I quit my Sainsbury’s security gig to do a job nobody wants – now I rake in thousands and only work when I want
A MAN has revealed how he quit working as security in Sainsbury’s for a less conventional – and muckier – career path.
According to the career experts at Indeed, his career isn’t a popular choice, meaning there’s big demand for the skills it requires.
The self-employed tradesman is a drainage engineer.
These skilled workers specialise in the maintenance of water drainage, as well transportation systems in drain webs.
Appearing on Aydan Al-Saad’s TikTok careers show, the man revealed that the often mucky gig makes him £40,000-a-year.
He specialises in clearing blockages in drain systems.
“I’ve never looked back really,” he said about his decision to quit being a security guard.
“I was just fed up going into meetings.
“So I went into drainage, learnt the trade for about two years and then I went out on my own.”
The drainage expert works self-employed across central London – something he says is great for “going to work when you want”.
He admitted that the worst part of his gig is “dealing with really bad blockages” which can often be filled with “grease and fat”.
“It’s a challenge,” he added.
“You’ve just really got to go for it, and if you’re successful, you’re going to be self-employed for the rest of the year.”
According to the career experts at Indeed, despite its lack of appeal, being a drainage engineer “is a job with excellent career prospects”.
“Drainage engineers work in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors, so career prospects for this role can vary,” a blog post on the career path reads.
“Some of the key aspects of the job include developing infrastructure to divert rainwater away from vital infrastructures, such as main roads, motorways and railway lines.
What do drainage engineers do?
Drainage engineers are responsible for designing, planning and maintaining drainage systems - both inside buildings and under the streets.
Some of their duties include:
- Performing surveys to determine the state of existing drainage systems, and figure out how to improve them
- Release blockages preventing draining systems from working properly. This can be anything from small kitchen sink blockages to large underground blockages
- Implementing drainage solutions to reduce flooding risks and ensure systems run smoothly
- Creating technical documents and reports to demonstrate what they’ve discovered and fixed when out on a job
“They also attempt to control irrigation and flooding on arable land and devise ways of diverting sewage and wastewater from clean water sources.”
Ways of entering the industry include getting a civil engineering degree, enrolling in a college course or undertaking an apprenticeship.
“Problem-solving is a vital skill for drainage engineers, as it’s often necessary for them to adapt to changes in a project’s plans or devise ways of designing around problems,” they added.
“Every project comes with its own set of issues to address and good problem-solving skills help drainage engineers come up with creative solutions.”