was a terrible idea. What if the phone [bleep] up and there are no schematics to this machine? Now I do it almost everyday and do not think twice.

Also someone mentioned youtube. When I started in Industrial Maintenance, you had to know everything from how to set up your tig welder for various metals, to how to wire in 3 phase motors high and low voltages, to how to calculate how much to add to the cut of the key way you were machining into a shaft to account for the radius. Now the guys just watch a youtube video and go do it.

I do the same thing also on occasion, but I think the difference is I retain that info for next time because that is the way I had to learn before. Newer guys look it up every time because that is the way the world is now. Info at your fingertips, why remember anything.

Not saying it is bad necessarily, just different way to operate.

Not too many earth shaking changes...

Employers have come and gone, and so with pensions and promises.

Oh yeah
They took the asbestos out of the flux on 7018 rod.
Some are still bitching about that

I have a profound hate of everything HR.
It is one of very few fields I would vigorously
object to my kids entering. They are good, honest,
compassionate girls. Bad traits for HR. Well, bad
if you filter them through right. Good if you twist them
to benefit corporate.

There are honest car dealers,
lawyers that fight for right.

Hell, the old mafia had a code and took care of their
good employees, not HR people.

If unions ever make a comeback in this country,
It will be related to how corporate HR treats people.

Luckily, my gripe with our HR is fighting with them to
get paper work done. They don't interfere with our work.

Hanco: My former profession (law enforcement type from 1968 to 1998) has become so politicized and turned to such politically correct nonsense that 95% of the young men and women who start out in this career in that city do not finish their careers in it/there!
The police work in that city is so frustrating, so impossible to do/live with and unrewarding that virtually all trainees in the last 25 years have either outright quit or transferred to more rural departments where "aggressive" police work is still encouraged and tolerated.
I would NOT go back into that profession in that city nowadays if my life depended on it.
The police in that city are literally walking targets - nothing more nothing less.
Fireman - now that is a different story.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

The [bleep] bean counters and college interns have taken it over and turned it into a [bleep] show.

40 years in IT... Yeah.... There have been a few changes...

The Gunsmithing course in Pine City includes CNC milling machines. If you were going to start a small shop I can't imagine investing that much time to learn to program CNC machines to be a gunsmith.
Things have changed a little.

I program. The amount of stuff that is open-source and web based is mind boggling.

Not sure how any money is made with all the free stuff.