I'm at a point in turning wrenches that I think it's getting close to time to hang 'em up. For mostly personal reasons, but financial and medical reasons are in there too. So, I'm thinking career change within the next couple years or so. I figure if I can survive working on $50,000 Lincolns with miles of wiring in them, going into another field can't be that difficult.

My New Years resolution is to get all my ducks in a row and get back into school part time in the evenings to learn something new, but I dunno what exactly. A local tech school in town has a Electronics and Computer Engineering Technology corriculum, looks like stuff I've already covered working on cars (circuit analysis, DC/AC stuff, etc). Back in my high school days I played with computers a lot in my free time, and sometimes fixed 'em, but I've since slacked off in that.

An IT type gig seems like an alright field, but I was wantin' some input from guys on here that have been there and done that. I'm basing my view on other fields from the view of mine: I've worked in 100+ degree temps or in the dead of winter, crawling under dashboards, fighting with poor and inaccurate service manuals, dealing with hazardous and/or carcinogenic chemicals on a fairly daily basis in an environment where if I ain't working, I ain't getting paid. So I'm at the point that anything's gotta be better than this.

 

Good luck with that!

I actually start my first college class ever on Tuesday at Lorain County Community College. Im going part time at night for Computer Maintainence and Networking. Except I dont know the first thing about networking, I did take a lot of computer courses in high school.

 

You want some action? Kellog, Brown and Root could hire you, send you to Iraq, make mucho dollars, take a mortar round once in a while. There are lot's of job openings with private contractors who will pay you lots of money, tax free, to go to Iraq. Just a thought.

 

well i'm a machinist with absolutly no knowledge of I.T...

just ask jamzwayne what he thinks about it


i know what he thinks about it

...zap!

 

Get your a$$ down to New Orleans -- they're paying unskilled labor down there more money right now to pick up piles of rubbish than most skilled construction workers can make in any other major market!

That armpit is going to make a lot of people a lot of money over the next few years as we starting throwing (wasting) our tax dollars into that cesspool of a city!

Get it while the gettin's good!

 

Travel (to Nawlins or the sandbox) is an option I'd like to consider last if only all of my chips were down.

 

I am manager at an auto parts store, and also do outside sales 3 days a week. Business here is so up and down, it is hard to plan a work schedule.

I have several customers that are doing okay and others that say it is so bad they are not certain about their future in the business. A lot of the tech would rather get out of it, but most just stick it out and seem miserable.

On the other end I have one guy that took over his father's shop, where he worked, and said he hates it but says he could not find anything that would pay anything near what he makes.

Good luck in your future decisions, hope you find your calling, I'm still looking for mine. If only I could find a job shooting for a living.

 

The IT field is a great field but the competition is tight. It aint like it was in the 90s. I've taken college classes for IT, the certification classes,etc. I'll tell you this...whatever you take make sure it involves hands on real world stuff.

I dont care how much you read about network cards, cable lengths, operating systems etc, if you cant actually do it, it doesnt matter.

Find out if the course will give you hands on.

My ideal setting would be boxes of computer components and some software. You learn about the components, put them together to build a system. Learn about the cabling, cut and terminate it with ends. Learn about the operating systems by doing the installations (server and workstation versions). Then make them see each other, print to each other, save on each others disks, etc.

This is very basic stuff but essential. From there learn to setup server/client relationships, troubleshooting,etc.

Have them break something and then you figure it out.

I cant tell you how many people I've worked with that have degrees and certs and cant put a network card in and tell me why

a machine with IP address 10.0.0.10 and subnet mask 255.255.255.0 can't talk to a machine with 10.0.0.11 and subnet mask 255.255.240.0. Yea its obvious but they didnt know where to look.

Good luck with it....

Tell you what...you teach me how to tear apart my motor and the rear in my Stang and I'll teach you all you need about IT.

 

My garage or yours?

I'm all for learning the hands on stuff; likewise, I've worked along side guys who've gone through Ford ASSET, they're ASE CMAT, "build race engines on the side," etc, that don't know the difference between a rocker arm and a rocking chair. Just from what job operings I've read though, a lot places seem to value that little piece of paper from a school to at least get your foot in the door.

 

Quintin, good luck with a career change.
I too got tired and burnt out fixing stuff, putting up with B.S, incorrect information and low wages. My fix was to get out of the Army.
I now work at a Cat dealer and love the work. Every week i work on something different. the money is good, opportunities are there and its a fun low pressure environment most of the time. Working on million dollar plus equipment is no big deal now and ordering $40,000 in parts doesn't even faze me. For the road mechs with a class B license the overtime is just about unlimited so money can be made fast. as long as you like working outside.

If you like to turn wrenches but in a different field then check out your local Cat dealer, they are always looking for good people.

 

Just why I'm getting my degree to finish off my resume. I've got the certs (or had them, let them expire and the experience 10+ years)

My break came when a friend got me in to help desk...if it is general IT support you can really learn alot but the pay sucks....luckily I was young then at 28k seemed like a lot.

Good luck with it and the training offer is good anytime.

 

Isn't that the arm...thats goes ON the rocking chair?


NOt sure if theres much of a boat market where you are, but if you enjoy being a tech. you may want to look into that. It's a way different environment than cars. And theres not much diff. in the engines. You just need to figure out how the water gets in, where it goes and how it gets out without flooding the crankcase

Ive been doing it for almost 12 years now, and honestly Im burnt out and on the hunt for a new job/career, so Ill be watching this thread closely.


BREW

 

I figure practically speaking, it'll take me 2-3 years before everything's in place solidly enough for me to make a move...so I hope you're patient, Brew.

 

Dude, you ever work on, say for example... a '84 Suzuki 50 HP 2-stroke ?

 

Well if you can call tearing it down until every last nut and bult are in little bins all over my bench, the carbs are in a box ,covered so they dont get filled with dirt, then putting it all back together WITHOUT any extra parts and have it run like new.............

Well than yes..I have.

Why, whatchya got??


BREW