My cousin and I grew up in the same neighborhood and shared the same friend group.
We weren’t even a full year apart in age so we were lucky enough to both be in the same grade at school as well.
Since we didn’t have the same last name, we often exploited the fact that it wasn’t obvious that we were related. We were close friends in reality, but we often avoided telling people we were related unless they already knew. Once we all reached high school age, the two of us worked together at a marina cleaning boats. We talked about what we wanted to do when we both graduated, but my cousin was constantly changing his mind. I was destined for college, I just had to pick a college major to direct myself toward some kind of program of study. My cousin wasn’t convinced that he’d thrive in a college atmosphere. He tried odd jobs for a few years after high school, but he struggled to maintain consistent work enough to support himself. It was one of our other family members that gave my cousin the idea of doing HVAC work professionally. It’s a trade that is always going to be an essential necessity. Even if air conditioners and heating systems get sophisticated beyond our wildest dreams, we’re always going to need people to install, maintain, and repair them. It’s a trade that is never going to disappear, no matter how automated other processes become in the meantime. Now my cousin feels like he has options for the future and an ability to make an honest living as an HVAC technician.