[maschera]

We, the internet people, should all work a regular job for 2-4 weeks year. I think far too often that I'd like to experience being a truck driver before I die.

Why there are no companies that arrange this? We need a Kidzania for adult nerds.

[jakderrida]

>Why there are no companies that arrange this?

That's a weird expectation. But I think, for starters, that the reason you don't see it often is that when it comes to jobs working with your hands, you'll find that incredibly costly accidents by employees overwhelmingly occur within the first few months. I've seen it while a technician at Verizon and also for the local transportation agency. A new hire is an investment where you take on massive risk to start with, and you recoup costs incurred after the first few months when the risk dramatically falls.

[otteromkram]

I worked in bars and restaurants on the weekend when I held a full-time job during the week, so it's possible. The variety also keeps you from burning out.

If you aren't to hard-up for money, there's always volunteer work to scratch your "regular job" itch.

[Aperocky]

Therein lies the problem, as you'd expect a company to arrange for this, via just go ahead and .. do it?

But I guess as a society we are constantly inventing higher level of first world problems that's probably the result of echo chambers that has stratified the society.

[johnnyanmac]

>you'd expect a company to arrange for this, via just go ahead and .. do it?

Given how the hiring process works (or if I may be frank: has devolved into a soft lottery system), and expectations for most part or full-time employment in terms of scheduling and work terms: yes. Maybe you can get away with finding a seasonal job to do this with, but that only solves half the equation.

many US jobs can barely get medical leave without scrutiny, there's no way this "adult internship" would get approved without some major handshakes. Or as you put it: for people who's so comfortable or confident in life that they can bounce around jobs like this for leisure rather than survival.

>that's probably the result of echo chambers that has stratified the society.

I'd say this is less echo chambers and more how corporate America has evolved. This may have been possible (but still infeasible) in the 60's where you can walk in with a nice suit, give a firm handshake, and be on the holiday shift in a week with relatively minimum contracts or background checks or negotiations (with a single wage that can support a nuclear family to boot!). There's just a lot of bureaucracy even to get entry level stuff these days.

[photonthug]

I think unions and certification would largely prevent the "just do it" idea. For better or worse, it seems more difficult for a programmer to become an electrician than for an electrician to become a programmer. So yeah, if you want to LARP at some kind of trade, then you're likely going to need some kind of fixer to let you do that after you (and the people you want to inflict all the substandard work on!) sign all the appropriate waivers.

Now if you just want to swing a sledgehammer on demolition day for what is usually a construction crew, ask a friend, because it is great exercise and relieves stress and has a relatively low barrier to entry. But on the other hand while you're saving the membership fee of your crossfit, you're also taking work from someone who's unlikely to be able to switch careers on short notice, so perhaps this is not the best way to unstratify society.

[magpi3]

If you ever feel like you want to beat your body up a little, it is very easy to find seasonal work at UPS (or I guess amazon) during the holiday season.

I worked for UPS unloading trucks one holiday season. We would work 8 hours straight, and the only way to really eat was to have granola bars or something in your packets to snack on as you go. UPS hires ex-military personnel to lead the trucks, so you are yelled at if you slow down.

In the beginning it was grueling, but after about a month or so my body was used to it, and I was volunteering for overtime and worked up to 12 hours a day.

It messed with my back though. I would say it took me three years before my back felt normal again. For this reason alone, I wouldn't actually recommend it unless you are in your twenties.

[lostlogin]

> It messed with my back though

I’m an MR tech. We see a lot of truck drivers and builders. Bad backs do seem prevalent in those professions.

Being overweight seems even more likely to cause trouble.

Basing views off the people I see rather than actual stats is bound to be problematic. Eg does every rugby player have a bad neck? Does every soccer/football, netball and league player have a torn ACL? Every golfer has a bad elbow?

We don’t scan the healthy truck drivers.