What You Didn’t Know You Can Learn from Working in a Factory

The manufacturing industry’s evolution can be traced along the same lines as that of the tech industry. One of the most basic and common factors in the evolution cycle in both industries is the reduction of the human interface. From the manual manufacturing of yesteryears, the industry is making a shift towards digital manufacturing and realizing its benefits.

As the name suggests, digital manufacturing simulates the manufacturing process on the computer to define the most efficient process for companies. The result is companies with maximum production efficiency in reduced costs and time facilitating early entry of products onto the market.

The entire manufacturing process, from the assembly lines, robotic simulation, and plant layout to even simpler solutions, such as excel time sheets, are defined, developed, implemented and monitored in a 3D environment.

However, while factory jobs may not be the highest paying jobs in the world, they do offer a few lessons that can be applied in life and even as you set up your business. Below are some incredible life lessons working in a factory can infuse in you.

1. The Value of Money

Working on an assembly line really does teach you the true value of earning a dollar. Factory work is tough, manual labor that eventually leaves you sweaty and dirty, especially if you have to wear gear. At the end of each workday, you get home exhausted and itchy, so you may not have much of a social life to talk about.

2. Working with Others

Working in a factory teaches you how to work with others and how to deal with your superiors. This is critical to learn since you can carry it with you throughout your life. For example, if you’re working on an assembly line if you get behind your job, everyone after you will also be behind.

If you’re supposed to work with a partner who handles half the job load and he or she wanders off, it’s still your job to complete the work since you don’t want your supervisor and your coworkers behind you to be dissatisfied with your speed. Once you report the wandering partner, without sounding like you’re whining, your partner will probably start working again—even though you may not be on speaking terms afterwards. This is good practice for communicating with your bosses about any work related issues and dealing with tough coworkers.

3. The Importance of Advanced Education

For the individual still in college, even though you’re a good student, you can sometimes feel as though you’ll never make it to graduation. Working at a factory will help motivate you to work harder.

You can always leave factory work at work and never worry about lagging behind when out sick; there will always be somebody else to do the work you did. This means you are replaceable. This may motivate you to give your employers your very best so you never become replaceable, which is why you need that college degree.

One of the biggest benefits of working in a factory is that you’re working on tangible products. Whether you’re working on huge set pieces for the movie industry or items for a store, you can point at something and say you helped make that.

Factories are at the cutting edge of technology. Drones, the Internet of Things, 3D printing and custom assembly are some of the technologies manufacturing companies are adopting before even the rest of the world gets access to it. This is one more reason to get on board and get to work.