got a question for you. im in my mid 40s, been a heavy equiptment and diesel mechanic. for the last 25+ years. im tired, sore, every bone in my body cracks and i get shootin pains in my right leg and foot. i have worked my way up the pay scale and make a good buck. aint settin the world on fire but comfortable. this profession is startin to get old. crawlin around on the ground, gettin dirty, breathin all sorts of fumes, liftin heavy stuff. what do i do at this point in my life? how do i break into another profession? who would hire me when most companies look to retire people at 52? do i want to start over again and loose all my vacation time and seniorty? my mri results came back and said my discs are degeneratin, some are buldgin. damn, im so confused as to what to do. what condition will i be in when im in my 50s, 60s? i dont know, what do i do? hey, thanks for lettin me rattle on.
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men over 40.
- Thread starter mike phillips
- Start date
Maybe you could go into teaching. You have a lot of experience and skill you can pass on to other people. Either that, or try moving into management.
Sorry, not in my forties, so I can't help much.
About the physical degeneration, you'll forgive me and remember that I'm a fruity californian when I suggest you try some low impact exercise like yoga or swimming to keep your body active. Injuries become more likely when your body is unexercised, and knowing how to stretch should help get the blood flowing a bit better in your joints. Good luck.
Sorry, not in my forties, so I can't help much.
About the physical degeneration, you'll forgive me and remember that I'm a fruity californian when I suggest you try some low impact exercise like yoga or swimming to keep your body active. Injuries become more likely when your body is unexercised, and knowing how to stretch should help get the blood flowing a bit better in your joints. Good luck.
The medical field is always good, and for the most part "forced retirement" doesn't happen. Nursing, Radiology, Respiratory, just about all areas are hurting for good people. And with the boomers trading in Beemers for walkers, it's gonna need more in the coming years.
Good luck to ya- I'm your age and gave up a career(if you could call it that) in autobody for a career in Xray(MRI) when I was young. gotta say it's woked out pretty good so far.
Bob
Good luck to ya- I'm your age and gave up a career(if you could call it that) in autobody for a career in Xray(MRI) when I was young. gotta say it's woked out pretty good so far.
Bob
mike phillips said:
I'm real close to you in age and have also been twisting wrenches for 25 years. I also probably have alot of the same battle scars that you do.
The industry to me is getting old. Management wants more and more, but is paying less and less. Don't know if your flat rate or not (I am, and it blows). I really don't see myself crawling around on concrete floors at age 50 for peanuts.
I was offered a service manager position a few years ago, but would have had to work 6 days a week and take a $15K pay cut. Sorry, thanks anyway.
Would hate to lose the 20 years I have invested with my current employer, but I wouldn't mind a change.
If you find the answer, let me know.
[dream on]......maybe Warren Johnson will call me to drive his Pro Stock car for the '07 season....... [/dream]
- Apr 21, 2000
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- Gallien Krueger for the last 12 years!
I did accounting before I got my record deal. Now that I have some space, I'm going back to school to finish my degree and keep my accounting skills fresh. Ultimately, I plan on going back into the accounting field. I'm 40, btw.
Any thoughts about staying within your profession and moving to a different position.
Shop foreman.
Some larger shops need a shop foreman to delegate the work and oversee shop operations. Mechanic work is still involved, but usually a lot less of it.
Service advisor.
Nothing like a service adviser that actually knows what they are talking about. It can also be very lucrative. Not bad as long as you don't mind dealing directly with customers.
Here is something a friend of mine just did. He had the same complaints you have and basically went corporate. Mater of fact, he left today for California from Rhode Island.
He was a Master Technician for local Mazda dealership and is now working on the tech line for Mazda. You don't have to be working for a dealership to apply for a position such as this but of course it would increase your chances greatly if you did.
Shop foreman.
Some larger shops need a shop foreman to delegate the work and oversee shop operations. Mechanic work is still involved, but usually a lot less of it.
Service advisor.
Nothing like a service adviser that actually knows what they are talking about. It can also be very lucrative. Not bad as long as you don't mind dealing directly with customers.
Here is something a friend of mine just did. He had the same complaints you have and basically went corporate. Mater of fact, he left today for California from Rhode Island.
He was a Master Technician for local Mazda dealership and is now working on the tech line for Mazda. You don't have to be working for a dealership to apply for a position such as this but of course it would increase your chances greatly if you did.
blackbird- been goin to the exercisin joint since the start of the year. in the last 20 months i have lost 60+ lbs.
mike n.- no i am hourly pay. i can feel your flat rate pain. how do you get along with your service writer? i too was offered service mgr. longer hours, less pay. i aint hung up on a title. you could call me what ever the hell you want, but pay me for all the headaches a service mgr. has to put up with. if you want to work for a top nhra funnycar team, pm me, i got connections. maybe warren will tap you on the shoulder.
shop teacher is and has been a thought. to much schoolin involved. i am not the most motivated of people when it comes to bookwork. i am a hands on guy.
mike n.- no i am hourly pay. i can feel your flat rate pain. how do you get along with your service writer? i too was offered service mgr. longer hours, less pay. i aint hung up on a title. you could call me what ever the hell you want, but pay me for all the headaches a service mgr. has to put up with. if you want to work for a top nhra funnycar team, pm me, i got connections. maybe warren will tap you on the shoulder.
shop teacher is and has been a thought. to much schoolin involved. i am not the most motivated of people when it comes to bookwork. i am a hands on guy.
im 38, i just changed careers 18 months ago. heres my story:
Im a licensed arborist, I worked in the tree business for 15 years as a climber/foreman and as a licensed supervisory pesticde applicator. i spent every day outside climbing or spraying or humping wood etc. i have 1 bad disc i know about and probably more. my knees sound like celery and i have misc. other aches and pains. knowing what the future has in store for old tree climbers, i started going to community college 10 years ago for a computer science degree. i finally finished. the tree company i work for happens to be quite large (international) and happens to have an IT dept. long story short, im now an oracle developer for said tree company. i took a pay cut (lost a lot of O.T.) but i pick up the slack by repairing chippers and sprayers and keeping all the rolling stock DOT compliant at one of the local offices. my body feels better, but im getting fat. the work is far more rewarding mentally. it was a hard road, they didnt want to hire me at headquarters. i had to push to get in but its all paying off.
so in short it can be done, it just takes some work and a lot of good fortune.
Im a licensed arborist, I worked in the tree business for 15 years as a climber/foreman and as a licensed supervisory pesticde applicator. i spent every day outside climbing or spraying or humping wood etc. i have 1 bad disc i know about and probably more. my knees sound like celery and i have misc. other aches and pains. knowing what the future has in store for old tree climbers, i started going to community college 10 years ago for a computer science degree. i finally finished. the tree company i work for happens to be quite large (international) and happens to have an IT dept. long story short, im now an oracle developer for said tree company. i took a pay cut (lost a lot of O.T.) but i pick up the slack by repairing chippers and sprayers and keeping all the rolling stock DOT compliant at one of the local offices. my body feels better, but im getting fat. the work is far more rewarding mentally. it was a hard road, they didnt want to hire me at headquarters. i had to push to get in but its all paying off.
so in short it can be done, it just takes some work and a lot of good fortune.
Another option is a different line, I work for lexus and do little heavy duty. I plan on teaching vocational ed when I am to beat to wrench anymore/ and when I can afford the lower pay.
budman
Commercial User
- Oct 7, 2004
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- Owner/Builder of LeCompte Electric Bass
At the ripe old age of 28 I decided I had enough of autobody repair and paint. I found a technical college that had excellerated courses and I got into computer-aided-drafting. I got my first CAD job while still in school. That was 15 years ago. I'm glad I made the choice then. It didn't take but a couple of years to start making good money. Some disciplines like pipe design pay big bucks around here. I got into civil engineering and home design for the most part. The work has been steady and it's never been hard to find a job. Your background in heavy equipment could be a valuble asset. Most places are looking for people with knowledge in a particular field in addition to CAD skills. It's worth a look.
mike phillips said:
We get along ok, but alot of times I feel like they pull labor times out of their @$$es.
Also, you have the gravy grabbing flush queens in the shop that only want to do brakes, flushes and other quick stuff that pays decent, while all the bs low paying diagnostic work comes my way because I have the training, tools and the experience.
Seems like the more you know the less you get.
Mike N said:
aint that the damn truth. the wife, mortgage and travel time. that was why i got out of racin. i missed alot of my daughter growin up. travel sssuuuucccked after a while. owners and drivers made all the cash. we got to work 18 hour days and then drive forever to where ever, seven days a week. great life. at least now my hours are m-f 7-3:30.
i have never been able to figure out why they dont pay diagnostic time. we have to have 8 hours on paper and we have time standards. a r&r sensor might say it takes .3 to do. what about diagnostic time. it might take .5-5.0 hours to find the damn problem. now i got to explain the time differance. my answer "time standard insufficient"
i know for sure that i aint no businessman. i do some welding, fab and machine work out of my garage. it usually ends up costin me money to do a job. i look at the finished product an say to myself "what would i pay for this" its always no where near the cost of materials, time and labor. last job i went $25.27 in the hole. but at least my customers are satisfied when they leave. what do i want to do? i want a job like kids today want. i want to start at the top and make lots of money without doin anything. however that is not my work ethic. i reckon ill be a diesel mechanic forever.Joshua said:
Look for something that gets to you, fascinates you, fuels a passion. I'm just past 40 and i realize more than ever that this is the essence. Put yourself in a situation where you can do what you love doing. Don't be afraid of change. Don't be afraid to change.
woodsgirl said:
For the most part we don't.
You'd be shocked to know how service departments really work. The tech's see very little of the $90 per hour door rate, but we're the ones with the knowledge and $30K worth of tools.
Someone's getting rich and it sure isn't me.
