Learn me, Completely starting over a career at 35

neon4891 wrote: In reply to bearmtnmartin: How does one get into plumbing?

I'm more of an outside plumber. I design and install onsite waste disposal systems. Not glamorous but lucrative, recession proof and very little competition in the commercial and advanced treatment systems that I specialize in. I got started by seeing an opportunity and sticking my neck out.

Not to mention my wallet.......

Seriously, I bought some equipment, took some courses and told people I knew what I was doing. Eventually I did.

btp76 wrote: It's, at this point, taking all I have to keep up with my $3k a month overhead, which includes $2k of loan payments. At best right now I'm reducing the debt on the banks terms. If I sold out everything I'd be close to even, but would have little if any working capitol. My wife essentially started over at my age (she's ten years older) but had a law degree she wasn't using. Now she has a nice cushy job that allows her to spend plenty of time with the kids. I'd like to be in her shoes.

How did your wife start over? Can you follow in her shoes?

She had a law degree and owned a pizza restaurant. Sold the business and got a job.

I don't have any degree.

I am currently doing what you are doing. Starting over at 37. I've always had a job. I am a SS Tig welder in the brewing industry, and a good one. I blew my back out 5 weeks ago at home and it's still not good. I also have bad knees and 1 bad arm. So, into the office I go. I am now working on quoting and sales in the same company. It's the scariest thing I've ever done, but I kind of like it.

It sounds like you need a plan. At 35 I DON'T recommend trades because like you have said, you don't heal like you used to. I did it for 15 years and I have paid dearly for it, I can't even play hockey anymore, I'm only 37!

Get out of your business, go find somewhere to gain some skills entry level and if you are as smart as you say you are, it won't take long to move up.

good luck.

Completely doable if that's what you want to do. I know many people that have done that and will, including myself. Only upside for us is we got paid to do it. I started a new career at age 38 after retiring from the military. Didn't exactly work out as I had planned. Wanted to be a full time college student and get my degree then work for the FAA. Ended up getting tired of starving on my E6 retirement pay and took a job as a contractor for the army while going to night school. Finished my degree and got picked up civil service at the same time several years ago. Now I'm a non-supervisory GS13 logistician doing similar to what I did in the army, just at the Aviation Command level now supporting those in the field. I have a cube but get to go out and visit the troops fielding new equipment. Have had 8 trips so far this year including a 2 week foray to Kuwait/Afghanistan. And they are trying to get me to go to upstate New York after T-giving. Will probably have at least the same amount next year to different areas. I like my job and getting paid well for it.

Others do it so you can to but it may take some time to set up (training, certification, whatever) and some time to get situated into a job but given time, determination and patience it can be done. yoo can doo eet.

After 20 years of teaching shop I decided to go back to school. Took 8 years to get an IT degree working on it nights and summers. I then retired from teaching and got a job as a programmer/analyst. That was at age 50.

johnnytorque wrote: At 35 I DON'T recommend trades because like you have said, you don't heal like you used to. I did it for 15 years and I have paid dearly for it, I can't even play hockey anymore, I'm only 37!

I hear ya... I just finished installed 50' of PVC vent pipe in the g/f's house. I'm freakin' wiped out...

In reply to wlkelley3:

Threadjack, but where in upstate NY? Anywhere in the western part of the state and we will have to meet for a beer.

pigeon wrote: In reply to wlkelley3: Threadjack, but where in upstate NY? Anywhere in the western part of the state and we will have to meet for a beer.

Fort Drum, NY. One day meeting (2 nights). Never been there so don't know the area.
I haven't been given any more info than a possible day. If they don't come up with it in the next day or two I won't be going.

In reply to wlkelley3:

Ah, Watertown area. Whole lotta nothing there. Sorry, unless you want to drive 1.5 hours to meet me in Syracuse (also 1.5 hours for me) that's too far for a meet and beer.

Well, next time then. I have a feeling that I will be back there. Always works out that once I've been someplace I invariably go back.

Get the engineering degree. It won't take 5 years. You are older and more mature than I was when I was 18, and it only took me four. If you dedicate yourself to it, you can finish in three-four. All the studies and statistics say that college grads make more money- not working with their hands.

Didn't want to make this a college vs trades debate, but it is relatively easy to find those studies. Here's one: Harvard Study that basically states this, but is coming from the tack that Americans need to go to trades as much as traditional colleges.

Although I disagree with Teh E36 M3 about the time it will take to get the degree (they expect more now from engineering majors, most schools actually believe it should be a 4.5 to 5 year degree based on what is needed. Their "planned" curriculum schedules are brutal)

An Engineering degree would serve you well. Being in Dallas you have tons, I mean tons of jobs. I am looking now and have found more in TX than anywhere else.

Given your age and what you are doing here is a piece of advice, interview a company to see if you want to work in that field. You would be surprised how receptive companies are to this. Engineering is a field that you can do most anything with. Given your background you would fall into testing, root cause, and forensics really easy. If the company is some place you want to work ask them for what they look for in experience and education and taylor your classes to that.

You are in a good place, my only caveat is watch your debt. I went back and finished when I was 31 (36 now) and have 2 medical issues in my family that is slowly killing any chance of financial recovery from my college debt (Wife with an auto-immune disorder and needs her discs replaced in her lower back [insurance won't pay] and a son is Asperger's [insurance also won't pay for therapy])

If you plan this right and do some ground work you are set, a little bad luck and your family is in financial ruin.

I hope it goes well with what ever you decide. I will leave you with a quote that has served me well.

"50% of engineering is defining the question properly. This is where most research is not done and should be." Dr. John Wagner P.E.

Get taco truck

In reply to Wonkothesane:

I run a Toshulin VTL with live tooling and while I usually don't write programs from scratch I do LOTS of edits to tool paths, cutting data, etc...

It's a great job and you can earn a decent living if you're good and find the right shop. My lathe isn't millturn capable; if I use a plunge/facemill large enough to clear the ram it will over load my live tooling spindle unless I take skim cuts which defeats the purpose of the millturn.

The work to pay ratio is much better than my previous occupation of Diesel Mechanic.

Anyway sorry for the hijack, happy job hunting.

How about doing building retrocommissioning? You've already done commissioning, but once a building's been in service for a while it tends to have more problems and use more energy. I know Texas A&M has developed a "continuous commissioning" procedure where we go in and fix the problems with an existing building, and then install enough monitoring to be able to find problems as they crop up.