I well remember the first few months after my conversion to Christianity at the age of 21. My conversion was so spectacular to me that I assumed I must go to some bible college and become….something. (i was quite naive about how ecumenical life worked)
With wisdom far beyond what could be expected from me personally, I sought counsel from a number of people in my life, including my pastor and Christian mentors who had stepped up to help me in my transition. Each and every one of them suggested that I forego formal religious education in favour of a career in the trades. I saw the truth of the counsel and became a plumber.
I served the Lord in the construction trades for 40+ years. It was an amazing career. After working for others, I became owner/operator of my own plumbing contracting business for a dozen years. I finished my career as an instructor at a local trade school, teaching math and science to plumbing apprentices.
My career in the trades provided me with a pathway to serve the common good of my community. It gave me an opportunity to be creative in ways I never thought possible. It provided for my family, now grown with kids of their own. It was a great choice in providing me with a sense of significance and purpose. It was full of blessings unlooked for. I thank God for His early intervention.
I am glad you enjoyed this. Happy I could be of some inspiration but I don’t think the path that I took/am taking and choices I made/make are meant to be duplicated. I would tell anyone that they definitely need to create their own path. I am happy to be of assistance in that journey.
What's crazy is that for every 1 of you, with integrity and a burning sense of self clawing to escape, there are 99 who will die in fear.
You will doubt yourself. It will be part of the process. You'll wonder if this was the right choice for your family and your son. Only you can know this, but your path of courage is the ultimate story of your soul.
Love this. In a similar vein you might enjoy the book Shop Class as Soulcraft by matthew Crawford. Link here: https://amzn.to/3X90cQh
Crawford was running a think tank in DC and decided to give it up to open a motorbike repair shop. His reasoning was similar to yours: in a laptop professional job, all his work felt abstract and meaningless, whereas in a motorbike repair shop, he could see, feel, and touch his work, and physically see the difference he was making every day. A few choice quotes that I love:
"The satisfactions of manifesting oneself concretely in the world through manual competence have been known to make a man quiet and easy."
"the tangible elements of craft were appealing as an antidote to vague feelings of unreality, diminished autonomy, and a fragmented sense of self that were especially acute among the professional classes."
"I never ceased to take pleasure in the moment, at the end of a job, when I would flip the switch. 'And there was light.' It was an experience of agency and competence. The effects of my work were visible for all to see."
Highly recommend it, I think you'd enjoy it a lot.
I have been a fan and read some of Crawford’s other works essays. Haven’t read Shop Class as Soulcraft yet, though it was on my radar. Thank you for suggesting.
My man! Good to know you liked it, happy to have passed on the recommendation. I've got SO MANY highlights from it (that I read on my screen while doing my standard 9-5 desk job and being totally unsure what value I've added to the world each day)
Your post kept me hooked all the way through. Your writing is authentic and that makes all the difference. Your story is unique. Looking forward to reading more!
“I felt neutered and incomplete in some way. Throughout history, humans have been able to make a living by providing tangible value for those around them. Was I so alienated from my own humanity and community…”
Love this piece but especially this part, Isaiah 🔥 could really relate from when I used to do management consulting. You put it in words. Instant subscribe.
Thanks Sherry - it’s remarkable how much this has resonated with so many people. It speaks to a common feeling of many individuals who feel estranged from a rootedness of some sort. I want to explore this feeling of lacking/deracination in future pieces, I hope to get to it soon.
Hey Isiah I found this from Paul Millerd's newsletter and really enjoyed reading about your journey. I also had my own version of waking up to having a bullshit job. Wrote about it here if you're interested: https://morehumanpossible.com/p/25-i-quit-my-job
Reading this was a joy Isaiah. I am at the beginning of a finance career and feel as though I've had much of the same thoughts as you have. I recently moved from a big bank to a job at a small mortgage broking firm, so that I could learn a trade that would let me help those around me, instead of banking skills that only help... the bank. I've already had many discussions with my Dad about his finances and it feels great. I can't wait to start helping more friends and family once I have learnt more in this role. I appreciate your post, and am eager to follow along with your journey!
Thank you Ned. If you are already helping those in your immediate circle then you are leaps and bounds ahead of where I was early on in my career. Voltaire’s Candide urged us to tend to our own gardens. If you have found a professional situation that allows you that and the lifestyle you desire then cherish it. It’s a blessing.
Congrats Isaiah! I can relate having a similar situation working on Wall Street for 5 years, having some amount of success, but not feeling like I was creating "anything of tangible value" for the world. Now I'm in an entrepreneur in Tampa, if you're in the area, let's connect!
Was I so alienated from my own humanity and community that I couldn’t actually provide something concrete for them that in return could sustain me and my family?
This was the real life time question
When you've reached a point in life where you want to connect with the rest of humanity, you've found freedom. And am happy you tool that decision and it has paid off in terms of your health, mental health, time for your loved ones, and contribute to the community.
I knew back then, that a man of your stature was always meant for something bigger. I'm delighted to see you take this leap my friend. Good luck and God bless your family!
Thank you Rip. It has been a long time. I assume the stature thing is just a height joke lol. But I appreciate the well wishes and blessings. I don’t take those as lightly as I used to.
Great write up! I also gave up on a high status, low fulfillment job a few years back. Reading this, a couple quotes from one of my favorite books came to mind:
“When we work merely for material gain, we build our own prison. We enclose ourselves in isolation; our coins turn to ashes and buy nothing worth living for.”
“And suddenly I had a vision of the face of destiny. Old bureaucrat, my comrade, it is not you who are to blame. No one ever helped you to escape. You, like a termite, built your peace by blocking up with cement every chink and cranny through which the light might pierce. You rolled yourself up into a ball in your genteel security, in routine, in the stifling conventions of provincial life, raising a modest rampart against the winds and the tides and the stars. You have chosen not to be perturbed by great problems, having trouble enough to forget your own fate as a man. You are not the dweller upon an errant planet and do not ask yourself questions to which there are no answers. Nobody grasped you by the shoulder while there was still time. Now the clay of which you were shaped has dried and hardened, and naught in you will ever awaken the sleeping musician, the poet, the astronomer that possibly inhabited you in the beginning.”
This is so well-written. Congrats, Isaiah! I'm glad you had the self-awareness to make this jump and seek out your full potential. I hope that fire inside of you to create value - real value for a community - never stops!
Thank you. When you are in the midst of it - courageous doesn’t seem like the right word. I have felt many things on this journey - nervous, doubtful, foolish. But there hasn’t been a time I could say I’ve felt brave. Maybe that is the whole point…
I gave up a job in banking to go to art school- best thing I’ve done. Still wake up wondering what I’ve done but know that I want my son to see me following my heart and taking risks than being miserable on a zoom call.
I well remember the first few months after my conversion to Christianity at the age of 21. My conversion was so spectacular to me that I assumed I must go to some bible college and become….something. (i was quite naive about how ecumenical life worked)
With wisdom far beyond what could be expected from me personally, I sought counsel from a number of people in my life, including my pastor and Christian mentors who had stepped up to help me in my transition. Each and every one of them suggested that I forego formal religious education in favour of a career in the trades. I saw the truth of the counsel and became a plumber.
I served the Lord in the construction trades for 40+ years. It was an amazing career. After working for others, I became owner/operator of my own plumbing contracting business for a dozen years. I finished my career as an instructor at a local trade school, teaching math and science to plumbing apprentices.
My career in the trades provided me with a pathway to serve the common good of my community. It gave me an opportunity to be creative in ways I never thought possible. It provided for my family, now grown with kids of their own. It was a great choice in providing me with a sense of significance and purpose. It was full of blessings unlooked for. I thank God for His early intervention.
Thank you for sharing that beautiful story Ian. It’s amazing where and how our paths lead us through life. I’m still excited about what’s to come.
Instant subscribe. I foresee myself following in your footsteps in the not so distant future
I am glad you enjoyed this. Happy I could be of some inspiration but I don’t think the path that I took/am taking and choices I made/make are meant to be duplicated. I would tell anyone that they definitely need to create their own path. I am happy to be of assistance in that journey.
Thank you for your honesty and courage Isaiah.
What's crazy is that for every 1 of you, with integrity and a burning sense of self clawing to escape, there are 99 who will die in fear.
You will doubt yourself. It will be part of the process. You'll wonder if this was the right choice for your family and your son. Only you can know this, but your path of courage is the ultimate story of your soul.
Love this. In a similar vein you might enjoy the book Shop Class as Soulcraft by matthew Crawford. Link here: https://amzn.to/3X90cQh
Crawford was running a think tank in DC and decided to give it up to open a motorbike repair shop. His reasoning was similar to yours: in a laptop professional job, all his work felt abstract and meaningless, whereas in a motorbike repair shop, he could see, feel, and touch his work, and physically see the difference he was making every day. A few choice quotes that I love:
"The satisfactions of manifesting oneself concretely in the world through manual competence have been known to make a man quiet and easy."
"the tangible elements of craft were appealing as an antidote to vague feelings of unreality, diminished autonomy, and a fragmented sense of self that were especially acute among the professional classes."
"I never ceased to take pleasure in the moment, at the end of a job, when I would flip the switch. 'And there was light.' It was an experience of agency and competence. The effects of my work were visible for all to see."
Highly recommend it, I think you'd enjoy it a lot.
I have been a fan and read some of Crawford’s other works essays. Haven’t read Shop Class as Soulcraft yet, though it was on my radar. Thank you for suggesting.
I picked this up and could not put it down. Finished it in 3 days ago. It spoke to my soul. Cannot thank you enough for recommending.
My man! Good to know you liked it, happy to have passed on the recommendation. I've got SO MANY highlights from it (that I read on my screen while doing my standard 9-5 desk job and being totally unsure what value I've added to the world each day)
Your post kept me hooked all the way through. Your writing is authentic and that makes all the difference. Your story is unique. Looking forward to reading more!
“I felt neutered and incomplete in some way. Throughout history, humans have been able to make a living by providing tangible value for those around them. Was I so alienated from my own humanity and community…”
Love this piece but especially this part, Isaiah 🔥 could really relate from when I used to do management consulting. You put it in words. Instant subscribe.
Thanks Sherry - it’s remarkable how much this has resonated with so many people. It speaks to a common feeling of many individuals who feel estranged from a rootedness of some sort. I want to explore this feeling of lacking/deracination in future pieces, I hope to get to it soon.
I can’t wait to read it :)
Hey Isiah I found this from Paul Millerd's newsletter and really enjoyed reading about your journey. I also had my own version of waking up to having a bullshit job. Wrote about it here if you're interested: https://morehumanpossible.com/p/25-i-quit-my-job
Will check this out. Thank you
Reading this was a joy Isaiah. I am at the beginning of a finance career and feel as though I've had much of the same thoughts as you have. I recently moved from a big bank to a job at a small mortgage broking firm, so that I could learn a trade that would let me help those around me, instead of banking skills that only help... the bank. I've already had many discussions with my Dad about his finances and it feels great. I can't wait to start helping more friends and family once I have learnt more in this role. I appreciate your post, and am eager to follow along with your journey!
Thank you Ned. If you are already helping those in your immediate circle then you are leaps and bounds ahead of where I was early on in my career. Voltaire’s Candide urged us to tend to our own gardens. If you have found a professional situation that allows you that and the lifestyle you desire then cherish it. It’s a blessing.
Congrats Isaiah! I can relate having a similar situation working on Wall Street for 5 years, having some amount of success, but not feeling like I was creating "anything of tangible value" for the world. Now I'm in an entrepreneur in Tampa, if you're in the area, let's connect!
Likewise if you ever come around Boca Raton
Subscribed immediately.
Was I so alienated from my own humanity and community that I couldn’t actually provide something concrete for them that in return could sustain me and my family?
This was the real life time question
When you've reached a point in life where you want to connect with the rest of humanity, you've found freedom. And am happy you tool that decision and it has paid off in terms of your health, mental health, time for your loved ones, and contribute to the community.
Fantastic!!! Congrats on the big life move ! Exciting! I am interested in hearing about your small business search process. Please share more.
Will share more in the near future. Thank you
I knew back then, that a man of your stature was always meant for something bigger. I'm delighted to see you take this leap my friend. Good luck and God bless your family!
Thank you Rip. It has been a long time. I assume the stature thing is just a height joke lol. But I appreciate the well wishes and blessings. I don’t take those as lightly as I used to.
Great write up! I also gave up on a high status, low fulfillment job a few years back. Reading this, a couple quotes from one of my favorite books came to mind:
“When we work merely for material gain, we build our own prison. We enclose ourselves in isolation; our coins turn to ashes and buy nothing worth living for.”
“And suddenly I had a vision of the face of destiny. Old bureaucrat, my comrade, it is not you who are to blame. No one ever helped you to escape. You, like a termite, built your peace by blocking up with cement every chink and cranny through which the light might pierce. You rolled yourself up into a ball in your genteel security, in routine, in the stifling conventions of provincial life, raising a modest rampart against the winds and the tides and the stars. You have chosen not to be perturbed by great problems, having trouble enough to forget your own fate as a man. You are not the dweller upon an errant planet and do not ask yourself questions to which there are no answers. Nobody grasped you by the shoulder while there was still time. Now the clay of which you were shaped has dried and hardened, and naught in you will ever awaken the sleeping musician, the poet, the astronomer that possibly inhabited you in the beginning.”
This is so well-written. Congrats, Isaiah! I'm glad you had the self-awareness to make this jump and seek out your full potential. I hope that fire inside of you to create value - real value for a community - never stops!
Good for you for having the courage to take the leap and put what is really important first! Looking forward to hearing how you and your family get on
Thank you. When you are in the midst of it - courageous doesn’t seem like the right word. I have felt many things on this journey - nervous, doubtful, foolish. But there hasn’t been a time I could say I’ve felt brave. Maybe that is the whole point…
I gave up a job in banking to go to art school- best thing I’ve done. Still wake up wondering what I’ve done but know that I want my son to see me following my heart and taking risks than being miserable on a zoom call.