A 30 year A&P told me to stop being so hard on myself

Last Tuesday I was griping to one of the senior guys, Dave, about a brake line install on a 737 that took me twice as long as the manual said it should. He just shrugged and said, "The book gives you the steps, not the muscle memory. That part comes after you've done it 200 times." He's been turning wrenches since the early 90s, worked for two airlines and a cargo outfit in Dallas. Something about him saying it so plainly, not as a pep talk but just a fact, kind of settled me down. I've been in the hangar for 14 months now, and I keep comparing my pace to guys who have decades on me. Has anyone else had a veteran mechanic say something that made you stop rushing and start thinking slower?

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faith_shah888d ago

Dave's right, the first 100 jobs teach you what the book never can.

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