The Austin Chronicle
Like half of Austin homeowners, I have a constant stream of contractors coming through my house. This week, the big job was installing some storage in my garage. The contractor and his assistant turned up early – an unexpected plus – and we chatted as they started.
It turns out, he wasn't always a handyman. He taught math, but he gave it up because the pay was so lousy, and the hours so horrible. Now he makes twice the money and leaves his job behind when he goes home at night. No lesson plans, no grading, and no state and federal auditors coming around, seeing how well he assembled a shelf...