CORSA NUT
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Registered: 3rd Aug 01
Location: Wirral
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Has anyone else got to the point in there life were they have realised they don't really enjoy there job or what they have trained for years to do?! I'm wondering what the wise men of CS make of my situation 
Basically I've been involved in engineering of sorts since I left school..
Sheet metal worker, made every panel for Liverpools 'Kop' and lots of other major football and sporting grounds/Factories.
Lifting gear engineer, working on manual lifting gear and then electric chain hoists for the entertainment industry ie Concerts. This evolved into designing and building control panels for them. Had to use my brain, hands and was a workshop manager. This job suited me but I left the industry, long story why so I won't go into it and wouldn't go back.
Then my mother in law past away leaving my wife pearentless and tuned our world upside down.
I then got a job via a mate at a big car dealership to keep me busy, basically driving and valeting. I then got a job as a trainee electrician. Did 3 years in college and did extra testing exams so i'm well qualified. Got made redundant as my boss left to work in Oz and I went back to the car place as I needed a job quickly because our daughter was born.
I'm now working for a mate who I've worked with in the past in the likfting gear industry. He's had his own Bathroom and Kitchen fitting company for years. His only worker left on the long term sick and he rang me out the blue and offered me a job. Basically I'm helping him by doing electrics and he's teaching me all the aspects of the job including building works. The money isn't great and unless in a few years I start doing this for myself I won't ever earn a lot more.
Since 22 ish i've earned 20k+ a year until now which I'm now on about 21K. Barring the car dealership job obviously. It's simply not enough so I have to sort something out.
The problem is I have no desire to get an electricans job which i'm qualified for as the pay isn't a huge amount more than what i earn now and you have to work away a lot which isn't possible with my circumstances. Plus I've only really or 3 years experience working with with an electrical contractor so on paper it doesn't look good. Because I don't work weekends I do my own customers work then so earn extra this way.
I turned 32 a few weeks ago so not exactly over the hill but nor am I young enough to start over again doing something completely different. I'm thinking of some sort of PLC programming job (ie Siemens/Mitsubishi) like at car plants etc. When I've been on job sites they seem to crop up a lot! Is anyone in this line of work??
My wife just shruggs and sais she will support me no matter what I do but I'm at a loss  I seem to have just coasted into things and just put my head down and worked rather than thought about wether I enjoy what I do and the future.
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CORSA NUT
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Registered: 3rd Aug 01
Location: Wirral
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Rambled on a bit there sorry 
Just to add we've got a really nice house and nice cars so as much as money is important this is more of a personal thing as well.
[Edited on 26-01-2013 by CORSA NUT]
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Eddx14xe
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Registered: 12th Jan 10
Location: Hertfordshire
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Why do you hate being an electrician?
You can earn a decent wage if you went at it alone and could find the work, try to get in with letting agencies etc. I currently work as trainee plumber, my boss has all the maintenace contracts with a large letting agency in my area and some months he earns a serious amount of money.
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neil h
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Registered: 28th Sep 06
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To be honest if your interested in PLC programming then all I can say is go for it. Theres a lot of money to be made in control and instrumentation engineering. Especially once you get some experience under your belt.
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gtitim
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Registered: 13th Feb 05
Location: the boonies
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At least you have qualifications to fall back upon.
I have been a Police Officer for 5 yrs - before that I was a prison officer, before that I worked in retail for years. I have no qualifications bar GCSEs and a pointless NVQ in Policing - but plenty of life experience. Given recent working conditions, I am in the same boat as you, ie looking for a new career direction, however, I have no trade as such to fall back upon, and let's face it, who wants to employ an ex cop with 10 GCSEs? My plan is to study, get my A levels and some form of enginering qualification and look abroad, or get a building trade and work for myself. I have nothing concrete in place, other than to leave the Police within the next 2 years.
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csweatherston
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Registered: 16th Jan 06
Location: Devon
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I hate my job and the people i work with/ for.
However im too lazy to look elsewhere.
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CORSA NUT
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Registered: 3rd Aug 01
Location: Wirral
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Edd- I don't 'Hate' being an electrician I just said I don't have any desire to do it full time. I spend a lot of my spare time doing it but you'd have to work as one to understand how shitty it can be. Wages have been dragged down and if there's no work local then your away working. I could 'Set up' by myself easy enough but I don't have the financial back up incase it all goes quite.
Tim- I actually considered mentioning I've alway wanted to be a police officer  I got through a few stages when I was about 21 and when I found out the shift patterns I pulled out. Now they have changed I've tried a few times to apply but obviously you know they are cutting jobs rather than taking on. My mate is one in Liverpool and hates it because of the paperwork and the PCC.
I think PLC training would be something I could do whilst still working which would be a bonus but I wouldn't know we're to start 
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CORSA NUT
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Registered: 3rd Aug 01
Location: Wirral
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Also Tim you'd be suprised how many employers would employ an ex officer! A lot of life experience counts or a lot.
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neil h
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Registered: 28th Sep 06
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quote:
Originally posted by CORSA NUT
I think PLC training would be something I could do whilst still working which would be a bonus but I wouldn't know we're to start
We buy a lot of our gear through a company called Drawtrend and they offer training courses, so might be worth contacting them to see what they offer/reccomend.
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Tiger
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Registered: 12th Jun 01
Location: Leicestershire Drives:Astra VXR
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You sound just like me. I fucking hate electrics and I've been a spark for 15 years.
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Russ
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Registered: 14th Mar 04
Location: Armchair
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nice that your wife has said that and doesnt expect you to do this and that. I'm in a position where i have never known what i wanted to do, my money is ok, can probably get a bit of promotion but ever earning more than 40k would be impossible
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CORSA NUT
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Registered: 3rd Aug 01
Location: Wirral
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Thanks Neil I'll look them up mate
Tiger once you kind of know the job it's not as glamorous as I thought it would be.
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CORSA NUT
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Registered: 3rd Aug 01
Location: Wirral
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quote:
Originally posted by Russ
nice that your wife has said that and doesnt expect you to do this and that. I'm in a position where i have never known what i wanted to do, my money is ok, can probably get a bit of promotion but ever earning more than 40k would be impossible
She's amazing always puts others first and hasn't got a bad bone in her body. Plus she gets away with working part time as a HLTA teaching assistant for 9 years and doesn't aspire to anything so she never argues with me.
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Root
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Registered: 28th Dec 08
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Can't say that I'm fed up of my job, but I am fed up of how my career life has panned out.
GCSEs - I'm intelligent but I only "passed (C+) a few" because I didn't pay attention.
College - experimented with a few courses, left them all, the only one I wanted to pursue was electrics, after doing a year of level 2, turns out to do level 3 you have to be employed...I don't know who makes these fucking rules, but no electrical employer wants to take on apprentices who could cost them money, in my case anyway, so that failed.
Career wise, I've always been in and out of various jobs..mostly:
Retail
-worked at somerfield for 6 months, was late often due to being young and silly, left the job thinking i was being sacked anyway, big mistake.
-currently work at asda as a driver for home shopping.
Driving
-did the brand new cars at our local docks, driving them between compounds and ships, fun job.
--currently work at asda as a driver for home shopping.
-done various takeaways.
My current job is £6.41 an hour, I have a day off about once every 2 weeks, and work for at least 8 hours, up to 16. Throughout my payslips I've earnt between £600 and £1500 per month. I literally work my arse off, just finished a shift and I'm back tomorrow for a 9 til late.
In the future, I hope to save up for and complete my cat C+E driving test and drive HGVs for more money, or save up a fair sum and buy a fishmonger round, as the family have done so a few times and made good money.
At least you have options and qualifications and £21k isn't a bad wage, I work very very hard and I'm lucky to bring in £1200 a month.
Here comes the line, "wish I had done better at school"... and college etc.
At least your missus seems a genuine girl and is happy to be with you no matter what your career path. I think that you should just do what you enjoy most, that's the most important thing. No job is very enjoyable, but at least if you enjoy it from time to time, it's bare-able.
Sorry I have talked a bit about myself but it's a comparison I guess?
Like I said, do something you enjoy and it will last all your life. I hope you find that
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Eddx14xe
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Registered: 12th Jan 10
Location: Hertfordshire
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I had the same problem as you Root, passed my level 2 but then couldn't find an employer to complete the course and become qualified. I done my level 2 in plumbing, worked doing bathroom fitting, tiling and now a trainee plumber.
I left college when I was 19, with my level 2 in plumbing and electrics. I was 22 last month and I've only just recently (within the last couple of months) found people to work with.
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Root
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Registered: 28th Dec 08
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quote:
Originally posted by Eddx14xe
I had the same problem as you Root, passed my level 2 but then couldn't find an employer to complete the course and become qualified. I done my level 2 in plumbing, worked doing bathroom fitting, tiling and now a trainee plumber.
I left college when I was 19, with my level 2 in plumbing and electrics. I was 22 last month and I've only just recently (within the last couple of months) found people to work with.
A few guys from our course went on to plumbing...in my opinion, the only guys who benefitted from the course, had already found jobs previously as electrician's mates, but probably knew more than the tutor. The rest of us just payed the wages of the tutors for a year...what a waste of a year  I'm 24 in May and I've just started my new job..I'm only going to do it until I progress into lgv/hgv or fishmongering. Time will tell which is right for me.
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CORSA NUT
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Registered: 3rd Aug 01
Location: Wirral
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Your not going on about yourself Root, it's good to write it all down as it helps get it all in perspective. I suppose that's why I made the thread, just to get it all out!
I think the difference between us (obvs i dont know your situation) is I'm 32 and we have a mortgage and a daughter? I don't have the luxury of earning an 'Okay' wage we pay out £1400+ a month so our disposable income isn't a lot at all. Sure we always have food in the table and fuel in the cars but it only takes one big thing to happen and were buggered tempted to sell my VRS and get a runaround. Then I could use the extra money to fund some training etc? And put some more in the savings.
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harrisp
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Registered: 15th Dec 07
Location: Derbyshire
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I'm another in the same boat, used to enjoy my job, and was making ok money but now the company have took on a few people who are complete arseholes and I know hate the job. Work is quieter so most months I'm taking home about £700 a month less than before which is not fun.
I've also got plumbing qualification but got made redundant during my apprenticeship.
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CORSA NUT
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Registered: 3rd Aug 01
Location: Wirral
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Seems to happen a lot that Harris when I was on my course there must have been 26/27 lads and only about 15 of us actually qualified at the end.
The fact I used to regularly pull in 2k a month and now it's about £1450 annoys me, surely wages should just keep going up I'm sure if I'd stayed in the lifting gear industry I'd be minted. Just wasn't to be.
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CORSA NUT
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Registered: 3rd Aug 01
Location: Wirral
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Just found this the company went from nothing to a turnover of 2 million in 2 years. Harrrrrrd work
http://www.lsionline.co.uk/news/story/Lift-Turn-Move-s-new-team-member/-8Y4JRX
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baza31
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Registered: 19th Apr 03
Location: yorkshire
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I think what everyone has in common is that they are comparing their jobs to what they was like before cutbacks.
Lets face it money makes a job better. Now with all the cutbacks everywhere and ever increasing costs of living and no wage rises to level it up people are getting pissed off. I don't know quite what's changed from 10 year ago in this country but it needs to go back.
What am trying to get at is there is no 'great' jobs' out there now .
I think if I was to reccomend a job for quick promotions it would be in banking .
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CORSA NUT
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Registered: 3rd Aug 01
Location: Wirral
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You know the country's fucked when it's laying off police officers and cutting NHS funding.
My mates just got a job at Toyata on a production line. It's circa £350 a week possibly more but the likely hood of him still being there in 12/24 months time is
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mattk
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Registered: 27th Feb 06
Location: St. Helens
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I hate being a plumber to be honest but unless I was jeremy clarkson or pixie lotts arse wiper I dont think Id be happy in any line of work, I just dont like working. There is still money to be made in the building trade if you are willing to risk it and go on your own.
I invest most of my money now so hopfuly in a few years I wont have to do this shit. or maybe only 2 days a week
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Carl
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Registered: 9th May 04
Location: Jimmy Bennett's la la land.
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Try and cut down your out goings, like youve mentioned get a run around etc. Over time you just end up spending more and more, living to your means, although I accept it must be hard with a child as well.but cutting will take pressure off focusing on wage rather than what you actually want to do.
I turned 29 the other day and im rolling around in an old yaris! Mainly because I work in health which I enjoy but the money is poor. Recently got a new job which ill be on 19k and thats with a degree and 5 years experience in that field!
[Edited on 27-01-2013 by Carl]
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Eddx14xe
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Registered: 12th Jan 10
Location: Hertfordshire
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quote:
Originally posted by mattk
I hate being a plumber to be honest but unless I was jeremy clarkson or pixie lotts arse wiper I dont think Id be happy in any line of work, I just dont like working. There is still money to be made in the building trade if you are willing to risk it and go on your own.
I invest most of my money now so hopfuly in a few years I wont have to do this shit. or maybe only 2 days a week
I'm the same. I used to think I hated plumbing, building etc but its not the job I hate, it's just working in general and having responsibility. Hopefully after a year or so and when I've done my gas safe, I'll be earning more money and not have work every day, every week. Quite a lot of the tilers on the tiling forum, work for a couple of months and then take a month or two off. Hopefully I will be in that position in the future.
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