What prompted this post is an email I received today telling me another of my competitors is now out of business. I say "another" because over my nearly 45 years of being in the custom homebuilding business I've seen many more competitors close their doors than survive. In fact, thinking back on all my professional contemporaries from 30 or 40 years ago, I can easily count on one hand those who have survived this far with me.
But I honestly DO like what I do....most of the time at least. I like building things. To me it's like figuring out how to assemble a giant 5,000 sq ft 3D puzzle. Some are easy, some keep me awake at night wondering how I'm gonna get tab A into slot B. But in the end it really is gratifying to drive through a neighborhood where I built 5 or 10 or 20 years ago and say to myself, "I built that one, and that one, and...".
But then there are the frustrations, too. Like how today building isn't as much about knowing how to actually build, but knowing how to maneuver your way through the bureaucratic / regulatory jungle. And the financial uncertainties! O M G! A few good years can bring a pot 'o gold for sure, but you can just as easily get blindsided by some near-cataclysmic world event (think 9/11) or giant fraud that can cause the world's economy to crater (think 2008). There is no linear route to success, regardless of how hard you work. Grrrr!
Oh well, another one bites the dust. And now that he's moved on, someone else will probably come along tomorrow with a great "new" business plan which he's too ignorant to realize is the same business plan that's been tried over and over for years and NEVER worked. DUH!
So do I like what I do? You bet! Would I choose this career field again if I were just starting out? In hindsight, seeing how things are today vs how they were 45 years ago when I began....no way in hell!
How about you? Do you like what you do specifically, and are you happy with your career field?
S
