New Career. What would you do?

[Geeb]

Any advice on how to break into this field? I was in P&C insurance sales for 13 years and always considered this as an option. Thanks!

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[bertha]

youtuber

 

[Antarctica]

When I read your OP the career that immediately came to mind was underwater welder.

Sounds cool, but I can assure you it has the potential to be one of the shittiest jobs on the planet. Most underwater welding is done in cofferdams on ships. You are not actually in the water although you may be under it. You wear full commercial diving gear in case the cofferdam floods and because the cofferdam becomes filled with nasty gasses from the welding. Hot, nasty, dirty work. And most 'divers' spend a good amount of time tending before they are let in the water.

There can be times of boom - like when katrina/rita hit the gulf where lots of wreck removal is done. There used to be a school down in LA that would train welder divers for free, but those days are probably over. It was a community college.

 

[Hoot]

If I could do it all over again, I’d be a paid firefighter and have a side business of some sort of trade, probably electrical. I’d have invested in real estate earlier as well...

 

[Huntindog45]

if i had to do it over i would work harder at marrying WAY UP....

 

[flyinsquirel]

if i had to do it over i would work harder at marrying WAY UP....

Winner!! Close the thread, it's over.

 

[drewadams12]

Firefighting or even potentially nursing are great options! Good hours and can get scheduled time off!


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[EZduzIT]

You paint with an awful broad brush. Not all firemen have the luxury of being in N. Idaho. Next time you are in a city with a busy fire department, I'd encourage you to stop by a station and have a chat with the guys. You might be surprised to find they aren't "playing video games day and night".

This is so true.

 

[MallardSX2]

Can't say I would have done much different. Right now, 99% of people don't understand what I do and those that do, don't want to do it after they realize the amount of work involved to even begin to be able to do it.
You're not going to start at 45 and do what I do. Well, you could, but you would be crazy to start this late in life.

So that puts me in a good position.

 

[Ram94]

Can't say I would have done much different. Right now, 99% of people don't understand what I do and those that do, don't want to do it after they realize the amount of work involved to do it.

So that puts me in a good position.

Go on

 

[Nick992]

I love my engineering work, but I've always thought brewing or distilling would be a cool encore career

 

[Peaks&Creeks]

I taught high school physics and chemistry for 4 years right out of college. I swore I would never do that again; I'm starting to rethink it but still think that job isn't for me.

I then started in the brewing industry (since 2013). Being in the brewing industry was my DREAM job. Ten years ago, maybe even 5 years ago, was the heyday of the craft beer industry. Plenty of market share to go around, easy (relatively) to start a brewery and have it be successful enough to stay open. Now the industry unrecognizable. All large regional breweries are making hard seltzers etc just so they can keep the lights on without having to lay employees off. The days of making the beer you're passionate about (without regard for what sells the best) are gone. I finally made it to a large enough brewery with a job title that would sustainable or possibly migrate to another industry with the same job title. I'm 33, I have two step kids and hopefully will have my own child in the next year or so, and I hate my job. Brewing is no longer my passion and I dread going to work everyday. Don't get me wrong... the company I work for is fantastic and about the best I can imagine at the moment. But, my job duties and the industry have really gotten me down.

I'd like a career change, but I have no idea what it would be. Something outside.

edited: I'm not 30, I'm 33. I'm not sure how I managed that one.

I also just left the brewing industry, although most of my career was in distilling rum and whiskey. You're spot on with the industry change. It got to the point where I wasn't receiving my yearly bonus and my raises became insignificant. Most companies are too small to have good health insurance, unless you can find your way to a large producer, even then you suffer with low pay still. There are simply too many people thinking it would be fun to make beer and whiskey professionally, giving employers a large lot to choose the lowest bidder.

I decided I wanted to work outside again like I did out of college when I did fish and wildlife surveys. I decided I would choose the lineman career. Went to a line school last fall and I'm working my way towards an apprenticeship now. While I wait for my apprenticeship to open up, I got a job through the union doing power line inspections. Pays better than any brewery or wildlife job ever did and I have pension, annuity, and great health, dental, and vision for me and my family.

Sometimes it takes a couple tries in different industries to figure out what works. Making your hobbies a career is not something I recommend.

 

[WyoBowhunter21]

I would do it all over. I am currently trying to figure that out though. After college I went to the oil and gas industry chasing money. Sadly I realized that those jobs that require a college degree and are not out in the field are not where the money is. Almost a decade later, I have switched into environmental work and hate every single day of work. I am on call 365 days of the year and don't get a lot of vacation time. For me, I want out of the on call life and always being tied to my phone. If I did it over again, I would do one of the trades and skip the college route. I have buddies who did that and they are way ahead of me on pay and benefits. I have always loved building and would probably build/sell houses or do something with project management.

 

[EZduzIT]

Can't say I would have done much different. Right now, 99% of people don't understand what I do and those that do, don't want to do it after they realize the amount of work involved to even begin to be able to do it.
You're not going to start at 45 and do what I do. Well, you could, but you would be crazy to start this late in life.

So that puts me in a good position.

Please share more

 

[HighUintas]

I also just left the brewing industry, although most of my career was in distilling rum and whiskey. You're spot on with the industry change. It got to the point where I wasn't receiving my yearly bonus and my raises became insignificant. Most companies are too small to have good health insurance, unless you can find your way to a large producer, even then you suffer with low pay still. There are simply too many people thinking it would be fun to make beer and whiskey professionally, giving employers a large lot to choose the lowest bidder.

I decided I wanted to work outside again like I did out of college when I did fish and wildlife surveys. I decided I would choose the lineman career. Went to a line school last fall and I'm working my way towards an apprenticeship now. While I wait for my apprenticeship to open up, I got a job through the union doing power line inspections. Pays better than any brewery or wildlife job ever did and I have pension, annuity, and great health, dental, and vision for me and my family.

Sometimes it takes a couple tries in different industries to figure out what works. Making your hobbies a career is not something I recommend.

That is so funny.... I have been mulling over going through the lineman program the last couple of years so that I could have some type of job where I'm actively doing something and sometimes if not all the time outside. You're enjoying it so far?

 

[bigmike23]

I always wanted to be a PA game warden. I could think of nothing else even through college. Wasn't till my mid-twenties that I considered how awful that would be for me. The pay sucks, peak season is when I want off the most, just an awful fit for me.
A second consideration was PA state trooper. But I have 3 family members who are troopers who friggin hate their jobs. They cannot wait to retire. They are miserable almost every time I see them at a family outing.
So I passed on that.
I was left lost for a awhile with some severe anxiety about what I was gonna make of my life.
A state-of-the-art manufacturing facility opened close to me that paid dramatically above industry standard. They only accepted the very best candidates so the entrance rate was very low. They received over 15000 applications within the first 2 months and only hired 100.
I got in as a lowly material handler. But got promoted quickly to the difficult technician job to get.
This company supported me every step of the way and now I worked up to the second level of a technician or master mechanic.
Never went to school for it. All learned on the job. I make a smidge under 6 figures and for my life is an extremely comfortable living. And the best part by far is the hunting friendly 3 on 3 off schedule along with 5 weeks vacation. I'm off 75% of deer season. Things couldn't have worked out better for me.

 

[Peaks&Creeks]

That is so funny.... I have been mulling over going through the lineman program the last couple of years so that I could have some type of job where I'm actively doing something and sometimes if not all the time outside. You're enjoying it so far?

Yeah I am enjoying it. It is a daunting path to become a Journeyman Lineman as the apprenticeship is 3.5 years, but it's obviously all paid. You get a raise every 6 months as you graduate through your steps. Hardest part is getting in. You can also go through a utility company and do their in-house apprenticeship, which is what I'm hoping to do here, just make sure it's a union apprenticeship. If you're not afraid of heights it's a good way to go. My instructors in line school were a mixture of utility guys and self contracted through union. If you're young and don't have a wife and/or kids I'd go that route. Most guys will work 9 months, make $200-300K and take rest of the year off. Most of the money is contracting in CA right now, or working hurricanes and other natural disasters.

 

[Lil-Rokslider]

A Farrier. It's a trade that never gets mentioned when people talk trades. Go to Fivestar horseshoeing school in Oklahoma, It's the best school in the country. Move to wherever you dream of in the country, spend a couple years apprenticing under an AFA Certified Journeyman Farrier in the area, and for a couple years chase hard after every clinic, competition, and certification you can get to. It's a grind to get good at it, but it's fun and addicting. And the community is like no other. We look out for each other when someone is down. I got sinus surgery a week ago, and this week my farrier buddies were shoeing my horses for me, and giving me the money, and that's normal around here. I get to work outside, with my hands, and with horses. If the weather sucks, I reschedule my day and stay home. I hunt A LOT every fall. Anyways, I love my job. Truly

 

[Idaho Brad]

Union Journeyman Lineman. Earning potential is huge, depending on how much you wanna work. (In my local 40hrs a week gets you 120k per year.) A few friends working out of local 1245 in Nor Cal make 300+ py.


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[moxford]

Whatever you do, don't get wedded to it. You get good enough they give you jeweled-platinum handcuffs and you work your life into servitude chasing and retaining the almighty dollar. Then one you something causes you to look up, to "come up for air" and then you look around and go ... wait, is this it? I've worked X years killing myself and supporting people and giving back to my community and all that jazz ... and THIS is where it's all eneded up?

Every second you work has value, more to you than to anyone else out there. You buy a burger, you can qualify that as "how many second of my life did this burger cost me?"

Stay fleible. Stay happy. Stay with good people you value you and who don't just use you (either for your money, or your talents) just so they can get ahead for their own selfish gains. Prune aggressively. Treasure those who reciprocate, because we've all got one shot at this giant space rock, and most of the world are just users and takers.

Else you'll end up as I have, and I don't want to see that.

Brought to you by copious amouts of Screwball. (No affiliation, excuse typos/grammar because, well, Screwball.)

Cheers,
-mox