The Best Career Conversation I Had This Week - Started At The Microwave

by Ben Beaver at J&J on June 16, 2026

I was making coffee at our Akron location the other day while one of our apprentices was heating up lunch in the microwave.

He handed me his rice and said, "One minute."

One minute later, I pulled it out.

He looked at it and said, "One more."

Very demanding lunch. High-maintenance rice.

Somewhere in the middle of this very important microwave operation, we started talking about his story.

He went to college. Got the degree. Got the job. Did the whole "this is what you're supposed to do" thing.

And then he hated it.

So he made a change and jumped into the trades.

I'm proud of that.

A lot of people still talk about the trades like they're Plan B. Like plumbing, heating, cooling, and electrical are what you do when the "real path" doesn't work out.

But I don't see it that way.

I see people building careers. Learning real skills. Making good money. Solving real problems. Creating a future for their families.

That sounds a lot more useful than sitting through a meeting that could have been an email.

This apprentice is building a new path for himself, and I respect it.

Starting over is hard. Learning something new is hard. Admitting the first plan wasn't right is hard.

But hard isn't bad.

Sometimes it's exactly what gets you where you actually want to go.

And unlike that rice, it takes less than a minute to get started.

If you're interested in creating a new path for yourself and your family, visit jandjplumbing.com/career and learn more about joining J&J Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electric. The coffee is usually hot, the training is excellent, and nobody will judge you if your career needs one more minute.

Looking for a rewarding and fulfilling career? We're not a franchise or corporate giant - we're real people serving real families, and we're growing fast.