A Door Closed Yesterday... Another Opened

[300UGUY]

hello all i have been in machinist for 27 years ,i have a small buissness my grandfather started in 1945 then my father went into it we always scrached out a living ,but since 1998 when the free trade with china was sined i have lost 60% of my work imppossible to compete,even with modern cnc ,why dosent the goverment make fare trade ?at this rate we are going to loose a lot of trades and become a service country. IBM just laidoff 4000 in my area ,the word is the work went overseas.

My dad had a shop, but he sold out in the mid 80's. China has some of the most modern shops in existence now. They are progressively moving up the food chain in technology, and our multinational corporations are helping them, all in the name of profit. Look at some of the latest deals to build airplanes - China is constructing huge pieces of the newest generation of airliners. One day they won't need Boeing or General Electric's Pratt & Whitney.

 

[rox]

Happy Easter Guys,
I would like to thank each of you guys for all your replies ! They were all great !

Kathleen and I just came back from our little place up in the Vt mountains, we had some pretty serious talks over the last couple of days. I also had another conversation with the fella that hired me on friday, mostly because I still had some answered questions in my mind ! What i found out was that the shift was not always 6pm to 2 am. Sometimes you get stuck waiting for the trains until 4 am. Kathleen and i just felt that at almost 58 I could not do that too many nights in a row ! In the end they are still interested in me and if something becomes available in the next few months they told me they will keep me on file ! Im going to go see the fella that interviewed me on friday, and thank him with a quart of genuine Vt maple syrup I think that can only help down the road !

I really do want to work there but a few 5 am nites in a row might do this guy in !

I will find that truckin job, whether there or elsewhere, I wont give up till I do !

Im still capable of doing machining work, I just really had my fill of it after 36 years ! The trucking jobs dont pay that kind of money, but I can deal with it at this stage of the game, I want to enjoy what Im doing these last few years !

To all again, thanks for the kind words !

Scotty,
You gotta do what feels right for you and also how it fits in with your wife. I think it will work out okay for you even if you aren't working right now as mentally/emotionally you know you could have been, but you turned it down. Good Luck buddy well I guess I could say Keep on Trucking but that would probably date me

 

[2manyrocks]

Friend of mine worked for Nissan. He quit and started doing excavation work. I asked him why since I knew he had to be doing a great job. He said he had been at it so long he had to do something different to keep his sanity.

I'd say everybody here has a very high level of respect for skilled tool and die makers. I sure do. Everytime I drill a hole, I wonder how anybody can work with metal with a toolmakers level of precision, but some folks are blessed with that ability.

 

[EddieWalker]

...I really do want to work there but a few 5 am nites in a row might do this guy in !

I will find that truckin job, whether there or elsewhere, I wont give up till I do ! ...

Hi Scotty,

Sorry it didn't work out for you, but like everything, there are always options. No need to kill yourself or be miserable.

One thing that I really think you should consider is doing some wood working projects. I'm not nearly as good as you are, but I'm selling stuff that I make and at a good profit. The real trick is getting the clients, and that takes time, but once you get a few jobs, they tell others about you and it just grows from there.

Check out the classifieds to see what people are selling. Go to swap meets and flea markets to see what they are selling. Look around, take notes and see what you can make that will turn a profit. If you are not doing anything else, anything is better then nothing.

It's spring time, and bird houses are always in demand. Work on a cute design, or copy some off a website. Wood crosses are big sellers here. Actually, just about any type of cross will sell for a profit in my area. I've made a few that shocked me in what they went for. I do custom shelves and mantels for clients. It's just cutting and fitting the wood together, it's not hard, but the clients that I've done it for tell me they couldn't find anybody to do it for them until they heard about me. I'm not even advertising anymore, people just call me because of what I've done for somebody that they know.

My most recent project, one that I'll deliver today or tomorrow is a cabinet for a computer that will hang n a wall. It's a touch screen, and he wants it to display pictures and video. I have $150 in walnut, ten hours of labor and will charge him $650 for it. That's extra cash that I made from an hour of work over a few weeks in the evening.

From what I'm hearing, it's very hard for people to find anybody to do this type of work. Do what you say you will, and you are way ahead of the competition. I've seen pics of what you can do, there is no reason that you can't make a decent living at it. Just start out slowly and don't try to make a big profit off every job. It's never about what you can make off of each project, but in creating future projects to keep them coming back and telling others about you.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do. I'd just love to see you take advantage of your skill with wood.

Eddie

 

[scott_vt]

Good Mornin Rox and 2manyrocks,
Thanks to both of you !

Honestly I am a bit depressed about not taking the job ! But when I wake up in the middle of the night at 4 am to go to the john and realize I would just be filling the last train to pull into the station at that time, it kind of puts it in perspective !

The good news is that they were good about the whole thing, and promised to keep my ap on file for any job ops down the road ! Im thinking something will pop up by this fall if not sooner. Even if its not this company there are many othres out there that may need my help.....

 

[scott_vt]

Good Mornin Eddie,
Thanks ! Yep, my Pop has tried to tell me the same thing and you do make some very good suggestions. Its something that I am good at, but always seemed to look at it as a hobby ! Im capable of doing all of that stuff, so I may just explore that just a bit more ! Even Kathleen has kind of begged me to build a large jewelry box for her, and she has many friends at work that may also be interested !

Im not sure what it is with this truck driving thing I have in my head... I guess that lure of being outside out on the road on my own .

Eddie your business gets you outside Im sure, and what I have found is that I love being outside in the fresh air. After a lifetime of being inside, I think you probablly understand where Im coming from !

 

[EddieWalker]

Scotty,

I understand completely. I spent a week on a jury trial and it was the most miserable, painful week of my life. I drove truck for Airborne Express and UPS. I liked that, but after awhile, it gets very boring. Same thing every day, just sort of go on autopilot and wait for the day to end.

I'm kind of an overpaid handyman. I do remodels and build a few homes, but mostly I do projects for people that they want done on their home. They are either not able to do it themselves, or don't have the time. I will do it from start to finish, or to where they can take over, or I'll finish what they, or somebody else has started. I pretty much say yes everything they want done, and give them a price. I they agree, then it gets done.

Indoors, our outdoors, it's no big deal. What I like is that I do something new all the time and I'm making people happy. When they call me, it's because they are mad or upset, it's that they want to make their home better and they want me to be the person to do that for them. What it costs is secondary. I'm not saying there isn't a budget, that's a big part of it, but what they really want it to be happy with the entire process. I make them happy and they pay me.

I don't know your finances, but I can guess that you are not in jeopardy of losing the house if you don't get paid next week. Doing this part time, making some things for people and building up a name for yourself is a drawn out process. One bad reference can set you back a year or more. Just do it for the education of it more then making a profit. Keep track of your time and materials, and add a little to it.

My first few years, it was hit and miss. There was more then once that I was looking online for jobs and thinking of going to Lowes and Walmart to put in job applications. I don't have any other income, so when I was out of money, it got scary. At one point, I had $300 to my name and nothing lined up. Nobody was calling and I was spending my day looking at want ads. Luckily the phone rang and I got the job. I did that job for cheap, and when I was done, I had another lined up with a good recomendation from that client to her friends. It was still slow, but it's worked out and now it's a full time job doing what I enjoy and making pretty decent money.

From what I understand, you are in an ideal situation to go for it. All you have to do is try.

Eddie

 

[rox]

Scotty,
Do you use www.Monster.com to check for jobs? I see in Rutland Vermont they are lookiing for a truck drive for Creed Ice Company. I jsut went to Monster and put in every job in Vermont. It is seasonal but there is a job posted anyway so it's a start.

There was also one there that was work part time from home with some travel. It was working for an insurance company inspecting their accounts for hazards, it says they train you. This job would get you outside work and also some inside work and with your background you might get a looksee. If you do like this one pm me and I'll help you wiht a targeted resume for the job. I fancy myself as a real good resume writer. Everyine I have written a resume for has gotten a much better job.

 

[rox]

Scotty here is another one practically written exactly for you.
http://jobview.monster.com/getjob.aspx?JobID=80301422&brd=1&cy=us&where=State%3aVT&rad=20&rad_units=miles&lid=642&pp=100&dv=1&pg=3&re=4&AVSDM=2009-04-05+03%3a03%3a00&seq=27&fseo=1&isjs=1&re=1000

Here's another one - Route sales adn they want that Hazmat thing you have
http://jobview.monster.com/getjob.a...9-03-30+16:56:00&seq=29&fseo=1&isjs=1&re=1000

Here is a temporary Tool maker position pays $20 to $27 an hour. This is in your field but you don't have a long range committment. Would get you out of the house a bit anyway
http://jobview.monster.com/getjob.a...9-02-19+12:11:00&seq=69&fseo=1&isjs=1&re=1000

 

[scott_vt]

Good Evenin Guys,
OK Im gonna try and bring some closure to this thread and this chapter in my life, and do apologize for dragging this thread up to the top of the board again ! But I felt, that all those that followed along on this thread, deserve to know the ending !

I did find another oil delivery job, actually Ive known that I had the job tentatively for the past couple of weeks. But with any Federal Motor Carrier job, you still need to go through the DMV backround check, and after that is cleared, you need to take the premployment drug screening test also. Even though I just did that for the previous potential employer, you need to do it all over again for your new employer.

I went to the New Haven oil terminal today for orientation on terminal rules and truck loading etc.

My first full day is tommorrow ! This is a local company so no real commute, I think its 4 miles from our home. so my gas burner Dodge 4x4 wont be a factor ! The thing thats really nice, is that its 1 or 2 days a week this time of year, and in the fall its full time.

OK so now your updated ! Hopefully its the end of the story ! For now anyway !