Advice is often important

Q I'm a plumber's apprentice, enjoying my chosen trade and hoping to make it my career. We plumbers are needed when there's a house or factory with faulty plumbing which could cause serious water damage to a home or a business employing many people.

Many workers could be laid off and residents could have to leave their homes because of plumbing accidents.

You might be surprised that my training period has also raised a relationship issue which is worrying me.

A senior plumber has been assigned to train me in my apprentice course, but I'm having a problem with what he thinks is part of his job.

The problem is that my “teacher” treats me more like his son than as a serious-minded apprentice eager to advance in my chosen trade. He's a very nice man, always interested in giving me advice as “a dad.” (I have my own father who lives in another city.)

But my “trainer” takes time from my work at hand. Instead of focusing only on plumbing, he's telling me stories about raising young children and how to keep a marriage happy, for example.

How do I tell him without hurting his feelings that I want more focus on the things I need to know about plumbing? I don't need to know about raising kids when I'm not even close to getting serious about marriage.

Getting Wrong Information

A You’re getting “broad-ranging information” about the “other” realities of managing the personal responsibilities of a life, besides advancing your work skills.

This “fatherly” man is doing two jobs — one work-related for which he’s considered qualified by his own bosses.

And the other job, offered freely, is his personal experience and guidance helping a younger man grow into thoughtful maturity.

I believe that you’re lucky to have this mentor. Look at it that way, and you may appreciate him much more.

I’d bet there’ll be times ahead when situations in your personal life will call up useful knowledge that he shared with you.