What was the rookie rite of passage that earned you your stripes?

My first week on a foundation crew was a total disaster. I was eighteen and thougth I was hot stuff because I'd worked a summer in landscaping, so I showed up in brand new **Red Wings** and didn't realize the site was basicly a soup bowl after a week of rain. Within twenty minutes of getting off the truck, I stepped into a pocket of loose backfill near the footings. The suction was so strong it didn't just pin me; it literally pulled the sole right off my left boot when I tried to wrench it free. I spent the rest of the day with a plastic trash bag taped around my foot because the lead hand refused to let me go home. It realy is a sacrifice to the muddy gods. Everyone loses at least one pair of good leather boots before they realize that **PVC overboots** or heavy rubbers are the only way to survive a drainage or utility job. If you aren't wearing the right gear, the ground will claim its tax eventually. I've seen guys try to duct tape their laces tight to keep their feet in, but that usally just means when they inevitably trip, they're stuck face-down in the slurry while the excavator operator gets a good laugh for his lunch break.

Another classic is the impossible task for the greenhorns. We used to tell guys to go find the **exhaust bearings** for the concrete saw or go ask the foreman for a bucket of steam. It sounds a bit mean, but it's really about testing if someone is acutally paying attention to the mechanics of the gear they're using. If you spend an hour looking for a left-handed monkey wrench, you’re going to remember exactly what a monkey wrench looks like for the rest of your career. The worst one I ever witnessed wasn't mud, though. It was a kid who thought he could push start a demo saw by running with it and popping the trigger. He made it about twenty feet before he tripped and nearly took out the site supervisor's truck. That was his welcome to the crew. We all laugh about it now, but at the time, he looked like he wanted to crawl into a trench and hide. Those moments are how you build a thick skin in this trade. You can't learn that stuff from a manual.

I’m starting my first site job next week and now I’m terrified of being sent on a wild goose chase for 'exhaust bearings' or somthing. Is there a trick to spotting those fake tasks before you look like an idiot, or do you just have to go trough it once to earn your stripes? I also just bought some nice leather boots and now I’m worried they’ll get ruined immediatly. Should I just keep them for the weekend and pick up some cheap PVC ones for the actual work? I’d hate for the site to swallow my investment on my very first day.

Keep those new leathers in the box or for the drive home. Grab a pair of cheap rubber muck boots and keep 'em in your trunk. You’ll thank me when you’re standing in six inches of slurry and everyone else is ruining thier $300 Red Wings. As for the pranks, if someone asks for a 'long stand' or 'striped paint,' just tell them you allready found it next to the 'board stretcher.' They’re just testing to see if you’ve got a head on your shoulders. The real trick is to laugh with them when you realize you've been had—being a good sport is what gets you invited back the next day.

My first week, they sent me looking for a 'box of sparks' for the angle grinder. I actualy walked around the tool trailer for twenty minutes before the sparky took pity on me. The real lesson though is never underestimate wet concrete. I had a buddy who thougt he was fine with a little mix splashing into his work boots. By the end of the shift, his ankles were raw from the chemical burns. Forget the mud—the 'concrete kiss' is the one rite of passage that actually leaves a mark if you aren't careful with your gear.