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> all this talk about jobs..., long term plan for starting a shop
xsboost90
post Jun 28 2005, 06:30 AM
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since i was a kid all i wanted to be was a business owner. My parents convinced me i wanted to be an engineer, but everyone i know that was one either didnt like it or couldnt find a good job. I took a year of industrial design and some autocad classes for mech. engineering that i need to finish. My problem is the idea of working in an office isnt what i want.

Ive always wanted to start my own shop- seems everyone does- but im not doing it unless im sure i am prepared and can be successful. I have plenty of mechanical experience, and can fabricate things like crazy, mostly whats holding me back is money and tooling. My plan is to build a nice sized garage in the next year or two and start collecting more tools and building/restoring p-cars and such. I may try to get into fabbing custom parts as well, we'll see.

My QUESTION is , should i go to work for a reputable shop first and learn the rights and wrongs , ins and outs or just jump in and learn on my own. Currently im a safety director for a health care facility, but have been a mechanic for two years and worked at a body shop for some time + learned alot from my father =bodyman for 20+ years. I may get him to come work w/ me as well...may even be interested in building street rods. Or how about this, street rods w/ porsche motors and drivetrain! There is a shop nearby that restores old bugs and buses, called metalcraft coachwerks. I always want to ask for a job there when i see the owner but, health ins 401k etc may not be an option. I think ill wait till my g/f graduates from nursing school before i make a big change. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/unsure.gif) (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/confused24.gif)
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Jakester
post Jun 28 2005, 10:00 AM
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Sounds like you're in a good place, Dan. That place being a spot where you are looking at life and seeing that your future is in your hands.

Remember, those who risk nothing, gain nothing.

I went through a similar decision point in my life not too long ago. After being a desk-jockey engineer for 6 years I got laid off in the dot-com bust and got a 6-month golden handshake. After looking hard at what I wanted to do with my career, I decided that I wanted to pursue becoming a fire fighter. I took almost 3 years off to retrain and gain relevant experience. In that time I went to school, drove a tow truck, drove an ambulance, drove a fire engine (as a volunteer FF for 2 years), turned a wrench for a facilities maintenance team and generally dabbled in careers I'd only seen from afar.

Also in that time, we were blessed to have two healthy children born into our family. With that blessing came increased responsibility, however, and since the fire fighter thing was not happening quickly enough (I tested and interviewed for the entire 3 years without landing a permanent position), I had to fall back to my engineering. I have resolved that taking care of my family both financially and physically (i.e. being home) is more fulfilling than the perfect dream job.

I too, have always wanted to be part of a shop. That's why I was excited to jump on Andy's proposal to keep Brad's shop alive through a group effort. I saw it as a great opportunity to make new friends, have an ultra-cool hangout spot and scratch that itch. Alas, that plan fell through. There's still hope of it working out somewhere else with the right mix of people, I'm sure.

I suspect that you don't have the responsibility of a family of your own yet. If you are thinking that you need to make a major life change - now is the time! It won't get any easier than now and you don't want to look back and wish you tried but didn't because you were worried about not having a 401k plan.

Good luck and I hope it works out for you! (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/smilie_pokal.gif)
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xsboost90   all this talk about jobs...   Jun 28 2005, 06:30 AM
zymurgist   Can't give you much advice on learning the tra...   Jun 28 2005, 08:55 AM
jet1     Jun 28 2005, 09:28 AM
McMark   If you can save up 10k or more, you'll reduce ...   Jun 28 2005, 09:32 AM
URY914   Think "CASH FLOW"!!! Who will you be...   Jun 28 2005, 09:34 AM
Brett W   Do like some others I know. Start small, build yo...   Jun 28 2005, 09:42 AM
Root_Werks   Yep, start small, build your rep amoung the automo...   Jun 28 2005, 09:50 AM
!   If you can afford it....find one or two excellent ...   Jun 28 2005, 09:58 AM
lapuwali   Like Mark said, start saving now. Having several ...   Jun 28 2005, 10:13 AM
Root_Werks   Jake, thanks for the words and advise. I do have ...   Jun 28 2005, 11:38 AM
MikeP   KEEP GOOD RECORDS!! My business is account...   Jun 28 2005, 11:59 AM
xsboost90   thanks for the advise. Ive been doing as many side...   Jun 28 2005, 01:29 PM
Lyressa Roberts   I have to agree with McMark, save lots of money be...   Jun 28 2005, 02:01 PM
Verruckt   http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/e...   Jun 28 2005, 10:19 PM
xsboost90   who can forget this one?   Jun 28 2005, 10:19 PM
xsboost90   This is what is in the garage right now between ot...   Jun 28 2005, 10:26 PM
xsboost90   ok ill stop now, one more- what we're aiming f...   Jun 28 2005, 10:28 PM
Quadlinear   XS We need to get together sometime. Give me a pr...   Jun 30 2005, 08:58 AM


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