Thread: Useless trade skills AAAAARRGH!

Originally Posted by nats

any sypathisers? Or am i on the wrong forum (poll coming)

you wouldn't be the first person who has come to the realisation that they hate their job and would like a career change.

What I'd do is write a couple of lists.

1.What you don't like about your job.
2.What you like to do in life.
3.What jobs are there that involve list 2.

Don't worry about qualifications at this stage just what you would like to do.

Then pick your most favourite out of list three, then write another list.
4. What do I have to do to make it happen.

Sounds corny but it can help you to get focused. Life is tooo short to do a job that you hate and there is nothing from stopping you from making a change except fear.

That's bloo6y brilliant BT!
*rushes off to become a midwife*

Midwife! well if assisting women give birth is what you want to do don't let me stand in your way, just a bit of a change from spray painting.

I guess the first step would be talking to a midwife.

I must admit that it would be waaayyyy down on my wish list of jobs,


Good luck.

I chose carefully , looked at all the pros and cons and it came to a choice of two , as there were no openings going for a "mamagram man" I picked the other option and Retired

I no longer work in the trade I qualified in, but don't regret doing it. Same as nearly any job I've had (15 or so), as they all had something to offer which I could use later. Skills, perks, travel, experience, contacts, or whatever...even indirectly, like inspiration to do something else! It all becomes part of your armoury for later in life.
Must admit I don't think spray painting would interest me for too long either, but a handy skill to have.

Cheers,

I don't fit any category, I need a "I move when I get bored" option.

Originally Posted by Andy Mac

I no longer work in the trade I qualified in, but don't regret doing it. Same as nearly any job I've had (15 or so), as they all had something to offer which I could use later. Skills, perks, travel, experience, contacts, or whatever...even indirectly, like inspiration to do something else! It all becomes part of your armoury for later in life.

I'm with you there, they have a name for it now - job swingers, there was a big report on one of the evening programs recently. Funny thing is I had had more jobs and career changes than any of those featured and I have only been working full time for 15 years, I did work for ten years part time before that though.

Longest I have ever stayed in one position was 3 yearsbut I reckon I will stay with teaching for a fair while yet, though I may change specialties and schools a bit.

Some of my jobs from memory:
Fish and chip shop boy
TA in a metal fabrication shop
Trolley collector
Lawn mower contractor
Local government officer
Ag Department feild assistant
Main Roads dept Environmental Officer
Dept of Mines Environmental Inspector
Environmental Officer for various mining companies
Environmental Consultant
Landscape Construction Business Owner
Barista at Gloria Jeans
Primary Teacher

I grew up in the bush, around mills, sawyers, etc. and decided that wasn't the life for me. (Silly me! Why didn't someone slap some sense into me? )

So I trained as an Analyst/ Programmer, doing the McDonalds schtick, market gardening, deliveries, rah, rah, rah to pay my way. Alas, once I got into the field I quickly realised it's the shytti end of the stick - I can't stand desk jobs and I'm definitely not a "team player." Loved the work, hated the people. So I worked hard, gained my rabbit furs and upgraded to full Systems Analyst. That's when I realised I'd jumped off the stick and was instead neck deep in the stuff it pokes. IMHO, no job where there's a requirement to "roll over and beg" is worth the money, no matter how many zero's are tacked to the end of the salary.

So, I threw up my hands in disgust, wiped the slate clean and looked for outdoor work... I've done my fair share of milking, ditch-digging and fence posts. Then I got into the mines, where I picked up more DLI's for earth-moving equipment & lifting operations than I've had traffic violations... but I don't have a Driver's License & don't look like getting it back. (Only because I refuse to pay for the "privilege" of jumping through guvmint hoops. )

About that time, the ex- became the ex- and some 20 years worth of damned good pay disappeared into a legal blackhole almost literally overnight. Being freshly single, broke, but otherwise unencumbered, I decided "stuff regular work: I'll just do odd jobs until I find somewhere to settle."

The couple of times I've registered as unemployed have been a laugh. As soon as they look over my qualifications, I can see their eyes light up as they think "this bloke'll be easy to get back into the workforce." [snigger] They got really stroppy when I refused to wear a suit for interviews (I am what I am and I refuse to gild the lily. Worse, they wouldn't listen when I told them I can't handle desk jobs! ) and in the end cut me off benefits for "not making an effort" and basically being a dole bludger. The really stupid thing there was, I didn't want their damned dole! I was doing odd jobs, declaring the income and more often than not didn't get a red cent in their fortnightly pittance cheques. I'd registered as unemployed with the CES to gain access to their job lists, that's all. They're the ones who forced me to apply to the DSS (which was a seperate entity at the time) as part of their enrollment process. Fricken bureaucracy. (Sorry... who parked that soapbox under me? )

That was more than 10 years ago, I'm still a self-employed JOAT, still single, broke (more or less. But it's the shed's fault this time) and still unencumbered (except for the shed)...

...and ya know what? Life is good.

I'll never be rich... so sue me.

Ive been running the same old business for 24 years and couldn't be happier. The way I survive is by re-inventing myself every 5 years or so.

I started off doing domestic landscape construction then commercial then playgrounds then environmental restoration then contract project management, then home dad now back to playgrounds (design and project management).

I'm lucky the business has given me the freedom that allowed those changes. I look at my piers now and they are all millionaires but are they happy?




Ok yes they are but....I wouldn't change a thing at the moment as I have almost no stress and I love my work.

I'm lucky, mine changes too bloody fast to be boring.

Trained as a Radio Tech in the RAAF, then got an extra course on Computers.

I have been fixing computers & associated electronics now for 28 year.

I'd rather be working with wood but the hourly rate sucks.

Where is the "I come from a long line of tradesmen and love doing the job" option?

Al

Option 1 Al.

Hmmmm....It chose me though..

Al

Option 5 Al.

No learning or trade is wasted, no matter how trivial it seems at the time.

I worked in a bank for a total of three weeks after I left school, including the two weeks notice I had to give, and to this day some of the procedures I learned as a Continuation Passbook Clerk are still in use in my business!

(Never write a number over another number when correcting it, always clearly cross out the old one, and write the correct one clearly in its entirety)

I've worked in more different jobs than anyone I know (except BarryWhite that is), some of them have taken years of training, others I made up as I went along. I still can't weld though.

Work for experience/satisfaction/happiness rather than dosh, and you'll be surprised at how easy it is to make a living!

Don't hang around doing something you hate, don't wait for something better to come along, just jump ship. Something always turns up!

Cheers,

P (it didn't always seem as easy at the time, as it does looking back!)