The first week of school the students were all supposed to pick a goal for the year. I imagine they were expecting something along the lines of: "I will learn all my letters", or "I will be brave riding the school bus".
My son said: "I want to learn how to be a better carpenter".
And so that was his official kindergarten goal. And he did become better although after a while his inclinations ran more towards metal than wood.
As a post retirement student I don't actually have to write down goals for my instructor.
But I just want to be a better machinist!
And it is not as easy as you would think. I am not dim witted. I have a good understanding of how machines work. I have at least tinkered with various gadgets and tools for decades. But it does not help.
I guess with regards to metal working I come in knowing just enough to be dangerous. I first have to unlearn quite a few ill conceived and sometimes unsafe short cuts to get to a better and more precise level of work. And so many tasks are comprehensible but unfamiliar. Measuring down to 1/1000th of an inch is tricky. I find myself measuring often and being too cautious in making my lathe and milling cuts. Inevitably I fall behind.
And having been an ER doctor does not help either. Lets review. In the ER you can call a helicopter and fly the most complicated stuff away. Not an option. When splinting broken bones or suturing a laceration you just have to get it close. Nope, Steel Don't Heal. You have to get it spot on and to specs. A large part of medicine in all specialities - well maybe not Radiology or Pathology - is being able to "read" patients and interact comfortably. This is of no help. The metal ain't listening.
I guess there are a few reasons to take heart. I start out so ill informed that I will without question increase my knowlege base by a greater percentage compared to the rest of the class. And my worries that I might not be challenged in retirement....these appear to be without basis.
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