What to do when I grow up,....

[onesubdrvr]

Well,

After 9 years in the Military as a mechanic in the Navy,

And now another 6 as an air compressor technician,

I'm thinking I may want to try something new.

I started going back to college, have completed my associates, and was proceeding with classes to my Bach. in Mech. Engineering - but I've put that on hold.

I don't know what I want to do, I like the 'puter, but my understanding is that tech fields have taken a hit in the past few years - too many qualified applicants, not enough jobs.

I've considered Pharmacist, but think that would be pretty darn boring pretty quickly.

I've been turning wrenches my entire life, all sorts of equipment, diesels, O2 Generators, N2 Generators, Air compressors, hydraulics, pumps, pretty much anything along those lines. I don't know if that's what I want to do for the rest of my life. At least the last 6 years I've acquired a firm grasp of electrical troubleshooting control circuits / etc.

I've never done (or considered) doing sales (except for some cushy retail jobs part time)

I've been in service management, but had to end that because of reoccuring conflicts with the owner.

My wife and I have discussed the possibility of some day owning our own business, and have discussed mail-it here places, and even a marina.

Any suggestions or openings?

I'd consider relocating for the right position, but LOVE Florida.

I'm very good at what I do, and make decent money, I'm just getting a little tired of the doing essentially the same thing for the past 16 years.

Wayne

[goatee]

i'd go for a cowboy, fireman, astronaut, or a stunt boat driver:shocking: :yes:

[Dr. Dan]

:beer: Well a couple of things, first with your diverse background you could always teach?

Or if ya wanna make money you could look into Sales, I would suggest that its not boring and your check varies, which is kinda what makes it not so boring?:spongebob

I used to be in Construction for 16 years, I built in Texas,Colorado, Michigan and Pennsylvania...then my "Practice Wife" made a management decision that didn't include me...and well....it was time for a change.

After Starving for 5 to 6 years...I am just begining my 14th year with Mohawk Industries...just starving at a different level now ...:rolleyes:

Actually I enjoy it... I meet lots of nice people and the scenery is always changing.

I would continue with your schooling in the meantime, finish it up, it will be gratifying....and look around.... Marinas are alot of work and require alot of Capital to be maintained...and successful. Environmental items alone are enough to make ya crazy.

Good Luck

Doc :lookaroun

[Lenny]

Compounding Pharmacist would work well. Latest craze and a lot of believers.

If it were ME, and I did it all over again, and it DID NOT include boats,... I'd be a Veternarian and hang out with dogs all day. Let someone else do the cats and gerbils and horses and ferets.

Very good livelyhood, and people will always hold them dear in G-8 Countries. Fires will always happen, people will always commit crimes, people will die and so will pets. Medicine is a society staple.

I'd be leaning towards those kinds of things and they ALL pay well. :yes:

And the gratitude bestowed upon you following a successful "fix" will keep you smiling.

[Schnook]

i'd go for a cowboy, fireman, astronaut, or a stunt boat driver:shocking: :yes:
You forgot Top Secret Double-Naught Spy!
Subdriver, I feel your pain - I've been contemplating the same thing. Once you get a little older it's not so easy to change horses mid-stream.
I do have a friend who was a cop for 16, went back to school and became a surgical tech, so it can be done. He's much less jumpy these days.:fire:

[Cuda]

Like Doc, the first thing I thought of was teacher.

I've often said if I were a younger man, I'd learn upholstery and open a marine upholstery shop. They are always busy, there aren't many of them, and they charge an arm and a leg.

[Carl C]

Get out now!!! I spent 20 hard years as an auto mechanic before I quit in 1991 and started a retail business. Wrenching reaches a point where it just becomes hard labor. 20 years working 50 hr. weeks for not nearly enough $. Yeccchhh! You are 33 years old, when you reach your mid 40's you will begin to slow down and you will find yourself in a dead-end career. Only you can decide what you want to do but there are plenty of self employment ops. in this great country. Good luck.

[Rootsy]

Wayne,

I'm a BSME and right now i cannot even hire a design engineer nor controls engineer, in michigan, go figure. No one wants to relocate, blah blah blah... plus in my atmoshpere you need to be multitalented... as far as being able to do machine assembly, fixture assembly... some machining, fabrication, etc etc... wear a lot of hats... so that narrows the job appicants down a bit too...

being a mechanic wears on you after many years once the ole body doesn't like to move in certain ways.. but i know a lot of highly trained auto mechanics who are making a damn fine living... it's more than just knowing how to change a spark plug... you almost have to be a controls and electrical technician more so than a "mechanic"... troubleshooting and analysis of the systems in automobiles these days can become quite a nightmare especially if you do not have the proper diagnostic equipment... then you might as well just sit on your thumb and spin... most people are unable to work on their own vehicles due to the complexity of the "control" systems which si where many of your problems arise.. sensors, etc etc etc... so these days.. it is all that more important if you are going to be a mechanic, that you are well trained, well versed and efficient... and you'll do very well... at least in the heavy truck and automobile area...

BUT, the BSME will give you the ability, along with your current background, to diversify and branch out... there are a LOT of folks who thought they wanted to be engineers... got the piece of paper, hopefulyl learned something along the way (the core of any engineering curriculum is PROBLEM SOLVING in many different ways) and are now working in a myriad of positions many totally unrelated to engineering in any way...

BUT if it is not something you enjoy learning don't continue down that path... it's not an easy row to hoe, especially in upper level classes... a better alternative for hands on people these days is the BSMET offered by many colleges... it cuts down on the core theory and gets right to the point of application... but the problem again.. is not teaching and using the "theory" it is learnign how to manipulate the theory to achieve your desired needs to solve a given problem under a given set of circumstances.

anywho, i now digress... you must do something that INTERESTS you... period... no sense in being miserable learnign something that is like pulling splinters from your butt...

as for the vet thing... iconsidered it once... my sister is a vet tech... after about 6 years at MSU she decided she couldn't handle another 3 to get the DVM and then another 3 on top of that to get a specialty so you can actually make a real living... she works for pfizer... plays with monkeys and dogs and ferrets all day... among other things... :rolleyes:

[half shell]

Wayne how hvac refrigeration or commercial refrigeration.Homes and supermarkets need this most everyday in good ole fla usa.

I am a mechanical contractor my specialty is plumbing however the last 5 years or so hvac/refer has become about 50% of my work!

I plan to expand hvac even more over the next 5 years.

Best of luck and let us all hear what you come up with

Regards Bob

[onesubdrvr]

Well, I've been reading, thanks for the replies everyone.

Doc - I'm going to have the opportunity in the near future to do some sales without affecting my normal pay, it'll give me a chance to see if I like it and still pay the bills. I've always said I wouldn't like doing sales, but I've found that I probably wouldn't mind it too much.

Bob - I do some refrigeration work now, and I'd be ok if I could just do refrigeration, maybe something I would consider as my own business, but not for a company.

Teaching - another possibility. Although unfortunately the pay for teachers isn't that great, and although I would probably enjoy teaching (to the right group of students), I've still got to pay the bills

Joe - Upholstery, you know, I would enjoy doing that - especially marine. AND it's the kind of thing that I could do on the side until I got rolling with it. I'd get to play with boats, use some imagination, work for myself. I think I'm gonna pick up a few books and give the upholstery on the X a whirl. AND, it's something that I could expand on in the future with simple things to match the interior like guages, bezel, billett accessories.

Lenny - I love animals, but don't have the stomach to do surgery / etc. on 'em. It's a catch 22, you love 'em and want to make them better, but can't stomach it.

Carl - I've been in the compressed air business for so long, I've often thought about starting an e-bay store (or something) selling accessories, and growing into everything else related. I know where to get the stuff, I'd be able to make a decent mark-up, and still sell at a good price.

All ideas definately warrant further investigation...

Thanks for the responses everyone, and feel free to keep 'em coming.
Wayne

[onesubdrvr]

Gee, I didnt know the compressedd air business was a dead end.. I guess I best get out now whilst the getting is good http://www.donzi.net/forums/images/smilies/outtahere.gif
Wayne, want to buy 27 children, err, I mean, a business?? :D :D

Scott,

Not saying the business is a dead end at all,.....just getting a little tired of what I've been doing here lately - most likely the lack of change of scenery if you will. You know as well as I, that where I'm at now, where I came from, and I'm sure you guys experienced growth again this year, we've not been lower than like %20 growth every year for like the past 16 years or something. My oppertunities are not near as limited where I'm at now as they were at my last employer.

2 years there, and I was as high up in the company as I could go, made even more obvious over the next 4 years I was there, so I moved to a bigger company to get access to more oppertunities, and now my supporting staff isn't being very supportive. Also, being where I'm at is kind of out of site out of mind, which is OK for most things, until it comes to missing an oppertunity that I may not even know had come available - because I'm "hidden". I mean, they pay me the same to drive as anything else, so maybe I shouldn't complain, but, I'd rather stay within 100 miles of my home port every day.

And as for your other offer, Uhhhh no thanks, my 4.5 kids are more than enough, thanks!! :jestera: I can only imagine what the other side of the fence must be like with 27 guys that you probably want to strangle on a daily basis :)

Wayne

[Carl C]

Scott,
Not saying the business is a dead end at all,..... Poodle may be referring to my stating that you will find yourself in a dead end job but I just meant the service end of it. You will get sick of working on them. You could start your own service/sales/install company but that would still be a career change.:wrench:

[Schnook]

Could ya hurry up with the upholstery thing already! I need a cockpit cover:biggrin:

[Lenny]

Wayne, I have been in a job I hate now for 26 years, so I can tell you how it feels. :( Unfortunately the money is too good, the Benefits too good and now I have a fully funded (not Company controlled) Pension. I started this when I was 18. Software and Hardware for the second largest Telecommunications Company in Canada. I hate it. Almost always have, but when you are 18 (25 years ago) and walk into 20+$ an hour it just "takes" you for a ride and then you end up older and, well, "stuck" due to the perks.

That is why 16 years ago I started up a Commercial Millwork and Cabinet shop. I work (ed) at the Telecom job at night ( 4:30-midnight) for about 12 years and it allowed me to start and grow a business and do something new that I loved. It worked out well.

Now, both these things bore me, and the thrill of a beautiful kitchen using someone elses money means nothing to me anymore. Nor casework in a new store. Just "another box" to me now. I too am at a cross-roads once again, and I am smart enough to know that a future burning gas and breaking parts in my DONZI will be short-lived.

Soo,... starting in mid March, I will have gone into Management of the Telecom Company. Worth a try on my part. Something new, much better pay once again, benefits and Pension increases. If it doesn't work out, I will still have my pension to collect for when I am 55, and I can try something new again.

Cabinetmaker in Key West comes to mind. :D and I would get to do the same homes again every year it seems ;) Kidding, I can't work in your Country unless it is a trade or skill that is classified as "Specialized". Otherwise, consulting is all that is allowed.

Yes, I know where your head is at...

[Rootsy]

uh oh.. why do i see myself being a poodle when i grow up... :boggled:

[harbormaster]

I changed from software development to sales in the boating industry and am enjoing the hell out of it. I talk to alot of customers worldwide who are really nice people.

There is nothing like getting paid to talk about boats all day.

Some folks said tha boats would cease to be fun if I worked with them for a living. I do not think that will be the case for me. I worked on computers for years and still enjoy them at home.

I am working about 10-12 hours a day, make alot less money and am still digging it. Where else can you work on your boat during your lunch hour and not have to leave work to do it!

Whatever you do make sure you love it.

[onesubdrvr]

Yes, I was... Frankly, I miss turning wrenches all day. there is a certain enjoyment in it, a pleasure in a job well done, a thrill when you start an engine you just built.. (I should be doing that shortly) Theres also a lot to be said for working outdoors, and even more for working on the road. I really miss my days of runing the service truck.. The sights I have seen :) :)
I'm not a technical guy, I hate offices...
I do agree with the pleasures of a job well done, and the thrill of an actual repair, but the mundane life of the preventative end of it is what's killing me. I do like being on the road, and working out doors, but it's just seeming a bit mundane at this time, maybe I'll get over it, maybe not. Either way, I really think I'd like to (once things settle down here with the upcoming move and everything), try something different on the side and get closer to the fence to see if the grass is really greener.

One thing I have figured out in my relatively short life, is that you have got to do something you like, and it's what I've mentioned above, and what you did Poodle, that have kept me at this kind of work.

Maybe it's a midlife crisis kind of thing, maybe it's boredom, who knows. Maybe it's because I haven't been on the boat in almost 3 months. Maybe it's the fact I'm 8 months past due for my annual review / raise. Maybe it's because I don't have a "me" project going on at home this time - nothing to "tinker" with. Regardless, I think I'm gonna start investigating alternate oppertunities :) and who knows what the future will bring.

Wayne
Keep Life Exciting!

[Carl C]

Yes, I was... Frankly, I miss turning wrenches all day.
I'm not a technical guy, I hate offices... :eek!: :eek!: :eek!: :eek!: I hate offices too. I like boats. I now make more money working only week-ends selling CDs, DVDs, and video games at a flea market than I ever made twisting wrenches. I'll never forget those long weeks spent with grease up to my elbows in a car shop that's freezing in the winter and unbearably hot in the summer and then fighting for a little piece of the lake with all the part time boaters on the week-end:eek!: :eek!: :eek!: Now I boat all week when the traffic is light and the police presence is light.:yippie: :) :) :) :wrench: :eek!: :boat: :) A footnote; Mechanics up here are paid on flat rate (commision) which makes it all a matter of how fast can you get the job done. Take too much pride in doing the job right and you will not make any money!

[Carl C]

:wrench: :eek:

[straight jacket]

I can feel your pain of being at a croosroads. At 30 I started to get divorced,done at 32, Struggled for a year and a half trying to keep my head above water. Lots of side jobs helped. I have been turning wrenches since I was 15 ( working for my dad) I've got a degree in auto and have worked on cars , trucks , medium , and heavy, Heavy equiptment , built large snow plow for wheel loaders. I have done a multitude of stuff even paint and body. Now I have fallen into a position with a street sweeper outfit that is union and they pay very well , with o.t. this year I'll do over 80k. It isn't really the money as much as the company is finally a good one and treats us well. Just be patient and things will work out. My father never wanted me in this industry but I can se he is proud of me every time we build some project and get a good response from those around us. I don't do it because I like it , I do it because I'm good at it. Keep your head up and things will work out.

[dfunde01]

Wayne,

Mill Wright comes to mind with the varied skills you have.

Dave

[joseph m. hahnl]

Wayne: being a machinist i feel your pain too. I do get do create all different things so it doesn't get boring."BUT" you carry the wait of the world on your shoulders. As an operator of a CNC Milling Machine you get blamed for any thing that is non conforming. Regardless of who or what caused it. I could go on and on ,so I'll spare you. Here is a buisness I would like to do.

TOY SHOP MACHANIC::boat: go carts, snowmobiles. 4 wheelers,motorcycles. Even outboard and boats. AS far as rusty old cars ,not unless it's my own:jestera:

joe

[florida gator]

They say the average person changes careers, not jobs, 5 times during there working life. Not like my dad did it.

Anyway, if you would like to try your hand at entrepeneurship with very little startup capital required and very little risk try going to www.yourtravelagency.net for info or feel free to PM or email me anytime.

[Surfer]

After 30 years, I'm leaning toward palm fron hat and basket weaving on the beach. Seriously your right up the road from Ribovich in Stuart, word has it the property that the boatyard is on has been bought and is going to be redeveloped into a massive marina / condo / retail complex. Lots of opportunities in one location.

[EricG]

When you figure it out..let me know :yes:

For what its worth, the book "What color is your Parachute" provides some interesting tools to help you learn more about what you really want to do with your life. Like all Career books, it's not perfect...but it makes you think about things a little differently.

I fortunately like my job in IT, and I love the Cable industry...but I want to do it somewhere else Geographically. Does anyone know anyone that works for Brighthouse, Atlantic Broadband, or any other Telecom Companies in the Florida/SE area that might have any leads?

Good luck with your soul searching...

EG

[onesubdrvr]

After 30 years, I'm leaning toward palm fron hat and basket weaving on the beach. Seriously your right up the road from Ribovich in Stuart, word has it the property that the boatyard is on has been bought and is going to be redeveloped into a massive marina / condo / retail complex. Lots of opportunities in one location.
Thanks for the info, I'll make my way down there next week and check it out.

Wayne

[gcarter]

Wayne, being self employed, I have thousands of employers!!!
They drive me crazy some time. It could be because many are retired and when they have a problem, you are the center of their whole day. They need a life. I love it when someone calls in for service at 11:00 AM and expecting you to be there in the next 30 minutes. HA!!!!
Quite frankly, I'm getting tired of it. I don't necessarily want to retire yet, but something with a little les hastle and stress would be nice.

[mikev]

i wanna retire when i grow up. to be honest i have done logistics (glorfied dsiptacher) and IT support is the second career and getting bored with it now. i worked at the boat place as a mechanic for one summer a couple of years ago and it was the funnest thing i ever did. i would love to live in fl and sell boats at a big dealership some day what a job. taking customers for test drives and playing with new boats all day now thats a dream job.