In the trades, learning is built over time through repetition, observation, and experience. These reflections from Ian Schwandt come from years spent on job sites, working alongside crews, and learning the craft the long way. They are lessons that continue to hold true—we still remember and apply these principles today.
- Nothing is learned from constant success. Try it, mess it up, think about it, repeat. After 30 or 40 years of this, retire.
- Ask every silly question you think of. But never ask more questions than you can give considerate thought to the answers.
- Show up early. Learn how to set the job up. Better yet, ask at the end of the day how to set the job for tomorrow.
- Watch how the experienced people in your trade set up their work. How they store their tools, set up their workstation, and arrange their material. If you cannot figure out why, ask. Most people would love to tell you.
- Understand that you will likely be seeing and experiencing things out of sequence. Until proven otherwise, you are viewed as cheap labor and will get bounced around. Reading, watching videos, and helping someone from the crew on a weekend project will begin to fill in much of the rest.
- Make peace with the following. If you learn how to build a shed, then you know how to build a shed. If you learn how to cut straight and square, read a tape measure and a level, use a square, make accurate marks, and apply right triangle trigonometry (easier than it sounds), then you will possess the foundation needed to build anything.
- The correct answer to “how much lumber can you carry?” is “two more sticks than the boss.”
- If an employer or a crew is not giving you what you need to learn, find one that will. It is okay to move around when you are learning this business (IMHO).
These reflections highlight something that is often overlooked in the trades. Progress is not immediate, and it is not linear. It is built slowly through repetition, curiosity, and a willingness to stay engaged even when things are difficult.
At Hudson Valley Preservation, this kind of thinking continues to shape our work. The people we work with on job sites and through programs like TradesUp still carry these lessons forward, passing knowledge on in ways that leave a lasting impact and help ensure the next generation has the opportunity to learn, grow, and build with confidence.