New career

[Tkleather1]

I have a dilema(sp?) I was injured at work about a year ago and as a result I have now had two shoulder surgeries. My problem is now I cant go back to my old job as a Heavy equipment mechanic or any other sort of mechanic for that matter. The state has been good to me as far as my payments, surgeries, therapy and so on. Now I have taken all of there tests to see if it is possible for me to get back to my job and they have found exactly what I have told them, I cant lift my arm over my head let alone do HEAVY work overhead or in akward positions.

So the problem I have is also a blessing, I will be retrained, that is a blessing, the problem is that I dont have a clue as to what I want to do when I grow up. I am only 29 years old but I have been a mechanic all of my life. my dad is a mechanic so that is what I grew up doing. I went to college the first time to be a mechanic. So now I (have been told this is how it works anyway nothing is final yet) will get 12,000 dollars toward any two year degree. I was hoping that some of you wonderful people could maybe point me in a direction as far as what YOU might do if you could do it again or at least shoot me some ideas. For some reason I am thinking medical equipment repair and that is all. I have this one thing stuck in my head but I need more ideas and then I can weed them down.

Please shoot me some ideas and thanks for reading my ramblings.

p.s. My old job I made $20.00 an hour, now I dont need that amount but close would sure be nice and more would obviously be better.

Thanks again

TIM

[hidepounder]

Tim,

I'm the last guy who should give anyone any career advice......except this......do what you love to do and do it better than anyone else! The money will follow. I can tell you from experience that there is nothing like being excited to get up in the morning to go do what you love!

Bob

[King's X]

Damn TK, I thought you were telling my story. That is exactly what happened to me and I was unable to return to work. I was not a mechanic, but it was a tough time. Hang in there bro. This is what I did. I was able to use my experience and training to take a job (lower paying, unfortunately) as a consultant in my field. It worked out because it gave me another reason to put my life back together. This is the reason why I took up leather work because I could not play golf anymore. After the reconstruction of both shoulders, I was unable to reach above my head and to date, my left hand is still asleep most of the day with constant pain. No more golf. But I am glad to be alive and just plain having a reason to get up every morning. So, look at teaching or consulting in your field. You just have to change course in your mind. If they are willing to pay for school, do it. I wish I would have done it instead of sitting at Starbucks everyday, all day. Yea, I know....TMI!

I'm done.....good luck and if you need to talk, just let me know. I don't have a problem telling other going through your situation how to stay on track and learn from my lessons.

Good luck friend and may the lord provide you peace.

[Milli]

Tim,

You can go to your local comunity college and take a test to determine what areas might be good for you. It will give you serveral ideas as to the direction to go. After you get the results, take your time and explore each option. You might be surprised what comes up, maybe things you never even considered before.

Milli

[Tkleather1]

Tim,

You can go to your local comunity college and take a test to determine what areas might be good for you. It will give you serveral ideas as to the direction to go. After you get the results, take your time and explore each option. You might be surprised what comes up, maybe things you never even considered before.

Milli

Yeah I am scheduled to take this test July 7th so hopefully your correct.

Damn TK, I thought you were telling my story. That is exactly what happened to me and I was unable to return to work. I was not a mechanic, but it was a tough time. Hang in there bro. This is what I did. I was able to use my experience and training to take a job (lower paying, unfortunately) as a consultant in my field. It worked out because it gave me another reason to put my life back together. This is the reason why I took up leather work because I could not play golf anymore. After the reconstruction of both shoulders, I was unable to reach above my head and to date, my left hand is still asleep most of the day with constant pain. No more golf. But I am glad to be alive and just plain having a reason to get up every morning. So, look at teaching or consulting in your field. You just have to change course in your mind. If they are willing to pay for school, do it. I wish I would have done it instead of sitting at Starbucks everyday, all day. Yea, I know....TMI!

I'm done.....good luck and if you need to talk, just let me know. I don't have a problem telling other going through your situation how to stay on track and learn from my lessons.

Good luck friend and may the lord provide you peace.

Well thanks for the info but as of right now I cant go back to my old place of employment and I dont think the Heavy equipment repair feild is in much need fo rteachers in my area.

I know I need to get my head screwed on straight but its all spinning right now.

Tim,

I'm the last guy who should give anyone any career advice......except this......do what you love to do and do it better than anyone else! The money will follow. I can tell you from experience that there is nothing like being excited to get up in the morning to go do what you love!

Bob

I would love to but I dont know if I could pay half of my monthly bills ( wich fortunatly is not much) by doing my leatherwork. I sure wish I was as good as half of you guys and gals on here or I would go to Saddle school and try that route.

Thanks to all and Keep the Ideas and help coming please.

Tim

[Spence]

Tim

You may need to rethink the Med. Equip. repair thingy. Having worked in hospitals for years, there's a lot of equipment mounted on walls, ceilings and even on high shelves.

Talk to your Voc Rehab people and see if there's anything in their training options for leatherwork? Bring in some of your work and see what they can come up with. It might be a related or similar field that could add to your knowledge bank when you're doing your leatherwork.

G'luck and don't let it wear at you. It's just another chapter in your young life.

[FredF]

My experience in life, so far, has been that 1. The best thing to do is what you love the MOST. This is a career that you will be able to do your best at, because you will love to go to work every day and will enjoy and really get into what you do. 2. If you don't nail that, then something close to that. As long as you are working in a field that is "in the ballpark" of what you like to do You should still be able to do pretty well and have a reasonable level of enjoyment throughout your career. 3. Stick to what you are good at. If you are good at mechanics, and figuring things out, then maybe engineering, would be a good field, and there are many branches in that field. 4. Don't career hop throughout your life. Decide on something and stick to it. The only way to get good at anything is to spend a lot of time doing it. And as you get older, you'll see that you become more and more knowledgeable, and more of an expert in your field. That is why I think it is important to find a field that you like, or one that is in the ballpark of what you like (or are good at), because it makes the long time you are going to spend doing that job, more enjoyable. But even if you don't nail it or think you picked the "perfect" career, stick with it and get really good at what you do.

And best of luck. Everyone goes through this at this stage of their lives. Just try to make a "pretty good" choice.

Fred

Yeah I am scheduled to take this test July 7th so hopefully your correct.

Well thanks for the info but as of right now I cant go back to my old place of employment and I dont think the Heavy equipment repair feild is in much need fo rteachers in my area.

I know I need to get my head screwed on straight but its all spinning right now.

I would love to but I dont know if I could pay half of my monthly bills ( wich fortunatly is not much) by doing my leatherwork. I sure wish I was as good as half of you guys and gals on here or I would go to Saddle school and try that route.

Thanks to all and Keep the Ideas and help coming please.

Tim

[Kustom]

I would love to but I dont know if I could pay half of my monthly bills ( wich fortunatly is not much) by doing my leatherwork. I sure wish I was as good as half of you guys and gals on here or I would go to Saddle school and try that route.

Thanks to all and Keep the Ideas and help coming please.

Tim

Tim,

The western gear you made and posted pictures of here looks great. I really think your selling yourself short to think if you went to Saddle School you couldn't find work doing western gear. You could go to the Green County boot and saddle school for a year for only $3,425. Will you rehab package cover that? Good luck on you journey.

Steve

[whinewine]

A Community college is often more responsive than a university as far as getting students trained into the newest & hottest employment trends, be it nursing, cardiovascular & related medical fields, computer related fields or other areas that happen to be 'hot' right now. And when a particular field gets saturated, they tend to go on to the next new hottest area. In 1992, I started in Cardiovascular Training, did 1 semester but was offered a job with the State instead (good salary, good benefits, decent retirement- it was an offer I couldn't refuse). The Community College no longer does that training, but trains in other fields. So take that test & get into a good paying field. Don't be afraid. Speak to your advisor & (ABOVE ALL) tell yourself you can do it (because you can!). Good luck.

russ

[Denise]

Thinking here - you like mechanics but the big stuff is not physically handleable for you now. Being as we have an older washer and dryer, and smaller kitchen appliances that go on the blink now and then, how about small stuff? I know there are small engine repair shops. Appliance repair, parts and service for all the kitchen gadgets. We can't get someone out to look at our central vacuum. Nobody in the area does that. Stuff like that might be an option.

[Tkleather1]

Well thanks for all of the support. I have thought about Saddle school and jsut continuing with the leather business but I dont know if I could make enough money to stay afloat and I am affraid of losing everything. I think I do make a good product but I know I am not as good as others so I dont charge as much as others, therefore I dont make as much coin as others.

The state is advising me to not go back to a mechanical (automotive and engine type) feild as it could result in further injury. I do have another option by not taking the schooling, I could go to work on my best friends feed lot but there is another can of worms there working for friends and whatnot. He has been hounding me for a few years and I would love the work but then I would have to sell my house and move and we all know how that is going right now and my wife would have to find a new job as well. she is a school teacher, and a damn good one so I know she could find a job I just dont know if she could find one right away.

Well thanks for listening to my rants and rambles and thanks for trying to help. Please keep them coming and who knows I might find my pot of gold.

Tim

TK-Leather

p.s. if any of you saddle makers wouldnt mind filling me in on a bit of info I would sure appreciate it.

How much a month do you average, I know it will fluctuate but if you could give me a ball park I would sure appreciate it. Shoot me a PM if you dont want to post it here and if you dont want to share that at all I totally understand I am jsut trying to see if it is even possible.

Thanks again

Edited June 26, 2009 by Tkleather1

[Milli]

Have you thought about taking any business classes? If you want to try to make a go of it in leather, it wouldn't hurt to learn some of the business aspects of it. Or, some accounting classes.

Milli

[zaptoid]

Well thanks for all of the support. I have thought about Saddle school and jsut continuing with the leather business but I dont know if I could make enough money to stay afloat and I am affraid of losing everything. I think I do make a good product but I know I am not as good as others so I dont charge as much as others, therefore I dont make as much coin as others.

The state is advising me to not go back to a mechanical (automotive and engine type) feild as it could result in further injury. I do have another option by not taking the schooling, I could go to work on my best friends feed lot but there is another can of worms there working for friends and whatnot. He has been hounding me for a few years and I would love the work but then I would have to sell my house and move and we all know how that is going right now and my wife would have to find a new job as well. she is a school teacher, and a damn good one so I know she could find a job I just dont know if she could find one right away.

Well thanks for listening to my rants and rambles and thanks for trying to help. Please keep them coming and who knows I might find my pot of gold.

Tim

TK-Leather

p.s. if any of you saddle makers wouldnt mind filling me in on a bit of info I would sure appreciate it.

How much a month do you average, I know it will fluctuate but if you could give me a ball park I would sure appreciate it. Shoot me a PM if you dont want to post it here and if you dont want to share that at all I totally understand I am jsut trying to see if it is even possible.

Thanks again

I started a trucking business out of high school. Got a two year electrical degree at 28 and started my electrical Apprenticeship and now at 44 Im back to school going for a degree in autocad but If I had my choice I would be making holsters. getting to old to be changing careers every decade or so. If you can do what you love that would ideal. Good luck!!!

[Jordan]

Being in the same type of boat, I tried motorcycle repair, woodworking fun but hobby work, as speed is an issue, Leatherwork, absolutely wonderful but very hard to make any money, etc. Tried school but could not seem to apply myself or concentrate enough. I am now contemplating gunsmithing but cost is an issue thru AGI. That may be an area to look at for you, given the mechanical background, or maybe machine shop stuff. Good luck and try to do what you love and you will never work again, you will be having to much fun.

[Regis]

Tim,

I have a nephew who is longtime mechanic and is moving to Snap-on tool distributor. He says you really have to know what you are talking about with mechanics so it is much better if you are a very experienced mechanic.

Regis

[TwinOaks]

I'll second the recommendation to try and work above the collar. If you're good with electronics (controls, etc.) you might consider something in 'instrumentation'. Very good money. My bro in law used to take a boat ride out to the offshore oil rigs to do PM work for them. He was getting $50/hr from shore to shore, and stayed one night on the rig. Most of his work was in an air conditioned office, just checking things. It was a cash job, and the company was happy at the price because he undercut a lot of people on the price.

'Machinist' is another excellent option. One of the businesses here is hiring machinists at $30/hr, and most of the work involved is setting up the CAD machines.