And it's not just body work either, it's like every trade has that one step people think is optional just because they can't see the problem yet. I've got a buddy who's a mechanic and he says customers argue about skipping oil changes all the time, same logic like it's fine until the engine seizes. People just don't get that cutting corners on prep or maintenance is borrowing time from the future, and they always act shocked when it comes back to bite them. It's like how my sister tries to bake cookies and skips chilling the dough because she's impatient, then wonders why they come out flat. Why do so many folks think every shortcut saves money instead of just moving the cost to later?

Funny you mention that. I had a similar wake up call from an old butcher in Austin about pork shoulder. I was trimming mine down real close because I thought less fat meant less greasy mess. He watched me do it and said "you're making a pork chop, not a shoulder." Told me to leave a solid fat cap and just score it so the rub gets in. Changed everything. Next time I cooked a shoulder for my family they actually asked if I bought it from a restaurant instead of my usual dry mess. Sometimes you just need someone to smack the bad habits out of you with 30 years of experience.

@james_ramirez what kind of projects were you working on when it kept crashing? Like big canvas stuff or just basic sketches?

Real world experience just hits different. Classrooms teach you the perfect textbook version, but the floor teaches you what to do when the machine starts making that noise no manual explains. Your uncle probably showed you more tricks in that one summer than any instructor with a PowerPoint ever could. There's just no substitute for getting your hands dirty and learning from someone who's already made all the mistakes. Schools give you the foundation, sure, but the real skills come from actually doing the work.

Not that deep, it's just hair.