Food for thought, fifty years man and boy!

Many years ago, now, well in the middle 1980s to be precise, I worked as an instructor in a training establishment for first year engineering apprentices. A number of local companies would send their 16-year-old apprentices to us first to receive basic skills, before taking up work related training back at their respective companies. To that end they were taught by us: technical drawing, use of machines such as the lathe, milling machine etc, and I did basic electrical/ electronic principles and practise with them. Anyway, to the story behind the title of this article. All of the other instructors were much older than me, and thus had come from an era that had very different expectations of a career… personal aspirations were less, there was more emphasis on loyalty, steadfastness, and of a pride in of what might now be considered a mundane and humble job. Nothing wrong with any of that of course, ever the most menial job done well… is a job well done! No, here I’m talking about the lack of ambition to progress within the same company, or even move on to new jobs. Of course, it must be acknowledged that in the past opportunities for the ordinary working man (and woman) were indeed limited, regardless of any dreams a child may hold. Schools of that period other than Grammar schools, prepared their pupils for ordinary work… most then were destined for shop work or the factory floor… the best perhaps would be apprenticed to the trades, or if a girl find employment in an office. Nevertheless, this little story that circulated among the old instructors has the power to surprise and shock most individuals today. On a visit to a little local workshop one of them was approached by a chap of their father’s generation. Who declared and not without a certain amount of pride that he had been with that same company for fifty years… man and boy! On showing my colleague his work position before a large lathe, he even more proudly pointed out that where his usually stood… his feet had worn matching indentations into the concrete floor. I ask you… How many people these days would be proud to share such a confirmation… that they had stood in one spot for fifty years… would you dear reader?