LOST my job today please read if you have a heart im tring to buy a house of my own

[Redneck in training]

Sorry to hear about your troubles. You should have no trouble finding work. In the oil fields of Canada, I heard that if you have a heavy equipment mechanic ticket, you can pretty much write your own pay cheque. Not that I can suggest this POS country as a good home for any long term stay!

Had a relative work at the oil sands(Alberta) as a heavy equipment mechanic. 3 weeks on, 12 hour shifts, 2 weeks off... I think. Yearly income was $100k plus. They were feed well, had great accommodations and top end service facilities.

Good luck.

Another option is Australia. Australia is great country to live in and short of skilled people in certain parts of the country such as Pilbara and Kimberley. Pilbara is short of about 50000 skilled people at this moment. To put it in perspective 50000 people will just about double the population there. Most jobs are FIFO (fly in fly out) similar to tar sands operation in Canada. Heavy machinery operators and mechanics are in great demand in mining industry.

 

[newbury]

<snip>I have wrenches up to 2 inches in length which is what he said I needed. Otherwise I have more tools than what are needed.<snip>

Well since noone else mentioned it - do you only wrench in tight quarters?

Good luck - losing a job when you know it's not your fault is a good educational experience.

 

[kenmac]

Isn't that suppose to be jump from the frying pan into the fire??? Either way, not so sure that it is any better down here. You know, grass is always greener type of thing. :confused3:

I believe that it is best to make the most out of the hand that you were dealt. Sometimes that hand changes, so you have to make adjustments along the way.

You're right.. Thanks for straighten me out. I should have focused on 1 thing, instead of trying to watch the super bowl and respond to a post on TBN. At my age ,,,it's sometimes hard for me to multi task

 

[Waskom John]

diesel lover
I am so sorry to hear about your experience. I will keep you in my prayers. If I had the money I would set you up in your own shop. I have been there with you more than once. So far down that the only way I could look was up.
Just do the best you can and hang in there. There are a lot of us in this forum that are interested in you. Please keep us informed.
Right now I know that our words can't help you find work but I hope you realize that there are people that care for you.

 

[diesel lover]

Well since noone else mentioned it - do you only wrench in tight quarters? Good luck - losing a job when you know it's not your fault is a good educational experience.

That phrase could have a few different meanings. By wrenching in tight quarters do you mean working on machines in tight spaces? Such as under the hood of a 2001 vw beetle very tough to fit even 1/4 ratchet and socket in spaces under that hood

 

[Midniteoyl]

They were mad because it took me 3 hours to service a truck as I went over the list as required. Others it takes one hour as all they do is change the oil and wipe grease on grease fittings, never check anything or wash the truck as I do.

This..

 

[motownbrowne]

That phrase could have a few different meanings. By wrenching in tight quarters do you mean working on machines in tight spaces? Such as under the hood of a 2001 vw beetle very tough to fit even 1/4 ratchet and socket in spaces under that hood

It was a joke, earlier, you said you have wrenches up to two inches in length. We knew what you meant, though.

 

[3930dave]

Way back when I was in college, I had a classmate that worked for a car stereo shop.

The way that owner ran the shop, the guys in the showroom were responsible for "reading" the customer, to see who was on the ball. The guys in the installation shop were trained that if a customer work order came through with "CC" in the top corner, that meant Cut Corners.

In any era, there have been sleazy businesses. Sometimes I think that has only got worse with time, but that isn't really why I'm typing right now.

As hard as you studied in school, some of the tougher lessons come in the Workplace. IMO, a lot comes down to what I call The Game, or the Unofficial Rules of Engagement.

In some shops, the Shop Supervisor gets paid on Hours Booked, # of Jobs (allegedly) completed, or other expressions that come down to Volume of Work Produced. If Quality has to suffer, so be it. In many cases, outright fraud is expected.

Those aren't the shops that I want anything to do with, either as an employee or a customer.

The hard part about The Game is learning (had to get a few of those T shirts myself) that until you set up a business with Your Name over the door, you can't really change The Game. As people have already stated in other ways..... You either (1) Play The Game their way, or (2) You Leave.

Part of the homework in evaluating a future place of work is determining how they Play the Game. The trick is finding the shops where your goal of Quality Work with Zero Call Backs is a good fit.

BTW, this affects all industries, be it fixing machinery, building houses, writing software, whatever.... the human factors are pretty constant.

Part of the research is just talking to everybody you come across. Staying with the Ag theme, asking a long time farmer what they think of so-and-so equipment dealership is always a good idea, and be open about it - say you are looking for work, and want to find a shop with a reputation for taking care of their customers well.

You've had a few conversations that have already turned into short term business. I'll wish you Good Luck, but I don't think you'll need much - a conscientious mechanic that is willing to work won't be idle for long.

Move on to your new activities, but never lose sight of The Game. That was just Round 1.

Rgds, D.

 

[Waskom John]

Diesel lover,
this is my second post to you. After reading 4 pages of post and not finding any thing bad you have a lot of friends that are with you. You are not alone. Just read where a tractor place is interested in you. Remember that looking for a job is a full time job. I would be standing in line at the bank and strike up a conversation with people around me and work in that I was looking for work.
Just had my diesel tractor fixed by a new in town mechanic. He is maybe late30 early 40. Looks grubby, maybe a druggie. Looks can be deceiving. He worked as a diesel mechanic in the oil fields. Don't know why he is working at a mom and pop repair. There is not much he can't fix. I just changed mechanics. I don't care if he does drugs ,was in prison, is on the run from the police or kicks his dog. Well now that is going a little too far. But from now on I will be going to him. I saw him work and this kid knows his stuff.
A friend of mine was working for a company that had a side business of working on oil field generators. He built this side business up till it was the main business. Then the company thought he was too good and if he quit all that good business would go with him. So before it got to that point they forced him to quit.
Lower his wages,his bonuses. He quite. Then the people that need their equipment serviced came in and asked for him to work on their things. When they were told he no longer worked for them the people pulled their stuff out saying no one is going to touch my equipment but him.
I want to read more post to see if you got the job.
One last thing,let the people know that you do quality work and not quantity. This will save you working for a place like your last place. Also don't join with the "just enough to get by guys". You have a good work ethic. Keep it and good luck.

 

[Bird]

As a member of TBN, we assume the OP told the absolute truth, but I saw something recently in a news article about employers who refused to hire someone because the applicant bad mouthed a prior employer on Facebook.

And honestly, would any of you business owners hire the OP after reading what he posted here about his prior employer, supervisors, and co-workers?

I'm not judging him in any way, but think it was very foolish to post what he posted where it can be seen by everyone, including any potential employers.