Some proud folks won’t clean windows as they get embarassed when people ask what they do for a living. That’s a good thing. If more people were humble there would be too much competition!
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“He who humbles himself will be exalted”
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Yeah, my customers are usually surprised that I designed high speed networking products, asics, wrote software and firmware, can debug their favorite CMS, etc.
“So how did you get into window cleaning?”
Someone offered to pay me. Can you believe it?
But talking physics with a customer while cleaning a window is as good as it gets. Met a really eccentric old physicist who had been a member of IEEE for like 50 years and it was one of the funnest cleans I had done. Dude was crizzazy and I couldn’t remember what a modified bessel function looked like for the life of me.
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I was a truss designer for floors and roofs. we were the guys who told the architects and engineers they were wrong.
we had to look at every aspect of a building and design floors and roofs to work.
was offered to go back too design bjt happily declined
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I was a teacher for fifteen years and was a Linux system admin for several years. I keep some light residual work, but other than that am glad to be free from that area. Designed a few iot devices a couple of years ago.
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There’s another thread on here on this topic. I was amazed at some of the jobs people had before they found this. Great topic.
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I was a restaurant manager with 3 locations under my purview. I think restaurant work is technically classified as “pink collar” work, but I had an office so…
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I moved to America recently and was planning to do what I did before I moved, which was freelance web development and also a marketing manager at a few companies around me, but once I moved I realised that being free of the stresses it brought was quite nice, so I was looking for alternatives and came across videos of window cleaning, which I had done when I was younger in England, it’s definitely not as lucrative there though.
Luckily my background has helped me get myself set up fairly well.
So now here I am, traded in a few decently paid positions and my home country for a squeegee and freedom.
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For the last ten years ive been working as a surgical tech for an animal hospital. I also have clients from the hospital that i do treatments for like diabetes, kidney failure and other technical procedures for their car or dog, i absolutely love being a tech and animals but unfortunately its hard to start a family with that pay.as a kid i used to love squeeging the cars and shower doors so i had a squeegee in my hand at 6-7yrs old. Just a few years ago when i was 28, i was dogsitting at a beautiful homeonce and i started to love there style of windows, but there was one problem! They were filthy! So i started doing research and realize that theres some good money to be made here if you hustle, accumaltated some bitchn equipment and now we are here! I work at the hosp mon-wed. I leave window gigs for thursday-sun.ive transitioned alot of my animal clients into window clients bc they are all home owners. Cant wait to see what the future brings 
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Not me I grew up poor and didnt have a lot of resources growing up. I put everything I had into playing football, eventually had some division 1 scholarships lined up, but threw it all away hanging with the wrong crowd, got into a lot of trouble, gang crimes and went away for a while. Got out changed my life and married my amazing wife and her grandfather took me under his wings, he became the father figure I never had, taught me how to professionally clean windows, he had 47 years experience, taught me everything I know and then I taught myself all the new things. Started my own business and the rest is history.
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All great stories. Keep them coming.
What strikes me so far is that the community is one of pensive, intelligent people who had very good reasons for change.
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I got to disagree with the humility part of being a window cleaner.
My Philosophy is you can make money at anything, it’s just how you go about it.
Personally I don’t need to be be the talk of the Town, impress somebody with how I dress or act or with my profession. For me it’s about providing for my family, being a positive contribution to society, living a good lifestyle and teaching my children the same.
Throughout my neighborhood most occupations are executives of some sort, traveling overnight throughout the month. While I Work shorter hours I’m home with my family and work 9 months a year.
My oldest daughter is entering College and I tell her you do have to provide for a family, make a good income but at the same time think about something that you won’t mind doing or making it to your own so you won’t mind doing it.
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I’m currently in the IT field as a system administrator/manager for a large law firm and currently moonlight with my window cleaning business. I am building up to go full time into it and am excited to return to this amazing lifestyle. I learned the window cleaning trade back in 2000 when I was stationed in the Coast Guard in Marin County, CA. I started cleaning windows when I was also moonlighting and working as a part-time maintenance man for a local beach front motel in Tomales Bay. I had to do what I had to do to raise my kids (many IT jobs), but the window cleaner has never left my spirit.
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Nice counter point. Well reasoned.
I worked in corporate for 30 years, primarily customer service oriented. 13 years as Movie Theatre Manager & another 17 in Technology Sales. The last time “the rules changed on me on the middle of the game”!
I thought, “why should I work for someone who’s only loyalty is to the bottom line and never customers?”
That was 3 years ago. I guess I’ve had some success, still feeding my family of 6 and paying mortgage. With great support from my wife (who, at first thought I was nuts).
Also, I have to thank all the great quality people here @ WCR, tons of knowledge and humility!
Window Cleaners are some of the BEST people I’ve ever met!
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Good for you, Brother. I have been off ankle bracelet after 12 1/2 years in the feds since June. Started in August, and with pressure washing, Mr. Sparkle may very well gross $100,000 in its first year. I earn about $50 per hour window cleaning, and $100 per hour with my PW. I love 'em both, but always look forward to a good window job after the roar of the PW. There’s something amazingly serene about the glass.
Before I sank into methamphetamines, however, I was a computer retailer VAR. Tough business, didn’t adapt quickly enough and was a dinosaur before I even knew what hit me. Love a business where the biggest adaptation is adding the mop to a squeegee (THANKS MOERMAN), or a univalve to stop the flow of water to my wfp, (THANKS @Jersey)
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Thank you for sharing brother, I’m glad it’s going well for you, and you’re right, there’s something calming about cleaning windows, its therapy in a way for me. That’s why I ride a motorcycle also, just me and the nature around me. 12yrs is a good chunk bro. I did 3 in juvi then got transferred to max state for 5. It was hard to go in so young and I still got 13 yrs probation left. Tbh though, when you live right things are not so hard anymore, its actually easier to do good than bad. Lol
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lol
isn’t that something. have old partners that wnet down hard one is serving life i couldn’t imagine
It ain’t necessarily over for him. Some of the most joyful prisoners I met had life or multiples. They accept their plight and make the most of what they have, often grateful for what’s left.
Strong life lesson there. Be grateful for your blessings, regardless of how meager they may seem.
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I did window and doors sales for three years, but gave it up to start my own company. I started working on the side doing window cleaning, and built up a bit before I quit. Then I quit this year, and am solely working on window cleaning. The flexible schedule is incredible!
