v8dave
Platinum Member
Re: How many \'o you retired turkeys...
Hi Bill--been a while.
Yeah, I "retired" too. But I never realy did. I was in Aerospace. Company sold three times. Last buyer decided we weren't big enough and divided up the division I was at.
It was ugly, the sharks circled for a few years dividing up the projects and business base. Spent almost 1/2 the new business development money to fend off other company poachers.
Then a big project would go under and instead of firing a few screw-ups to instill a sense of right and wrong, we'd get yet another set of rules and reviews we'd have to jump through the hoops on. I wanted out then, but I hung on because it was still an intellectual challenge.
Final capper was another division poached my project and I used the old buddy system to get laid off instead of finding another job or having to move with the work. Got a special early retirement package on top of the golden parachute.
I only stayed out a little while. Went to work for a Consulting firm hiring me out as a hired gun in the same racket. So many experienced people have left the business, these big Aerospace firms are desperate for experienced help, they pay my outrageous salary by the hour. I get paid for every minute I work now, no more free over-time. And, I get to just do the real work. The politics and procedures are left to the regular employees. It's great.
It's a part time job that's part time only from the aspect of choosing to accept an assignment. Once you take it on, it's full time and mostly away from home. I did take a year off to build my shop. Don't have to work, but I really enjoy it now. About the time an assignment gets old hat, it's the end of the job and time to move on. I spend time at home tearing up the property for a while and then on to another job.
Amazingly, there is only a small percentage of people at this consulting firm that are working for entertainment value. I can't imagine doing this type of work if I had to depend on it for a living. I only half joke, I'm working to fill up the shop I built.
I'm in Arizona at the moment, this assignment will end in June and it's back to California. I brought my motorcycle down and have been enjoying touring the Southwest--different type of seat time. Still get tractor seat time on bi-weekly home trips.
It's been an interesting set of life experiences. Not the least of which, is the ability to say "take this job and shove it" if I wanted to, without any financial repercussions. But, when you have the ability to say that, it changes your outlook so much it doesn't become necessary to say it.
Hi Bill--been a while.
Yeah, I "retired" too. But I never realy did. I was in Aerospace. Company sold three times. Last buyer decided we weren't big enough and divided up the division I was at.
It was ugly, the sharks circled for a few years dividing up the projects and business base. Spent almost 1/2 the new business development money to fend off other company poachers.
Then a big project would go under and instead of firing a few screw-ups to instill a sense of right and wrong, we'd get yet another set of rules and reviews we'd have to jump through the hoops on. I wanted out then, but I hung on because it was still an intellectual challenge.
Final capper was another division poached my project and I used the old buddy system to get laid off instead of finding another job or having to move with the work. Got a special early retirement package on top of the golden parachute.
I only stayed out a little while. Went to work for a Consulting firm hiring me out as a hired gun in the same racket. So many experienced people have left the business, these big Aerospace firms are desperate for experienced help, they pay my outrageous salary by the hour. I get paid for every minute I work now, no more free over-time. And, I get to just do the real work. The politics and procedures are left to the regular employees. It's great.
It's a part time job that's part time only from the aspect of choosing to accept an assignment. Once you take it on, it's full time and mostly away from home. I did take a year off to build my shop. Don't have to work, but I really enjoy it now. About the time an assignment gets old hat, it's the end of the job and time to move on. I spend time at home tearing up the property for a while and then on to another job.
Amazingly, there is only a small percentage of people at this consulting firm that are working for entertainment value. I can't imagine doing this type of work if I had to depend on it for a living. I only half joke, I'm working to fill up the shop I built.
I'm in Arizona at the moment, this assignment will end in June and it's back to California. I brought my motorcycle down and have been enjoying touring the Southwest--different type of seat time. Still get tractor seat time on bi-weekly home trips.
It's been an interesting set of life experiences. Not the least of which, is the ability to say "take this job and shove it" if I wanted to, without any financial repercussions. But, when you have the ability to say that, it changes your outlook so much it doesn't become necessary to say it.
