Morning all,

 

I've come to a point in life where I am in need of a change. A bit of background on me: I'm 28, and have had 2 jobs since graduating high school. First was a gas station attendant for a year and a half-ish, the second and current job is as a drafter/draftsman for a well regarded company in my area, going on my 9th year. The company is for the most part excellent, trying not to brag too much but just putting all the info out there: I pay $14 a month for health insurance including vision. I've had coworkers receive no bill for having kids, the company paid for it. I've also got a large sum of money that is set up by the company for retirement. I cant put money into it, however. I also make a touch over $22.50/hr. (started at $18/hr)

 

Now for the bad, I went to a technical high school for drafting, I had a passion for drawing cars and thought it would have been a good fit. Whelp, got into the field and turns out I cant stand the job anymore. Its all the same thing day in and day out. I've tried asking to be moved but that was met with a wall.

 

I've come to realize that I have a knack for fixing vehicles. And it turns out that a semi local diesel/high performance shop has an opening. they are offering insurance, training/performance incentives, paid time off, and holiday pay. They also put on dyno days with their in house dyno.

 

My only hang up is that I have only "shade tree" experience. All of my experience is my own vehicle or family vehicles. but I've been working on them since I was 17. The job posting isn't requiring an ASE cert or anything. they are offering $15-30/hr based on experience.

 

I'm looking for some outside thoughts on if this is a fools errand to follow through on. In benefits I know I'm giving up quite a bit, but when every day feels like an 8 hour wait to go home, and the thought of going to work is actually causing stomach knots, I'd say its time to head elsewhere.

 

Open to all thoughts, and thanks in advance.

2 hours ago, Royal Squire said:

What is it that you can’t buy in Cali?

he likes those grass skirt hula dolls.

You could by those online somewhere... 

12 hours ago, Silverwolf2691 said:

Supersonic lead slinger ammo?

You bet I get ammo along with TVs, no recycling fees, and solvents like MEK and xylene. 

Also 12 OZ cans of 134A refrigerant with no $10/can deposit.  California government puts a $10 core charge on every can and will gladly keep it if you don't return the can in 90 days. 

 

9 hours ago, Mopar1973Man said:

You could by those online somewhere

Is that where you found your outfit?

 

47 minutes ago, IBMobile said:

Is that where you found your outfit?

Holy crap, I didn't realize I put this up 7 months ago.. 

 

I'm still at the same job.. dealing with some setbacks. 

 

I was working on my moms truck doing a thermostat fix and I came to the realization that I didn't want to do mechanic work for a living.. Kind of a "keep that a hobby, don't let money/becoming your income ruin it" deal.. So that put me back on what to do for a career..

 

I started thinking about what I liked and didn't like about the jobs that I have had. I think I settled on getting my CDL and going over the road trucking for a bit. But that isn't without its major considerations. It's a major lifestyle change, and I'm hesitant.. no wrong word.. I'm scared about it. Between being away from home for as long as some of those guys are, and the solitude, I'm worried about how long I'd last. I don't know, maybe I'm making mountains out of mole hills.. 

 

I also have things I have to do before I can sign up for a CDL school. Get one, preferably both, of my 2nd gens on the road, sell my 2019, and figure out some boarding for my dog at least while I'm at school/training.

 

I would like to do a company training school so that I have a semi guaranteed job on the other side of training. I do have two companies in mind, Millis Transfer and Roehl transport. Millis has benefits and pay I like, Roehl has a home time package that possibly would benefit me for sled pulling a bit better. But I think that Sled pulling might have to go on pause for a bit for me to do either of those companies, which bums me out because I am on my 3rd year as a member and 2nd points year. I also need to look at Roehl's pet policy, I'm bringing my dog with me once I get my truck, if I get hired of course.

 

Part of the issue with Roxie (my dog) is for the 3-4 weeks of school I need to find somewhere to board her, then when I go out of on the road training (20-50K miles), I need to do the same thing. My parents aren't keen on having her because they have cats and my dog wont leave them alone. My brother already has a dog and is in an apartment smaller than mine.. 

 

I don't know.. part of this post is a looking for insight and part of it is actually putting my thoughts on "paper" and seeing if things look right.. I also think I have to sh!t or get off the pot.. This job is starting to ruin my mental health..

I know the feeling at times. For me it the point that I can't go any where without someone asking me about their truck or vehicle. The other half is just being greasy dirty everyday. 

I could deal with the dirty everyday. I think the part that would get me is the you have other stuff wrong with your vehicle and they decline the fix. My conscience would have a break down over that. I had even thought about doing fleet maintenance for a company but working on my moms truck kinda drove home that I don't want to fix others car problems.. I understand why mechanics charge what they do..  

Same here I did my own service all these years to keep my Mom alive. My part is I feel guilty for just doing my job and not doing it slower and doing write ups like I did in the past. Part of that is the weather and the mess I'm still dealing with between my ex-gf and her son. Now I want to get back to what made the website great too. Start doing 3rd Gen write ups.

3 hours ago, Silverwolf2691 said:

I think the part that would get me is the you have other stuff wrong with your vehicle and they decline the fix. My conscience would have a break down over that.

I've been a mechanic for over 50 years and owned my repair shop for 28 years and when a customer declines repair work there is a reason.  They might not have the funds for the repair, or they found someone to do it "cheaper", or they are getting rid of the car and don't want to put anymore into it. Either way I don't care, not my car not my problem, and my car runs fine. 

 

Do something you enjoy and make a living from it.  If it's a government job, local state fed, all the better because of the benefit package. 

 A friend of mine just left the Volvo dealership for a mechanic job, with a great benefit package, in the city of Carlsbad, CA.  They hired him because of his training and experience in electric vehicles.

10 hours ago, Mopar1973Man said:

still dealing with between my ex-gf and her son

Sorry to hear that ended, they seemed to really make you happy in lots of your posts.

I have had most of December, all of January and about half of Feburuary off from work. At first I thought oh great after 43 yrs I am dam tired of working. Well, it's turned a corner again for me and I find enjoyment in going back to work. With all that time off I am now laying an Oak floor but, it's a very difficult one with time consuming cuts and offsets in the room. When I stopped working around 6 pm it felt so great to be doing something again... set up the saws and woodworking tools it was a great day today getting all the difficult cuts and fit together and out of the way.

 

I remember when I was about 25 years from retirement age and thought, Oh damn, I can't believe I'm going to be doing this for so long, still, as I was getting so bored with it. Well I stayed with it a long time anyway and it finally became second nature, reaching a point I could think about many other things besides work and no longer had to be bored. It became easier and easier the longer I stayed with it. I learned that it becomes a part of you to a degree that you feel alright about what your career really is. It's like I was born into it even tho at first I knew I wasn't. 

I'm the opposite. Was a heavy equipment operator for 30 years. Before that, various odd jobs out of highschool, import car mechanic, 5years, laborer, 3 years, truck driver, 1 year. Couldn't wait to reach retirement.

Really enjoyed heavy equipment, but as soon as I was eligible for full pension, I jumped. That was 2018. I was 60. At 62 I took my early SS. I love not having to get everything done on Sunday because I worked six days a week. I absolutely love the freedom to get on the bike and go whenever I want, or go out to lunch with my wife. For me, I'm the happiest and most worry free relaxed I've ever been since highschool.

Sorry I got to this late

 

I had a grandad in the 60's that had lost fingers in a rail mill years earlier but he  fixed and saved stuff, me from the time I can ever remember I sucked it all up like a sponge, he died in 72 when I was 10, my uncle sort of took over and I remember him driving 30's and 40's cars and fixing them

Fast forward to 1978 and I'm leaving school at 16

I had a lot of interviews for apprenticeships, Nation Coal Board was one ... mining underground, A crusher manufacturer was another..... Terex Pegson

 

I chose a HGV truck apprenticeship and then did light vehicle and heavy mobile plant, I have done heavy mobile plant for over 40 years, I turned 60 last tuesday and would not change a thing, you fix a Cat 777 everything else is easy

Point of this is YOU know when you find the right, I have hated the 5.00am starts, I have hated the pressure when I worked for Finning the Cat dealer here, I have hated working nights etc etc etc but never hated what I actually do 

Once you find it you'll know

Something to consider like myself since I'm self employed as well. Like here locally the money isn't here in the Riggins, ID area. I've still got to wait till the snow leaves the McCall / Donnelly, ID area and that will be some time yet. I've been traveling day trips to do jobs around my local state. Even that is getting questionable now with the "Russian War" and price of fuel heading up quickly. Now I'm considering looking toward web support more so being that travel is going to get super expensive. Idaho diesel prices are heading up fast and talks of 5, 6 or 7 dollar a gallon diesel prices coming soon. Now I'm keeping an open mind of what and where I'm even doing for employment being I want to keep my expenses low.

 

 

1 hour ago, Mopar1973Man said:

Something to consider like myself since I'm self employed as well. Like here locally the money isn't here in the Riggins, ID area. I've still got to wait till the snow leaves the McCall / Donnelly, ID area and that will be some time yet. I've been traveling day trips to do jobs around my local state. Even that is getting questionable now with the "Russian War" and price of fuel heading up quickly. Now I'm considering looking toward web support more so being that travel is going to get super expensive. Idaho diesel prices are heading up fast and talks of 5, 6 or 7 dollar a gallon diesel prices coming soon. Now I'm keeping an open mind of what and where I'm even doing for employment being I want to keep my expenses low.

 

 

Diesel here is now £1.60 a litre or £7.25 per UK gallon, our gallon is 4.55 litres whereas your gallon is 3.78 litres

Yesterday and today I've used £135 of diesel, I charge £1.00 per mile travel but yesterday was a right pigs ear of a day, I got a call midweek to fit a battery to a Bobcat skidsteer, the site  is 50 miles away from me so because I couldn't get to see the battery decided to get a genuine Bobcat battery on the machine serial number, bound to fit.

Gets to site yesterday, pulls the brand new bobcat battery out of it's box, fits it and tries to start it and nothing..... voltmeter..... nothing.... zero volts, pulls it back off and it isn't the easiest battery in the world to get to, voltmeter again zero, pulls the lids off and NO ACID at all bone dry battery, box says in big letters "warning hazardous liquid do not tip" and all the rest of the warnings you'd expect, Calls the Bobcat dealer and it turns out after some digging someone somewhere did not put acid in this battery, this was shipped from wherever it was manufactured in a sealed box and should have been shipped wet so yesterday I couldn't bill for, I had to find a generic battery last night to fit this morning, Bobcat rubbish will be going back Monday for a credit, but on the travel and 1 hour labour yesterday I'm out £150 at least.

 

Having next week off which is the first time I've had any time off in 2 1/2years, I don't work on site every day but I am sort of on call 7 days a week to the company that I do repairs for

I was 60 last Tuesday and my wife surprised me with a trip to Finland to stay in a log cabin in the wilderness to see the northern lights, leave early Tuesday morning

 

Russian invasion of Ukraine will certainly increase all fuel prices and it will have an impact on the cost of living but that's nothing compared to what Ukraine is living through

3 hours ago, wil440 said:

I was 60 last Tuesday and my wife surprised me with a trip to Finland to stay in a log cabin in the wilderness to see the northern lights

First, happy belated birthday!

Second, have a marvelous time next week, it sounds like a fantastic experience.

Just to show where I'm thinking at...

 

After @MoparMompassed away it's been a crazy roller coaster ride for me. Now having that stroke of luck and getting that job working for the billionaire family in McCall. But that job is seasonal being I'm working on the ground and outdoors and from Thor as a tool truck. Since winter came and set in I've been complaining about working in the cold all this winter and it sucks no doubt when you are dealing with near ZERO degrees. Now with Russian War starting I was considering doing mobile work for website members but now with the price of fuel going up even more cancel that idea. Matter of fact if I can be promised at least a full shop hour before I leave the property for a local job with Thor there is no reason to leave. Now as for the town of Riggins, Idaho doesn't get me wrong there is a lot of good people there but it's mostly retirees and social security incomes. I'm getting tired of doing jobs and waiting for payment for the jobs. So even I'm slowing down because I need to reclaim some of my monies. I'm starting to consider working more on the website and getting more done here being it costs less to keep going. So I'm patiently waiting to see what will happen by springtime if my jobs up there open back up but I'm not going to put all my eggs in that one basket just too foolish. 

Sorry for the wait guys, and thank you for your insights.

 

I'm waiting to hear back from a place so I can put things in motion. I nearly walked out last week so my head space has been a bit wacked since then.

 

Hard part is I'm bordering on desperate to leave, like I'd take a gas station job if it meant I was out of here.

 

The place happens to be a locksmith shop that my friend has worked at for a few years. They are looking for a shop person, someone to handle calls and walk-ins, making keys, some light rekeying possibly later on, and possible car key reprogramming. I'll probably have to go to some classes for this but it's closer to how I function with (in?) a job.

 

Granted I've only had 2 jobs in my life so far (my current drafting one and as a gas station clerk), but working a gas station was actually the job I had the most fun at. I was relatively happy in my mind set. Pay wasn't great but this was also 10 years ago.. Then I got my current job, things were fine until the newness wore off, then it slowly became more and more tedious to wake up and get to work. And now I'm here lol.. 

On 3/5/2022 at 10:15 PM, LorenS said:

First, happy belated birthday!

Second, have a marvelous time next week, it sounds like a fantastic experience.

 

I walked out of one job when I was around 26, Heavy Haulage company and I was the only mechanic with a licence to drive the trucks, biggest was a DAF plated to haul 150ton needless to say I was everywhere

Foreman spent lunch in a local pub everyday and came back drunk everyday, I booked 2 days off with this fool in the afternoon and he forgot to record it so I didn't get paid for the 2 days and at the time young kids, house etc etc.

Big argument, put my tools in my car and I'm off, very near laid him out

A week later I got a call from the Quarry where I had been made redundant 18 months earlier due to HGV shop shutting to see if I would like to be their heavy plant mechanic, I stayed for 25 years or so, got a good pension and left in 2004 to work for myself (the first time) importing American cars and parts into the UK, did that for 4 or 5 years and then went back to heavy plant, It was lucky I left in 2004 as the new parent co started to raid the pension pot but they couldn't reduce mine as it was frozen, I accessed that at 55 which you can do here, it's now in a private plan of which I control.

 

Do what you have to do to be happy. That is important!!! If your not happy then everything else around you will start to fail. Trust me I do understand...

 

I've worked several different jobs in my time.

• Dish pit - Cattlemen's Restaurant (2 years)
• Glass and mirror installer - Images in Mirror and Glass (2 years)
• Ranch Hand helping with branding cows - Rex Baker's Ranch 
• 2 Body shops (motorcycle and automotive) Salvage yard & Tom's Body Shop
• Software distributor -Soft Kat
• Harness assembly for wiring 
• 2 Tire and battery shops - Montgomery Wards & Chevron
• Computer tech (Windows) - Cloud 10 Computers (8 years)
• Computer Tech (Linux) - Mopar1973Man.Com (18 years)
• Car stereo installer and repair - Sights & Sounds (3 years)