Preparing Oneself for TEOTWAWKI

[rvm45]

People, I am a confirmed "Left-Brainer".....

Don't see many references to "Right-Brain/Left Brain" anymore. One of the last articles that I saw, said we might have went too far in saying the Brain specializes in these two methods of thought as much as we had originally supposed.....

That is to say that all "Left-Brain" thought may not get done in the Left Hemisphere, and vice-versa--but Psychologically, these are two very different methodologies.

Some of you liked to fiddle with Cars when you were in high school. Not me. It took a lot of poking and prodding to get me to learn to drive (I didn't want to learn).

Nothing turned me off faster than talk about Timing, Crank Shafts, Carburetors and Pistons.

I absolutely hate to change a tire.

Tell you God's Honest Truth, I don't like having my hands greasy and dirty, and I seriously don't groove on getting oily.

But then I got into Guns.

I went to the US Army's Small Arms Repair School at APG Maryland--learned much about Guns.

Then a fellow remarked one day: "What is am M-60 Machine Gun, but a one-cylinder internal combustion engine? Gunpowder is the fuel, the Bolt is the Piston etc."

When I was working in a factory, and already in my forties, I bid on a "Set-Up" job. Most places, "Set-up" is a low-level maintenance.

Company screwed me, but that turned out to be to my advantage. I got so seriously pissed, that I went to the local Trade School, and signed up for a two year course in "Industrial Maintenance".....

I really would have preferred "Tool and Die Making"--but it wasn't offered locally.

Well, the punch line is:If any of you are lacking in Physical--Shop-Class type skills, I can't recommend a better course that to get you an Associate's Degree in Industrial Maintenance.

If you're a young man, looking for a trade, there are worse ones--but even if you're a forty year old Accountant, Doctor, Lawyer, LEO--or whatever--and you'd like to build up some useful Skills, there probably isn't a better, more Multi-Disciplinary course.

It took me about 3 years to get the 2 year degree(even starting off with 12 credit hours) because I insisted on taking lots of stuff--so should you.

I took Two Semesters of Machining; Drafting; Print Reading, A semester of Hydraulics, a semester of Pneumatics; three semesters of Electricity--including "Motors and Motor Controls" and three phase power (I never knew that three phase Power existed.....)

About four semesters of Industrial Mechanics--Gear, chain, belt drives--Brakes, pulleys, etc.

I started on a Welding degree, when I finished my Maintenance Degree--didn't quite complete it--

But I had two Semesters GMAW (Stick), one GTAW(TIG), ONE GMAW (MIG) and one OFW (Torch)

Got 4 semesters PLC programing (two more classes would have given me a "Robotics" degree, one more class would have given me the "Millwright" Degree.)

I also took two classes in Drawing, and a class in Architectural Rendering, just because I wanted to.

I really wanted to pic up a couple classes in Heating, and a couple more in refrigeration--Never got around to it (The Maintenance Man with good HVAC Skills can get into the lucrative field of big building Maintenance--by all accounts, an excellent Career.)

If a big fridge, or freezer is important to your survival plans.....

Anyway, I was looking at Jerry's list of Desirable Skills, how many do you honestly posses?

No one knows how long we have--but while you wait, you might as well occupy yourself with something worthwhile.

My own story--lost my job with about a year of School to go. Couldn't land a job, till I'd definitely dropped out of my second degree program.

Worked almost exactly six months at a huge Chicken Processor--coming out of probation, was the first job that I'd ever had, where 8 hours of Straight time netted me over $100 Gross--

But the devious knob-gobblers fired me--and now I'm on Disability--owe $5000 in Student loans--but they can't garnishee a SS Pension.....

???So I play word games when they call, and drive them bonkers.....

But it will almost certainly work better for some of y'all.....

And don't be ashamed to take isolated classes, if you just need to brush up on certain Skills.

.....RVM45

[patience]

I second the idea of industrial mintenance. I don't know of a better prep for an uncertain future.

Agricultural background, preferrably growing "truck patch" vegetables would also be good, and would include some mechanical skills as well.

I'm 65, so my background is pretty varied, yet it arrived at a mix of skills similiar to industrial maintenance. It began on a small farm raising grain, hay and livestock--1,200 chickens for eggs done the hard way with feed and water buckets, a feeder pig operation and beef cattle at various times.

College came later, and landed me an engineering design job in the auto industry and later on, process engineering. During 30-odd years of that, hobbies and after hours work included:

-drove a dump truck as a summer job
-worked in a veneer mill, another summer job
-photography for the Indiana State Highway Commission, and did the darkroom work
-self trained machinist, toolmaker and did some gun work (no profit in that). Did some reloading and made some tooling for it.
-weekend wedding photographer
-small town independent trash collection business (lucrative!)
-auto repair/engine rebuilds
-restored a couple old houses; did the electrical, plumbing, plaster, carpentry, roofing, furnace, cabinetry, and you name it. Most of that I learned from Dad, who could do it all.
-gardened extensively over a lifetime
-rebuilt a 45 acre homestead, then logged and farmed it with draft horses. Raised and trained a colt from one of the mares.
-built a wood shop and made custom furniture for a couple years. (My grandad was a furniture maker.)
-sold the farm and bought a house and one acre, still working as an engineer.
-When the auto industry went south, I worked as a toolmaker in a local machine shop.
-As the auto industry declined, the machine shop did also, being dependent on tooling work, so I started my own shop doing farm and home repair work: welding, machining, sheet metal that I learned from my daughter who did body work on C130's, Huey's, Jolly Green Giants, Cobra's (20,000 parts RELUCTANTLY flying in close formation) and C5 Galaxy's in the USAF as Airframe Repair MOS.
-built an English Wheel, power roll, restored a big old box-and-pan brake, bought a stomp shear, a notcher, turret punch, and learned to weld sheet metal with a torch and MIG. Did some minor TIG work, but I'm better with a torch, including welding cast iron with cast iron filler rod.
-lately designed a solar PV system for our place and installing that.
-poured some concrete, laid some brick and built a sunroom for a combination greenhouse/canning kitchen/solar heat gain addition. Built an airtight woodstove that resides there, and has a separate firebox for cooking, to use less fuel.
-rebuilt our old cistern that is now our water supply. It has a hand well pump on it that I restored, having made some irreplaceable parts for it.

It is an eclectic mix, mostly successful because I learned early on how to visualize things and draw them in 3 dimensions. Sort of a mental CAD thing. Making what I drew I learned along the way. So, I am a confirmed right brain person, but have made many connections to the logical left brain along the way, and can shift from one to the other several times a minute, as required.

The repair shop was pretty successful until I retired last Fall. I'll fire it up again if need be. The locals all know me now, after 9+ years of that.

It took me way too long to learn what I know. There are faster ways, and industrial maintenance is the best start I can think of.

[rvm45]

Thank you patience.

That really is some of the best advice that I can give to anyone. I've taken the trouble to write it out at several forums, and yours is the first response.....

And really, you were one of the few who really didn't need to be told.

I remember Something Jeff Cooper said, that in Germany, you couldn't just buy a Hunting License and go a Hunting.

One had to take quite a few Classes and Seminars to earn the Right to call oneself Ein Jager--a Hunter--and that in Germany, it really meant something to have that title.

He said that among other things (marksmanship, safety, pathfinding, first aid, etc.) That earning the Jager Title involves practically getting an Associate's degree in Wildlife Biology and Game Management.

Now think, in Germany, you might be a Doctor, or a Lawyer; a Plumber, An Accountant, or an Exotic Dancer--

But if you want to be a Jager, there's no help for it.....

You go to "School"--or wherever--and earn your "Two-Year Degree".

Now I don't really agree with much of that, because I don't think it is the Government's Bussiness decide who gets to Hunt.....

But the point is--You might be a Doctor, or a Lawyer, a Law or a Pimp.....But if you really want to be a "Survivalist"--you're going to have to earn your chops.

Sure, there may be niches available for full-time Doctors five years after TEOTWAWKI--but first you gotta survive those first five years.

Honestly, everyone probably doesn't need to be Maintenance qualified.

One per 20, maybe one per 50, maybe even one per 100 will be enough.....

But if you have the training,You will always know that your group has at least one good mechanic.

And I don't care if your group of 20, already has 5 maintenance qualified--what are you going to do, if those 5 all die of the Creeping Heebee-Geebees a Month into the collapse?

.....RVM45

[patience]

That last point is worth a lot. Cross training is crucial. I saw the need in industry and could NEVER convince top management of it. They thought they were saving money by avoiding the cost of training, right up until they were in a blind panic because they lost some crucial person. Then, they reverted to panic mode--throw money at the problem and it will go away. That didn't work out so well for General Motors, did it?

NO, the ones who "don't get it" never will, even when they are faced with the losses from their lack of foresight. It is built in to their world view, which is narrow and shortsighted. I kept a small poster on wall by my desk in industry, and few ever understood it:
"NEVER TRY TO TEACH A PIG TO SING. IT WASTES YOUR TIME AND ANNOYS THE PIG."

It had a cartoon of a really ugly pig sitting in a mudhole.

(Read the Dilbert comic strip for insights into incompetent management.)

There is a quote from Robert Heinlein that eludes me, but says that any given person should be able to do many things, from helping to birth a baby to governing a territory, or something like that. There are many things I know nothing about, but I have tried to be as versatile as I can be.

That meant having to do those things distasteful to me. I am basically a creative personality, so I particularly dislike daily maintenance work, like cooking, laundry, washing dishes and housework. My answer has been to get VERY good at those things so I can get them done and do what I LIKE to do. That has served me well when my wife was sick. In worse situations, it would be an asset.

I hate accounting/bookkeeping, but I had to learn how it works to make a business successful. I still am not good at it, but I do understand it as a "tool" in my toolbox. Same with computers and IT. I only know how to operate them, a little bit. At this point in life, I delegate what I don't know there, but I'm learning a little bit about it--enough to do online orders, buy on eBay, do research on a topic and keep up with current events. That is essential now.

I admire the abilities of those who can do tricks with electronic technology now, but I was one of those who helped make the manufacturing of those toys possible, creating some of the equipment that manufactured the first on-board computers in cars, electronic ignition and voltage regulators at Delco Electronics in Kokomo, Indiana. If I talk about photoetching silicon chips, the IT boys are as mystified as I am about their antics with software.

If I have learned one thing in life, it is that you can't teach a person something they are not ready to accept and learn. More's the pity.