Episode 12 Jeff Collins
One of the more difficult aspects of learning a trade by yourself has to do with learning without the apprenticeship. Under a traditional trade, there is a pathway towards mastery. Take for example, learning woodworking or carpentry in the 18th century. An apprentice might be a teenager learning the craft. The apprentice will handle very simple and non-complex aspects of the trade. Take nails, for example. During the 18th century the metal foundries and iron works were not produced at mass scale like operations are today. Nails could not be produced at the rate of millions per day. Nails were recycled often, but during the process of extracting the nails, they would become bent. It would be the responsibility of the apprentice to straighten them over an anvil and reintroduce those newly flattened nails to the stock for use by a craftsman or a master.
Continuing, the apprentice is molded by the craftsman he assists and mentored by the master. This pathway of learning, adhering teacher to pupil the entire career progression, is a tried and true method of delivering expert tradespeople.
Why am I talking about this?
My guest today is someone I admire. His name is Jeff Collins. Like he, I engaged trades work through minor training and much interest. I learned on my own and I make silly mistakes along the way. These are the kind of mistakes you avoid when working in proximity with experience and wisdom. Yet, Jeff has yielded some amazing projects. Let’s rewind though.
Jeff is from West Virginia. Jeff is very in touch with his lineage and family history. The city of Charleston, West Virginia, is named for his 5th Great Grandfather. We talk on the show what that means to him. Having respect and understanding for the past and how the past influences you today is a true mark of wisdom for the future, in my opinion. Jeff would join the Air Force working on systems which aid Air Traffic Control in communication with aircraft and as well as ground-based navigational systems.
After 15 years, Jeff’s career was cut short due to a medical release from the Air Force. Jeff decided to work towards a career in nursing. That worked out. Jeff is now the chief nurse at the VA hospital on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. He’s now working towards a PhD in nursing as well.
Now all that is plenty impressive by itself. Mind you, this post started out about the trades. Jeff is a well-rounded dude. He owns a small, 15-acre hobby farm as well. He must constantly find solutions to problems around the property. Wishing to leverage automation on his farm to make management a little easier, Jeff embarked on learning to code microprocessors to engineer solutions. A great example is a chicken coup door he can open and close with his phone.
If you want to check out some of these projects, Jeff gives you the opportunity. He operates the YouTube channel Mudd Flapp Ranch. The videos he produces cover building his shop, repairing an old band saw, pneumatic hold down for a pocket hole jig, the chicken coup door, rebuilding a hydraulic actuator, and many more.
Everyone, we talk about everything I listed above as well as much more. The conversation lasted for nearly 4 hours. Jeff and I talk also about healthcare as a business, insurance, and even COVID. Jeff is a captivating dude and his lack of fear towards the unknown is calming and inspiring. He’s a true master learner. I really enjoyed sitting down with Jeff.
Everyone please welcome, Jeff Collins.
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