'Dirty Jobs' Mike Rowe Gives Advice

Mike Rowe in his series on high rise window washing.

A Fan Asks Mike Rowe For Life Advice… His Response Is Truly Brilliant: Mike Rowe from Dirty Jobs  is an awesome guy. He can build or fix anything, he’s very entertaining, and has a great sense of humor. Mike also tells it like it is and gives great advice to others. A fan wrote him and asked him for some career advice. Mike Rowe has featured before on the blog for his window cleaning antics here.

Hey Mike!

I’ve spent this last year trying to figure out the right career for myself and I still can’t figure out what to do. I have always been a hands on kind of guy and a go-getter. I could never be an office worker. I need change, excitement, and adventure in my life, but where the pay is steady. I grew up in construction and my first job was a restoration project. I love everything outdoors. I play music for extra money. I like trying pretty much everything, but get bored very easily. I want a career that will always keep me happy, but can allow me to have a family and get some time to travel. I figure if anyone knows jobs its you so I was wondering your thoughts on this if you ever get the time! Thank you!

- Parker Hall

Hi Parker,
 

My first thought is that you should learn to weld and move to North Dakota. The opportunities are enormous, and as a “hands-on go-getter,” you’re qualified for the work. But after reading your post a second time, it occurs to me that your qualifications are not the reason you can’t find the career you want.

I had drinks last night with a woman I know. Let’s call her Claire. Claire just turned 42. She’s cute, smart, and successful. She’s frustrated though, because she can’t find a man. I listened all evening about how difficult her search has been. About how all the “good ones” were taken. About how her other friends had found their soul-mates, and how it wasn’t fair that she had not.

“Look at me,” she said. “I take care of myself. I’ve put myself out there. Why is this so hard?”
 “How about that guy at the end of the bar,” I said. “He keeps looking at you.”
 “Not my type.”
 “Really? How do you know?”
 “I just know.”
 “Have you tried a dating site?” I asked.”
 “Are you kidding? I would never date someone I met online!”
 “Alright. How about a change of scene? Your company has offices all over – maybe try living in another city?”
 “What? Leave San Francisco? Never!”
 “How about the other side of town? You know, mix it up a little. Visit different places. New museums, new bars, new theaters…?”
She looked at me like I had two heads. “Why the hell would I do that?”

Here’s the thing, Parker. Claire doesn’t really want a man. She wants the “right” man. She wants a soul-mate. Specifically, a soul-mate from her zip code. She assembled this guy in her mind years ago, and now, dammit, she’s tired of waiting!!

I didn’t tell her this, because Claire has the capacity for sudden violence. But it’s true. She complains about being alone, even though her rules have more or less guaranteed she’ll stay that way. She has built a wall between herself and her goal. A wall made of conditions and expectations. Is it possible that you’ve built a similar wall?

Consider your own words. You don’t want a career – you want the “right” career. You need “excitement” and “adventure,” but not at the expense of stability. You want lots of “change” and the “freedom to travel,” but you need the certainty of “steady pay.” You talk about being “easily bored” as though boredom is out of your control. It isn’t. Boredom is a choice. Like tardiness. Or interrupting. It’s one thing to “love the outdoors,” but you take it a step further. You vow to “never” take an office job. You talk about the needs of your family, even though that family doesn’t exist. And finally, you say the career you describe must “always” make you “happy.”

These are my thoughts. You may choose to ignore them and I wouldn’t blame you – especially after being compared to a 42 year old woman who can’t find love. But since you asked…

Stop looking for the “right” career, and start looking for a job. Any job. Forget about what you like. Focus on what’s available. Get yourself hired. Show up early. Stay late. Volunteer for the scut work. Become indispensable. You can always quit later, and be no worse off than you are today. But don’t waste another year looking for a career that doesn’t exist. And most of all, stop worrying about your happiness. Happiness does not come from a job. It comes from knowing what you truly value, and behaving in a way that’s consistent with those beliefs.
 Many people today resent the suggestion that they’re in charge of the way the feel. But trust me, Parker. Those people are mistaken. That was a big lesson from Dirty Jobs, and I learned it several hundred times before it stuck. What you do, who you’re with, and how you feel about the world around you, is completely up to you.

Good luck - Mike

PS. I’m serious about welding and North Dakota. Those guys are writing their own ticket.

PPS Think I should forward this to Claire?

A Little Safety Advice For Service Clients

Crime Tracker: How To Handle Unexpected Guests On Your Doorstep - (SPOKANE, Wash.) - Door to door solicitors seem to pop up at your front door as the weather gets warmer.  Even though most of them are honest business people, the Spokane County Sheriff's Office reminds us to take precautions when answering the door for people we don't know.

The best piece of advice if you are expecting someone: know who's coming.  For example, if you schedule a window washer to come to your home, ask what vehicle they're driving and the name of the person providing the service.  That way, you'll know who and what to expect when you get that knock on your door.

The Sheriff's Office also recommends a locking screen door.  The door provides a barrier between you and the person on your doorstep.  It allows for a conversation but provides a layer of protection.  The Sheriff's Office also says to keep the door closed.  It says there's nothing wrong with asking the person to leave a business card on your step and telling them you'll look at it when you have a chance. 

The next tip: make yourself known.  The Sheriff's Office says not to hide.  Don't make it look like you aren't home.  It says thieves looking to break-in don't want you to be there.  If you yell through the door and let them know you're home but too busy to answer the door, the Sheriff's Office says they'll typically move on.  The same goes for children who are home alone. 

Finally and most importantly, trust your instinct.  It's more important to be safe than to be polite.  If someone is pushy and insists on coming into your home, keep the door shut and call Crime Check at 456-2233.

How secure is your home? Read these tips and tricks to find out how to step up your security measures and keep your home safe. Locking your front door isn’t enough to keep your home, possessions, or your family safe. Follow these tips and tricks from ADT security to ensure that your home is safer than Fort Knox.

Assess your weak points
Stand outside your property and inspect it as if you have been locked out. Are there any weak spots in your security? If you can get inside without keys, so could someone else!

Start from the outside in
Security starts at the border of the home. This may include a locked automatic gate for vehicle entry, an electronic release on the small locked front gate, an intercom, lights to illuminate the gate area and a wall or fence with electric fencing. Also all shrubs that can hide intruders should be removed or cut back.

Shed some light
Light is a burglar's biggest enemy. Installing exterior lights outside your home that are activated by movement will light your garden and deter unwelcome visitors. Perimeter floodlights can be used when you are home alone or away and can be time activated if you are on holiday. Beams can also be installed in the garden to act as an early warning system.

Cover your entrances
Next tackle the front door. If burglars can get to it, it is easier to get your belongings out! Install the best locks possible. A deadlock provides good security but a mortised deadlock is even more difficult for the burglar to overcome. Guard against exposed door hinges, as the hinge pin can be easily broken. A 180-degree peephole is another essential and the front door area should also be clearly lit at night. Fit security gates over all exterior doors including the upstairs balcony.

Install burglar bars
Relatively few burglaries involve breaking large glass windows as this takes too long, is too noisy and there is a risk of injury. However, a burglar will break a smaller window to tamper with the window catch. Consider installing keylocks on your widows and install burglar bars.

Get a good security system
The above hints plus a modern security system linked to a reputable armed response service should encourage burglars to move on to a less secure home. A good security system should include alarm sensors on doors and windows to detect intruders and panic buttons in the home to summon help from the armed response company in case of an emergency.

19 ways to think like a burglar and prevent theft: Thinking like a criminal and anticipating their moves is your best chance of avoiding theft and burglary, law enforcement says. Davis County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Susan Poulson said people can prevent a lot of theft by thinking ahead of a criminal and taking care of neighbors. "We just recently had a case that was solved in one of our contract cities that a burglar was going house-to-house taking whatever was left unlocked or open. We had a resident who was observant and called it in." Poulson said. " He was able to give us a description of the suspect, what he was taking and where he was going." Richard T. Wright, a criminology professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, interviewed more than a hundred burglars for his book "Burglars on the Job." The patterns he found included what Poulson suggested, as well as some others.

Below are 19 things a burglar thinks according to Wright.

Familiarity
I've been in your house: I'm the carpet cleaner, the painter, the delivery person, the landscaper.
I used your bathroom. And I unlatched the back window while I was there.
I'm polite. I always knock before entering. If you answer, I'll ask for directions or offer to do something around the house.
I won't look like a crook when you see me. I'll look like I have a job to do instead.
I've looked in your windows. I know what electronics you have and where you keep your jewelry.
I'm your Facebook friend. And I saw your posts about vacation.

Scoping the site
Toys in the yard tell me you might have gaming systems inside.
You've opened the window to air out your house. That's my invitation inside.
Your garage door is open. That's an advertisement of the things you own to me.
Can see your alarm panel and whether or not its set from the window? Consider having it installed where I can't see it from outside.
Newspapers piled up in the driveway, fliers on your door: both are welcome signs to me.
Your driveway has an awful lot of snow on it. Consider getting a neighbor to walk through it or hire someone to keep it plowed if you're not home.

Keeping me out
The sound and flicker of a TV deter me better than any alarm system.
If your neighbor keeps looking at me when I'm in your yard, I'll leave.
Loud, barking dogs blow my cover and keep me away.
An armed alarm, complete with motion detectors above the kitchen sink window and on the second floor make me nervous.

Once I'm inside ...
I check your sock drawers. I'll check the medicine cabinet and bedside tables, too.
If your safe isn't bolted down, I'll take it with me and crack it later.
I don't go into kids' rooms.

The list may seem over-cautious, but Poulson said thieves will look anywhere for clues and have no problem striking anywhere. "Unfortunately, that's the day and age that we're in. But, you just need to make sure that you keep yourself and your belongings safe," she said. "It's too bad, but that's the way it is." Also see "Burglary via obituary a growing problem."

Window Cleaning Rants & Posts

Yes, here is another example of superior customer service that turned me from “disgruntled customer” into a “happy camper” – but not into a “raving fan”!

A window cleaning company employee broke a handle off one of our windows (no, I won’t get on a ladder to clean the third story windows!). The window cleaning company told me they would pay for the replacement handle – but, seriously, they broke it so they should pay for it right? However, I had to order the handle, replace it and then send them the receipt to get reimbursed. This is not the example of superior customer service! Why should I be hassled to correct their mistake? To make me a “raving fan,” – which should always be the objective when correcting a mistake - the window cleaning company should have ordered the handle and then stopped by and put it on the window at no charge to me. That would have made me want to continue to do business with them. Merely doing what they were obligated to do - pay for the replacement part - has cost them a customer and referrals – Whenever I receive superior customer service I recommend the company to the other 24 residents of our home owners association. They will not be getting a recommendation.

The example of superior customer occurred when I ordered the replacement handle from Pella Windows. Rather than go to the Pella warehouse, I asked that the replacement handle be mailed to me. When it arrived it was the wrong handle. I would now have to travel to the Pella Warehouse (a 60 minute round trip) with the broken handle to get the right replacement part. I was not a happy camper! A day later, I got a call from a Pella Service Representative who asked if I had received the part and was satisfied with it. When I told her I was definitely not satisfied, she immediately got the information about the broken handle and said it would be delivered to me the next day by Fed Ex at no charge.

This made me a happy camper and changed me from “irritated customer” to “happy camper”. What would it take to make me a “raving fan”? Perhaps a reimbursement of the cost of the handle to show they were sorry about the original mistake and the hassle (minimal I agree) it caused me.

Or am I just too hard to please? Maybe like some of your best customers?

The Bottom Line: When you have a chance to transform a “disgruntled customer” into a “raving fan” don’t stop half way at the “happy camper” stage! You may never have another opportunity to impress this customer with how much you value their business.

And you never know who has the ability to increase your business through referrals – so give every customer superior customer service (even though you may not give them the big customer discount).

The Question: How far will you go to rectify a mistake and create a “raving fan”?

What are we opening our doors to? He pushed the small package across the kitchen table. "Look what I've brought you, brother." The man looked at the object without touching it. "It is not very big. Are you sure it can do the job." "It senses movement up to one and half metres. Any movement within that range will set it off." "Obviously it is not set up now or...," he did not bother to finish the statement. "That is right but even so you must be very cautious. Listen carefully."

He went on to explain while making sure he had the attention of the one who would take possession of the device. "The contents may catch fire, the container may explode if heated, and may irritate eyes. Remember, do not puncture and not burn. Use it only in a well ventilated area and keep away from open flames such as a pilot light or any object that sparks, such as an electric motor. If you are going to store it keep it away from heat and do not get it in your eyes. Be sure to keep out of reach of children and pets."

Next was an explanation on assembling the device -"lift the front cover then lay the canister into position. Snap the canister in place. Now pull and discard the red tab to activate batteries. Now be sure to keep the unit pointed away from you and others during assembly. You see, it will automatically spray a burst 20 seconds after assembly to show it is working properly. And that, my brother, is how you refill the Glade Sense & Spray Motion activated freshness sensor."

Research by the Sierra Club of Canada shows that the inside of homes is often worse than the outside and we are willing bring in the offending chemicals. For instance, formaldehyde isn't limited to the high school lab. Formaldehyde is used in fertilizers, glues, plywood, particleboard and certain types of installation, as well as in some disinfectants, antibacterial soaps and even beauty products. So, what's to worry about? It has been classified as a probable human carcinogen by the EPA. Home exposure to it has been linked to respiratory allergies in children.

Companies tend to shy away from the down-side of the toxic chemicals while promoting the benefits of their products. Air fresheners give off naphthalene, a suspected carcinogen. Ammonia-based window cleaners cause respiratory irritation. Some cleaners contain the nerve-damaging butyl cello-solve which is absorbed into the skin.

We have to get into the routine of reading labels. While assessments start from the premise that some degree of exposure, even to the most hazardous chemicals, can be judged "acceptable", for many of the chemicals already known for some time to present serious hazards, scientists just don't know the full and long-term effects of these chemicals on our health or on our environment -even at low doses!

Tightrope: Getting the word out about your business - By Gladys Edmunds for USA TODAY (pictured).

Question: Hello, Gladys, I own a carpet (window) cleaning company and so far I seem to have a fairly decent customer base. I would like to get more customers. When I checked into advertising on local radio stations and in a few local newspapers, the prices are more than I can afford. How can I get more people to know about and use my service without spending money that I don't have? — Sam

Answer: There are many ways to get the word out about your business that won't cost you a lot of money. You will need to use the most valuable assets you have — time, effort and creative ability. Keeping them in good working order is one of the enjoyable aspects of entrepreneurship. The following are examples that you can try and I'm sure there are other entrepreneurs that may find a few ideas to try as well.

Never underestimate the power of referrals. There are a couple of ways to go about this. Call or write a letter to your customers and ask them to refer a friend. Or, you can ask each of your customers to recommend three of their friends. Then, write a letter to them introducing your services.

I know there are many companies that offer cash bonuses or rebates to people who refer customers. Personally, I don't like that arrangement. Several months ago I got a letter from the gym I frequent offering members a $50 referral fee if they could get a friend to sign up. I asked one of the owners how that campaign had fared. He said they didn't get any takers. I wonder what would have happened if he had offered the discount to the person signing up. I certainly would be happy to tell my friends that if they joined the gym during a certain time they would get the cash back. So try to avoid offering to pay your customers to send their friends to you. Generally when you have customers that appreciate your service they are usually happy to help you stay in business.

With the end of winter just around the corner, spring cleaning will be on most folk's to-do list. You could design attractive leaflets and drop them off at churches, supermarkets, car washes, laundromats, gyms — any place that has a good flow of traffic. Usually there are community bulletin boards that you can post your leaflets on; by all means take advantage of that.

You can also offer your service as a fundraiser for your favorite charity. For a designated period of time give the organization a percentage of each sale they send your way. Organizations that are involved in raising money to fight breast cancer have raised millions of dollars this way.

Have you considered co-op advertising? Sometimes local newspapers offer this option. If not, pull it together yourself. Invite several small businesses that compliment your service to join in with you on an advertising campaign. For example, you could contact a window cleaning company, drapery cleaning company, maid service and maybe even a chimney sweep to join in an ad campaign aimed at building business for that coming spring-cleaning season. Once you pull the other business owners together, sit down with an ad agent from the newspaper and work out something attractive and eye-catching.

Also talk with other business owners to learn what they done creatively to enhance their market share. Try out one or two things that fit well with your company. Marketing a business is all about testing, testing and re-testing to see what works. Never underestimate the power of even the simplest marketing idea. The very thing that you think to be ridiculous could be the thing that has the most impact. Sometimes the best marketing and promotion ideas can come from simple ideas.

Spidey Senses, Spidey Tenses: Spider-Man fever never seems to die. Just Google-news search "spider" and you'll see what I mean. Apparently there's a Spider-Man Broadway musical set to be produced (and Alan Cummings has bailed out - but we should have seen that coming). I live in New York City and I can honestly say that I may never go see a Broadway musical and I will not feel bad about it. Still, I recognize the iconic/ridiculous popularity that something must reach before it is turned into a Broadway musical (see: Toxic Avenger)(did I just invalidate my own point?).

But that's not all. Now it seems you can have Spider Man clean your windows for you. A full grown man or woman who is already performing a very dangerous job will now dress up in a costume fit for a child and perform that same job for the entertainment of the many onlookers who have previously stopped to watch window washers but have felt that it lacks zest (what? exactly.). The company featuring these costumed clean-saders (get it?!!) said that they want to add fun to whatever they do. Although if we think this through, the person who is doing the job (the window washer) is probably not enjoying dangling from a sky scraper and wearing a mask. (Am I crabby today, or does anyone else feel bad for the window washers?)

Lets talk some physics. I had wanted to continue up my post about rope with a discussion about strong materials. The wonderful lecture by James Kakalios at the APS March Meeting taught me that spider silk is one of the strongest naturally occurring materials in the world. In researching this post I'm just overwhelmed with all the awesome little things I'm finding about spiders and their amazing materials.

To illustrate the strengths of spider silk, Kakalios showed a scene from Spider Man 2, in which Spidey stops a speeding train using his webs. Assuming the speed and weight of the train, and how far it had to slow down, and taking a stab at the thickness and number of web strands, Kakalios shows Spidey would, in fact, be able to stop that speeding train, while even steel cables would not. Real spider silk in a quarter inch thick strand can support 6,000 pounds. (See his answer to that and other questions here.)

So why can't we buy spider silk rope in our local hardware store? Or make a clothing from it (which would be lighter and stretchier than Kevlar, although Kevlar is slightly stronger*)? Well, apparently reproducing spider silk is not so easy. This article from Live Science in 2004 calls reproducing spider silk on a larger scale "the holy grail of materials science." A bit of a journalistic overstatement I think, but obviously intended to convey great importance. Because really, the Holy Grail of anything is the Holy Grail. There's really no substitute for eternal life, is there? I am full of distractions today.

But really, this whole post is a distraction. There's some physics in here about spider silk and its strength and flexibility, but mostly it's just marveling at spider amazingness. There is seriously so much cool stuff to learn about spiders. Did you know their blood flouresces? (See pic to the right) Did you know the pain from a spider bite may be similar to the pain you experience when you eat hot food? Then there's the super strong nano-structures that exist in their fangs. If these things were the size of tanks they would rule the world. Luckily, it doesn't seem like those super structured claws or the super strong spider silk can transition to the macroscopic world very easily.

Scientists have even taken spiders to space. When building a web, spiders can sense their own weight, which provides a guideline for how thick the silk should be. NASA scientists immediately challenged the spiders by chanting, "Oh yeah? Betcha can't do that in zero gravity!" Living up to their end of the challenge, NASA scientists took common garden spiders (Araneus diadematus) spiders into space, where they were still able to build webs, and over time got better at building them in zero gravity. Their results showed that the web threads were finer in space than on the ground. So the weight sensing mechanism works pretty well.

As for manufactured reproductions of spider silk, there seem to be few if no updates on work that was done five or six years ago. Well, at least not breaking news stories about it. The subject of spiders and there silk, however, remains heavily researched by groups like the Oxford Silk Group, who were featured on some British TV shows to talk about this stuff.

All this spidey awesomeness - is this why people still have Spider-Man fever, years after the third and terrible movie came out? I enjoy a good comic book, but these real life spiders are the ones who have me tangled up in their web.

Monster wife is violent boozer: My marriage is in total meltdown. My wife is the main breadwinner. She has a good job and earns lots of money but she’s drinking more than ever. And when she drinks she takes all of her frustrations out on me. I get called every name under the sun. I’m told that I’m useless, lazy and a drag on her purse. She throws things at me, punches and kicks me. When I complain she spits that I’m nothing. She screams that she should never have married me. She accuses me of bleeding her dry and being half a man. But this arrangement was her idea.

She was the one who told me to give up my profitable window cleaning round to look after the house and support her. She made it all sound so sensible and plausible. She’d earn the serious cash and I’d provide the back-up, the meals, the maintenance and the homemaking. But now it’s all gone belly-up. To the outside world our life is perfect. We live in a beautiful house with all mod cons. Friends come round, admire our stuff and tell us that we’re lucky. But no-one really knows what goes on behind closed doors, do they? If I’m honest, then I’m probably what you might call a beaten husband. When we have sex it’s like I’m being punished for a crime I haven’t committed. I’m physically and verbally abused. And if I fail to perform, Heaven help me.

I’m literally kicked out of bed and into the loft room. I understand that she’s currently under a lot of pressure at work. Yes, she does earn a bomb – plus bonuses. She does travel, enjoy swish lunches and mix with the great and the good. But it’s all at a price. Her boss thinks nothing of ringing her at midnight and bawling her out down the phone. Her clients expect total dedication, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. She copes with the stress – or rather, doesn’t – by drinking huge amounts of vodka and wine. Then she kicks me around like a dog. I have tried speaking to her when she’s sober but then she simply brushes everything aside and says that I don’t understand. But I do. Only too well.

JANE SAYS: My advice is for you to get out of that hellhole right now. Take your stuff and go to a safe place where you can sleep easier, breathe and think. At the moment you’re like a caged animal. You can’t move and you can’t reason because your wife has you trapped. She’s kicking you around and abusing you with no thought for your feelings, your safety or your happiness. This isn’t a marriage, this is a life sentence.

If she has problems with her boss, her clients and her drinking, then she needs to be encouraged to deal with each one in turn. But you cannot continue to take the brunt of her frustrations. This isn’t right and it isn’t fair. Find out which of your friends or relatives can help you in moving out and moving on.