The Air-Ratchet

This last spring I was thrust into the world of job-search due to a company acquisition/merger. One of several departments dismissed in the no-harm/no-foul integration, my department & I concluded that anytime you hear the word “synergy”, someone is fixin’ to lose a job.

As with all such transitional eras in a career, you tend to ask yourself “what just happened?”, followed closely by “why did that happen?” & “what do I do now?” As mentioned last time, I ended up working with an old business acquaintance running a second production shift on a temp basis. It has been gratifying; not just keeping busy and bringing some income back into the household, but training inexperienced guys in the crafts, keeping them busy & keeping their work top quality.

As I am managing temp-agency personnel, there are daily, errrr, umm hourly issues trying to locate tools, parts and fasteners. In one of these searches I noted that although we had two company air-ratchets, one sat unused. Hooking it up it became apparent why, it was slipping and not producing any torque. I tore into it for a rebuild.

I’ve always had an innate understanding of equipment so the problem ratchet wasn’t much of a problem. Now it screams like a dentist’s drill on amphetamines. Through the process of repairing it I remembered how gratifying it was to take something broken and make it work. I reflected on my career and how this ability has served me. Like many I didn’t purpose to end up doing what I do, the work evolved as my experience did.

It has been good to self-evaluate. I believe everyone should come up for air once in a while, though I would recommend initiating the process yourself rather than have your employer initiate it for you. On my own road to self-discovery, I realized that it was this love and understanding of equipment that shaped my experience and skills as my career advanced. All that has happened since has been a direct outgrowth of this simple interest.

So I guess the dime-store epiphany I would like to share is; do yourself a favor and always remember why you are where you are. View it like a plumb-line. If you true-up to it regularly you won’t be able to veer that far off course.