career change?

[krustyballer16]

So most of you guys might have guessed or known I'm a full time welder. I'm more of a supervisor now, but still weld.

Not a hard job at all, but stressful at times and then after being at work for 11 hours every day, I go home and weld jeep parts...getting kinda burnt out on it.

 

I've been thinking about changing careers...

I don't want to go to another welding shop because this is the best shop around as far as leniency and doing whatever I want. Plus getting jeep parts made here...

 

The pay doesn't suck for where I live here in indiana (about $65k a year)

 

I just want something different...

 

So, my question to you guys is, since I have no idea at all what else i wanna do, if you could start a new career/schooling today, what would it be?

 

I thought about getting my real estate license but around here, it's not worth it. I talked to 2 buddies that are realtors and they say don't do it. Lol

 

Was kind of thinking of something I could get into quick and easily and that I could maybe do from home some of the time.

[Zambeezy]

I pivoted my career in September. Spent the last 6 years on the Land side of oil and gas. First few years was interpreting leases and contracts, administering payments to owners, etc. Next few were systems support and analytics. I really liked that work and was good at it. In September, I moved from Land to Supply Chain. Still oil and gas but 100% different data/context/etc. This job is much harder but I'm also still learning. It's stressful at times but pays very well and I'm learning tons that will translate to any industry were I to decide to move.

 

I don't know the job market in your area but anything worth doing is worth doing right. Don't look for a quick and easy switch; take the time to evaluate your skills and, maybe more importantly, the skills you want and are willing to put in the time to acquire.

[strictlyxjs]

I went to school to be a behavior therapist for kids with autism. Its a really rewarding career but unfortunately doesnt pay as much as you would think and can be very stressful at times. At night time and on saturdays i work second shift at a jeep only salavage yard. With the money ive spent on tools. (10k worth plus my snap on box) and knowledge i have from gained from doing that for over 10 years i could prob get an ASE and work at a repair shop, however if i were to switch careers now i think i would want to get into being an electrician (not a guy thay drives around in van fixing electic problems in people houses) I'm taking about industrial applications. I have several friends that do it and seem to makee good money and they seem to have fun at work.You get to be hands on and use your brain.

 

Edit: Sorry for the lengthy post

[DirtyComanche]

Power or steam engineer.

 

Or industrial gas turbine maintenance.

 

I don't think either is what you're looking for though.  What else makes you happy?

[Smokeyyank]

Career changes are tricky, I contemplated this a few years ago and side against it. Most times you are going to be starting out on the lower side of everything, shift, pay, benefits, etc. If you are at a spot in life you are comfortable with that then it opens up a lot of options. If not then you get really limited. I work in healthcare and have been doing it for 15 years now. I work on the administrative side and started as a delivery driver and worked my way up. I've also had the luxury of working in lots of different areas and narrowed down to what I enjoy about it and what I dislike. I really enjoy my current role but it took a while to get here.  When I was considering a change two areas came up IT and a trade either welding or electrical. IT security is a booming industry and pays really well. I have a few friends in it on the lower side of the pay scale and they make upwards of six figures. I went to a local school in Denver that offered open house nights to just dabble and see. I hated it, it was something that I couldn't picture myself doing for the rest of my life. For others thought it might be there cup of tea and it offers a good amount of perks. Check out Cybary, they offer free classes and you can get a feel.  Second up was a trade but I'm not getting younger and heaven forbid you get injured out side your job you're really screwed. Example one of my employees husband is a mechanic and got in a car accident driving home. He can't work and there are only so many benefits he can take advantage of. Also as you said you get burnt out on it after a while. 

[87MJTIM]

Do a self assessment.  What other interest do you have?  Is there something else that you have wanted to do/try?  What training/certifications are needed to work in that field?  Do you know others in that field, either directly or through other connections?  Try contacting that person and talk with them about the work.  Would you be willing to relocate to pursue the new job?

 

Contact a local college or trade school and speak to an adviser about options.

[89 MJ]

Make MJ parts. Continue making you current parts but also make floors, rockers, bedside patches, tailgates, bumpers. You clearly have the skill and there is the need. 

 

But it it might not pay very well. 

[Pete M]

what all is available in your area? willing to move?  

[Jeep Driver]

4 hours ago, krustyballer16 said:

best shop around as far as leniency and doing whatever I want

You'll never appreciate what you have until you no longer have it. 

 

 

 

I have much to say about this subject but I'll keep it short. 

 

 

Exploit your talent and knowledge. 

I assume you're in your thirties with a home and a couple of mouths to feed?

First thing is first......everything else just doesn't matter. 

 

 

 

Realtor-

My mother was a realtor from the mid 70s through the 90s, until her license got in the way of investing in real estate. 

She and her brother were flipping houses before Flippers were Flippers. I painted my first house at 14 and I've been building or remodeling ever since. I've been self-employed in one capacity or another for 40 years now. 

I have no idea where my next check is going to come from.......it's a way of life. 

You need to have a serious talk with yourself and your wife.........people who are self-employed are driven to be self-employed, we don't talk about it, we don't ask other's opinions about it.......we just do it. 

 

 

 

[DesertRat1991]

Seems like you've made more progress than most towards eventually being your own boss, which is the dream for a lot of people. 

 

Have you considered bringing on an apprentice to give yourself a break from the manual labor so you can focus on growing your business?  Getting more into the sales/marketing/e-commerce side of things might be the new challenge you are looking for while still leveraging your existing knowledge base.

 

Beyond that, I would say learn to code.  If you do it well, you're looking at a 6 figure desk job with plenty of opportunity for entrepreneurship.

[krustyballer16]

Seems like you've made more progress than most towards eventually being your own boss, which is the dream for a lot of people. 
 
Have you considered bringing on an apprentice to give yourself a break from the manual labor so you can focus on growing your business?  Getting more into the sales/marketing/e-commerce side of things might be the new challenge you are looking for while still leveraging your existing knowledge base.
 
Beyond that, I would say learn to code.  If you do it well, you're looking at a 6 figure desk job with plenty of opportunity for entrepreneurship.

I was kinda looking into marketing.

And my girlfriend wants to get into something with computers. Coding, or editing or design.
I'd like something to compliment her career.

And I don't necessarily mean "quick and easy" maybe just something I can do part time or in my free time on my own clock...
Cuz I can't completely quit welding where I'm at or the jeep parts will stop...


Looked into surveying a few years ago but satellites are taking that over.
Looked into a conservation officer too but there is a huge line of guys already educated to fill jobs in the state.



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[johnj92131]

Brandon,

 

I know from our off line conversations you are doing an amazing number of things right now.  You are renovating an old house with lots of help from your dad.  You work nights 11 hours a day! You have a 1 year old child who is just going to start to be a really fascinating person to watch grow in  the next year or two.  Don't think your better half works, but don't know.  Do know she treats you well and puts up with your Jeep stuff like a good woman.

 

Just looked up median income for Terra Haute, Indiana.  In 2018 it was $43843.  So you are really making a good living in your area.  Try something else and you will start at the bottom of the ladder.  Do you know the Beetles old song "Money can't buy me Love"?  Well that may well be true, but lack of money can give us all kinds of problems.  So my suggestion is to keep your Main job at the best shop in town.

 

Cut down or suspend your custom Jeep welding projects.  I know a lot here will not like me saying that. BUT too darn bad to all of them.  it is the easiest way to make family time.  That 1 year old is going to be fantastic to watch learn and grow in the next 2 years.  Don't miss it.  I loved watching the wheels turn  in Anita's only grandchild at that age.  I could see her putting thoughts together and puzzeling out solutions.  What a real Joy.

 

Finish the new house, get moved in and start enjoying the family thing.  Buy your family that Toyota 4 Runner so you don't have to keep working on cars just to keep them running.

 

Give some thought to going back to College. Look hard and an Engineering Program. Bottom line for engineers is that they solve problems.  Clearly you like solving Jeep problems!  So look hard at an Engineering degree.  Besides your company employs many Engineers.  They may be willing to support you with tuition assistance.  That sure helps pay for school.

 

I started college to avoid the Viet Nam draft.  Had no other clue why I was there and did not do well.  Then Dropped out.  My employer at the time encouraged me to go back to school at near 40 years old.  So I completed a Business Administration degree program in 1992 at age of 44.  My GPA was 4.0 and I was a heck of a lot better student than when I was 18 or 19.  Never really used the degree, but it was a huge ego boost and let me tell both my kids that if I could work 60+ hours a week and still get straight A's, they could sure put more effort into school work.  My Son Graduated from University of California, Santa Barbara.  Daughter started a family and got her Hubby to go back to school. Today he is a very successful Software Engineer making 150k+ (but that is California money, not Indiana money}

 

Sorry to speak publicly like a Dutch Uncle. But you did post asking for comments, right?

 

JJ

[Eagle]

Ever hear of Clayton Offroad?

 

https://www.claytonoffroad.com/?cPath=86_110

 

Clayton was an industrial engineer when I first met him. He worked for a small manufacturing company two towns north from me. We were both members of the same off-road club, and he got started by making stuff for his own rig, which was once a Grand Cherokee ZJ. (It later became pretty much unrecognizable.) Then members of the club started having him make similar parts for their rigs.

 

A few years later, he was renting an unused garage area in the factory where he worked, and selling and installing his long arm kits. It grew from there. He quit the manufacturing company and struck out on his own somewhere in Waterbury, Connecticut. Now he's in East Haven, in an even larger facility.

 

If you have an understanding and cooperative employer, you might be able to follow a similar path. Doing a complete career change isn't easy, and usually involves going back to school for some sort of training, and probably certification. And, as has been pointed out, then you start at the low end of the ladder.

 

[amsuco]

If you're insisting on being a "wage slave", I don't have any advice for you other than to make sure you keep a side income.  Because even "safe" jobs disappear.

 

But if you (and/or your girlfriend) would consider being your own boss (full or part time), you might want to think about an Internet-based business.  A big investment isn't required.  Nor is a long period of study.  Any failures can usually be kept small and cheap.  Done right, it's possible to run your business from any place in the world that has an Internet connection.  If you want to learn more, I endorse Jim Cockrum (silentjim.com).  Jim offers up a lot if information for free (podcast and facebook group) and what he charges for is well worth the money.  I don't make money with everything I've learned from him, but everything I do to make money I DID learn from him.  I'm over ten years in at this point.

 

Best of luck to you no matter what direction you decide to go in! 

[Knucklehead97]

If I could do it all over again then I would probably do construction and work to owning my own company/just quoting jobs instead of really doing much labor. Mainly because my wife's uncle and grandfather own roofing companies and are VERY successful from it/make their own schedules. I love my job, and it pays EXTREMELY well, especially considering I'm 22 and dropped out of highschool (75k/yr and it's my first year in this position. In 5 years I'll be making over 120k). But working retail just sucks. The hours are horrible, often times I have to drive over an hour to get to work, and the stress levels are high. 

 

 

But in the end, I'm blessed and know that I always get a paycheck every Thursday.

[87MJTIM]

As someone who is self-employed, and works with business owners who are self-employed, I can tell you (and everyone) that being SE is two jobs. One is doing the work that earns you money. The second is doing the accounting/record keeping that lets you know how your business is doing. If you are not good at the second, then hire someone who is good at it. 
 

Think before you leap. 

[89eliminator]

if you go back to school, check to see if your current place does tuition reimbursement.  odds are they will if it somehow improves your standing with the company.  only downside is you'll probably have to stay a certain number of years or you have to pay them back if you quit.

 

Subaru is always hiring, let me know if you want to move up this way.     

[500 MJ]

Over the last few years we’ve noted that it is getting extremely hard to find quality candidates at our entry level positions at the Railroad. The jobs we are hiring for require folks to be honest, self-motivated and willing to learn new things. Seems pretty basic, but wow is it hard to find someone who fully lives up to those qualities after a year of employment.

 

We typically advance careers from within. Our mangers today were the grunts many years ago. Railroading is an old industry and we still do many things in old ways. Folks start out on the bottom rungs and then move up after they have done their time. Seems to me that if one can easily demonstrate desirable qualities in the first year of work at any similar career, that person could have the world ahead of them compared to the rest of the herd that is out there these days... be humble and ask lots of questions when you start out wherever you land, respect those who have done their time and the lessons they have learned the hard way. 

 

Do something you have a passion for and it will never feel like work - Best of Luck! 

 

 

[tugboat95]

I'm new here but get a job either on a tugboat on the coast of a towboat on the inland rivers.  Blue water pays a lot more.  We are screaming for people.  No experience necessary.  Just need a Merchant Mariners credential (issued by USCG) and a TWIC(issued by Tsa) and pass a drug test (weed ain't legal out here) Start off as an ordinary seaman deck hand at 45k, 60 is possible with overtime.  Entry level job you have to start there.  Work at it and Get an engineer's license (what I have)  6 figures is possible with in 5 years.  Wheelhouse takes longer lots more stress but even more money.  It's a great job.  I've been paid to travel the world.  I work an even schedule.  Most inland companies work 2 for 1 (14 days on 7 off or similar) I'm currently on a 21 day on 21 day off schedule. Working in LA.  I live in NC.   Worst part of job....you're gone with extremely limited contact with home.  it's hard especially with kids.  you will miss birthdays deaths and other life events.  Best part of the job....I got 21 days off to do whatever I want, took my kid in an 11 day road trip across the country last summer.  We've been scuba diving all over the US and the Bahamas.  I basically work 6 months a year.  We have people from all walks of life doing this.  Farmers, fishermen, insurance salesmen, one guy used to work on airplanes for Delta.  We even have one of our former female secretaries out on the tugs now.  Guarantee you it's a 180 from your current job but you'll still get to use you hands on skills.

[75sv1]

I could see you as a designer or prototype parts. Don't know if your present employer has that type of position. I would think you would need some Drafting (CAD type too), and possibly machining.