Should I Be A Plumber Or A Pilot?

By the end of year 9, his parents were on both knees begging the headmaster for one last chance.

But he wasn’t buying it.

He’d had enough of their appalling son whose only mission was to break every rule, and every teacher.

His parents were shattered.

Not only did their son need the discipline, badly, but he still couldn’t read or write.

The sad thing is, he wasn’t dumb. Most kids aren’t. He just didn’t have the desire to learn.

Eventually he finished year 10 at another school and dropped out, aimless.

He had a crack at an air-conditioning apprenticeship but got punted from that too. Ironically, a year before he was due to finish.

So he spent the next year bumming around playing golf, racing motorbikes, going nowhere.

And then one fateful day his godfather rang offering him an apprenticeship in his plumbing business.

And to everyone’s surprise, he loved it!

He got his ticket and soon after started his own business.

Today he employs about 25 plumbers and doesn’t take on any job under $1,000,000. (One million).

He could have retired at age 50 but decided to go back to school instead. He got his pilot’s license and now fly’s his own plane…custom built.

So how does a bloke who was borderline illiterate end-up being so successful?

Well, apart from being a member of the 4.30am out-of-bed-club and working his guts out, I reckon it’s because he found something he loved, twice.

He saw a big career in plumbing and for the first time in his life, he really wanted to learn.

And this gave him the confidence to pursue something else he thought he could never do, become a pilot.

Every year around this time, parents ask me if their child should do an apprenticeship.

I say go for it! I’m a massive fan of apprenticeships.

Some of the wealthiest and most successful people I know are tradespeople. And of the ones I’ve observed, they seem to have four traits in common:

1. They have a great work ethic
2. They’re very good money managers who love to save and invest.
3. They’re usually very good lateral thinkers thanks to their training.
4. They don’t chop and change careers every 4-5 years. They understand the power of momentum and stay the course.

Of course, you could say this about any successful person. My point is you don’t need a degree to do well later on. Your child could start an apprenticeship and do well early.

If your son or daughter is thinking of doing a trade, help them find one they might enjoy and back them to the hilt.

And if you can attend their job interviews, do it. When you buy the pup you get the dog, so let their employer see the dog. It says a lot.

It’s not where you start that matters, but where you finish.

Have a great weekend!

Adam

p.s. name withheld for privacy reasons…not that I know any other plumber who became a pilot!

Back paddock – it’s not what you leave your children, it’s what you leave in them – Les Brown