Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Ronnie Bryce on June 21, 2012, 11:39:29 pm
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Are you happy to have grown up to become one? Serious type question. Do you regret not doing something more stimulating, challenging and financially more rewarding in youth that would have meant you don't have clean for a living?
I do.
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I sometime think if I had done a little better at school and hadn't been so much of an ass what could I have done, but I have worked in office and several other jobs for that matter, but none suit me like Cleaning does.
In the height of my employment ;) I went from being a packer in a plastics factory ( £3phr) to Production manager (35K this was over 17 yrs ago) and was responsible for 55 men and a large budget. I would never do it again, the back stabbing politics that go with it were never worth it.
I was made redundant after I decided to tell the MD how much of a K- nob he was. I then went to work in a factory to keep the money coming in and then took a conversation into a round worth £22.50 and now provides a income for 3 of us. I once had 5 guys work with me, but bought WFP then sold a load to a guy and started again.
Am I happy now, VERY, a title is nothing more than a worthless piece of paper.
Rob.
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luckily this is 1 job you can do forever once you have found your feet ,(with staff if your own body fails )
if you over think any job , it can sound bad-so dont think
the old saying "dont over think the think but Do overdo the do "
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bin at it 5 months now and its the hapiest ive been in a job ever ,i love it ,mind you when a custie says ,can we leave it this month there not really dirty ,then i do question my career path and indeed my sanity ;D ;D
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Well I never thought I would end up cleaning windows for a living but as I look around me now I am glad that I did.
So much happier and more settled than almost everyone I know. Its not about qualifications, I have qualifications but the chances of them getting me a job are zero. Even if a miracle happened and I did get a job with them it would be a living hell.
Do this job for a few years and you get too set in your ways. Today I am off to Bristol to help my son move flats. Who did I have to ask? nobody. Will I be worried about who is stitching me up while I am away? no
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bin at it 5 months now and its the hapiest ive been in a job ever ,i love it ,mind you when a custie says ,can we leave it this month there not really dirty ,then i do question my career path and indeed my sanity ;D ;D
replace and drop / drop and replace
either way do it asap as will hamper u in long run ;)
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My missus tells me im a much nicer person now Im outta the motor trade ....... just less money but she would never want me to go back to selling cars.
Think shes into a bit of rough if im honest ;D ;D
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been clean now for three years and ive had all sorts of job from warehouse to car part sales even did the old drink runs to france back when i was 19 in me astramax van but i wish i started window cleaning back then but i was young and draft back then
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I'm a fully qualified joiner/carpenter and qualified site manger, when the credit crunch kicked in 5 years ago work became scarse and took weeks to get on a building site instead of days and the prices became stupid so i get in to the glass by my best mate who was also a joiner and we havnt looked back, yeah the collecting can be poop be you always know you can earn a descent wage. I always say to the lads I don't love my job I appreciate my job
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i am in two minds about this (particularly whilst the rain has stopped play) i'm heading back to uni in september to do a masters, to try and see what sort of education jobs are going at the moment. i do like window cleaning and i love the lifestyle, but think i would be bored sick of doing this for the next 30 years and the idea of sitting in an office chasing payments whilst i have 5 vans out on the road seems even worse.
my only worries about this job are boredom, knackering my body and something coming along eg really good self cleaning glass that could leave me in my 40s 50s or 60s with no job.
mind you, the idea of doing 9-5 with no chance of escape terrifies me also. basically, i over think things!
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i am in two minds about this (particularly whilst the rain has stopped play) i'm heading back to uni in september to do a masters, to try and see what sort of education jobs are going at the moment. i do like window cleaning and i love the lifestyle, but think i would be bored sick of doing this for the next 30 years and the idea of sitting in an office chasing payments whilst i have 5 vans out on the road seems even worse.
my only worries about this job are boredom, knackering my body and something coming along eg really good self cleaning glass that could leave me in my 40s 50s or 60s with no job.
mind you, the idea of doing 9-5 with no chance of escape terrifies me also. basically,
i over think things!
I think the wfp will help to ensure you decrease the risk of knackering your body up.
2) I think sometimes you can earn just as much as a doctor on Comercial jobs
3) I have a customer who is a clean freak and had self cleaning glass fitted and she thinks it's a waste of time/money she would stick to a good window cleaner any day. This gives me confidence that people do still believe in us after having self cleaning installed
4) to stop your self becoming bored change your work about, buy/sell/swap makes things a little more interesting
5) remember this credit crunch has been bad, the next big one will be a depression so I'm countin my self lucky I only lost a couple of houses due to reduncy ( got them back on monthly cleans and a few went monthly)
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yeah, i know its crap now but it'll only get better
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no point having regrets ronnie!how old are you anyway?your never too old to go back to school/university and study if thats what you want to do.
i know people in their 50s who have got bachelor of science degrees etc but will you be able to use it for employment?if you just want it to prove you can do it then thats fine as well!!
me?im happy being a window cleaner!ive always worked outside whether its on farms,plant nurseries,gardening etc so i dont know anything else.
i count my blessings and dont regret the past.yeh ive made a few mistakes but who hasnt?
with the advent of WFP its made our working lives safer and more profitable with less hours on the glass.whats not to like?? ;) ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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In a few short months ,since being in the police/prison service have learnt its not about the titles its about the providing and lifestyle,and way of life for me is above any title of any kind.
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no point having regrets ronnie!how old are you anyway?your never too old to go back to school/university and study if thats what you want to do.
I have regret's Daz. On my first interview after leaving school, I received notification that I had got the job. It was in a jeweler's workshop at the back of the shop. I was to be taught how to build and repair all kind's of jewelry and it involved two night's a week at college learning the art, bugger working night's I thought and knocked the job back. I would love that chance again, what a wally.
Next interview was an apprentice joiner, got the job, done my 4 years then another 2 working before getting out of it, too many bosses for me.
Made good money playing drums and guitar in a band doing the club's back in the eighties, then went bloody deaf in my left ear, so got out of that.
I am a black belt in TKD, thought of opening a school but never did get round to it, it's good teaching stuff you know but nope, here I am at 49 still cleaning. It has good point's as we all know, but I am still a cleaner.
Maybe a mid life crisis thing, maybe just the poo weather, but the thought of cleaning glass just does not appeal to me too much at times these day's.
G Brookes makes a good point about something coming along that will finish off window cleaners. For those who have not seen or heard of it yet, Nanotech probably will be the future for many surfaces and fabrics.
Look at this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqGkC5uJ0yM&feature=related
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I don't like windows anymore.
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if i had a second chance at school i would have looked at graphic design and web design theres loads of money in it.
I hate my job rubish pay bad weather ect just one big pain in the ass.
Paul
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Are you happy to have grown up to become one? Serious type question. Do you regret not doing something more stimulating, challenging and financially more rewarding in youth that would have meant you don't have clean for a living?
I do.
I did! But now I part own and run a business....perhaps you are thinking about it the wrong way :)
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if i had a second chance at school i would have looked at graphic design and web design theres loads of money in it.
I hate my job rubish pay bad weather ect just one big pain in the ass.
Paul
what do you class as rubbish pay?
I would have liked to have persued a carrer in graphic design also....I am toying with the idea of going back to college, but only as a way of achieving something and learning as a back up plan. I am 40 now and I do look back and wonder what if? etc
however I doubt I would be able to replace what I have built over the 20 years I have been in window cleaning
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I don't like windows anymore.
Get a Mac.
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if i had a second chance at school i would have looked at graphic design and web design theres loads of money in it.
I hate my job rubish pay bad weather ect just one big pain in the ass.
Paul
what do you class as rubbish pay?
I would have liked to have persued a carrer in graphic design also....I am toying with the idea of going back to college, but only as a way of achieving something and learning as a back up plan. I am 40 now and I do look back and wonder what if? etc
however I doubt I would be able to replace what I have built over the 20 years I have been in window cleaning
I was only messing around with the pay bit to be honest 90% of the time i love my job even the bad weather ;D ;D
I would like to do web/graphic design just as a back up theres alot of money to be made in your spare time doing it.
Paul
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if i had a second chance at school i would have looked at graphic design and web design theres loads of money in it.
I hate my job rubish pay bad weather ect just one big pain in the ass.
Paul
what do you class as rubbish pay?
I would have liked to have persued a carrer in graphic design also....I am toying with the idea of going back to college, but only as a way of achieving something and learning as a back up plan. I am 40 now and I do look back and wonder what if? etc
however I doubt I would be able to replace what I have built over the 20 years I have been in window cleaning
I was only messing around with the pay bit to be honest 90% of the time i love my job even the bad weather ;D ;D
I would like to do web/graphic design just as a back up theres alot of money to be made in your spare time doing it.
Paul
lol....weather makes me grumpy too....it's been horendous here in wales...but I havn't lost a day yet, although I have finished early....
but it is getting on my t8ts
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Before I became joiner/carpenter I did A'levels in graphic design, design technology and media, got excepted at Salford uni worked out the costs to do a degree and unless you are gona move to London, new York, Germany or china you rant gona earn £40000 a year trust me, all the big companies have head hunters at uni's looking for the next big designers and also it's all 6monthly contracted work so you can be droped like a sack of poop at anytime!
I think window cleaning provides alot of things we kinda take for granted and sometimes we should sit back of bosses of our own business and think of all the good things? I think all the good things out weigh the bad in this game