Old time teaching station

I never was actually employed at a gas station but hung around at several starting when I was about 15 up into my mid 20s, which was '66 to '77. Learned a bit just from watching and asking questions, even pitched in with a helping hand now and then.

In my mid 20s I landed a job in the engineering test lab of an automotive parts manufacturer. I had some basic mechanical and fabrication skills otherwise I wouldn't have gotten the job.

The first few years I picked up knowledge about machining, welding and sheet metal work from the older guys who were willing to share their experience with me, just by doing the same thing I had before, watching and asking questions. Some were very open to me about doing that and some weren't. I think the ones that shared liked that I was interested in what they had done and learned over the years.

I held that job for 35 years, so eventually I became the older guy sharing his knowledge with the younger guys who wanted to learn how to do stuff, and it was enjoyable to me to share, just as people had done for me so many years ago.