BITOG gadfly seeks employment in industry

[The_Jeff]

Gentlemen and lady:

My present work in a TV station operations dept is changing for the worse: We're going from five men to one doing all the work of the former fab five.

I am that chosen one. A pyrrhic victory. Inasmuch as I am a team player, the shift I'm being forcibly reassigned to will be incurring massive day care expenses. Am keeping it for the health insurance but looking elsewhere. I am particularly looking to work evenings and weekends so I can watch my kids-- it works great with my wife working a "normal" job. She makes big bucks; I make piddly but get the benefits.

Have an application in with a local chain tire store-- they have an apprenticeship program. I like the level of service they do: struts, radiators, batteries. Am wary of dealers, fearful I'd need $1000s more worth of tools and I hear horror stories about the flat rate/warranty reimbursement system. I pay my dues but don't want to get involved with politics where I'm always getting awful jobs. (I just want my fair share.)

I have great references from friends whose cars I've fixed. I get deep: clutches, subframe swaps, piston ring jobs, but don't want to burn out and go that deep every day. My social world doesn't really include anyone in the industry. My "clients" will follow me to the shop I wind up at, though!

I hold a Maine state inspection license, but no ASE certs. Anyone hiring ASE also wants formal experience, it seems. So that's kind of a wash.

Thoughts? It's easier to find a job when you have a job, so I'm keeping the TV thing as a lifeboat.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
It's easier to find a job when you have a job, so I'm keeping the TV thing as a lifeboat.


I`ve always wondered if that`s fact or myth. I`ve been trying to get a better job (better hours/higher pay) with no luck so far. Only interviews I`ve had have been "contract jobs",where basically you sit at home and only make money if you`re called and needed,so I said,no way,and have stayed with my current sales job.

 

[bradepb]

From what it sounds like your experience level is I would go with the apprenticeship.

Take it from someone with 34 years in vehicle repair, stay away from dealers or any comission job, you will be eaten alive. Those jobs require either dishonesty or a high level of experience, skill, and training to make a living and can be very stressfull.

I have worked for dealers, independants and for the last 28 years for a fleet with hourly pay. You just cant beat a gauranteed weekly check and relaxed work atmosphere.

 

[yeti]

you'll get some interesting responses.
you state that the wife makes "big" bucks. that's subjective in nature. some think that 60k is big bucks, some would say 200k.IF you can do well on her income, and IF she has benefits, you could quit your job, and be the house hubby. it depends on how large your "massive" day care costs would be, relative to your income. not enough details to go any further. obviously, this would be until something comes up that suits your needs.it's food for thought.
(i normally don't post in these types of threads, but i have a couple of hours to kill -- must be losing my mind).
good luck on whatever happens.

 

[The_Jeff]

Wife's potential health care plan is a miserable HSA/catastrophic with $12k annual deductible. COBRA for me would be $1100 a month and of course run out at some point. Both are very unappealing. So I'm looking for a shop/chain big enough to offer benefits and opportunities for advancement. Even if I take a pay cut as an apprentice I would eventually outpace the 2% raises I've been getting in a "sick industry". I saw another tire shop hiring and paying $8-9/hr-- the shop I applied with did not offer a range and had me put something on the app. First to name a price loses?

I'm already, basically, a house hubby who works nights and weekends. I like being able to waltz into a bank at 10 am on a tuesday and get my business done... I like unconventional hours which my current job has. I have fierce loyalty to offer, and assume a retail operation like any job has a harder time filling evenings and weekends. If it weren't for the benefits I'd be applying for something like this.

The tire shop has a parts store attached, like a pep boys, so they are in a good position to be open late and on weekends and get stuff done. Their apprentice position says "needs three months experience as an apprentice."

 

[Win]

Well, maybe you should consider your own shop.

The benefits are awful (only what you can provide yourself) but the hours are whatever you want to put into it.

Don't know what the fixed cost are like where you are at, but you might want to consider your own shop. There's not a lot of future in working for other people, imo.

 

[The_Jeff]

^ That's a great idea and on my "if I get an inheritance" to do list. But I'd do well to network in the industry first. I'd be a great used car salesman-- left brain/right brain synergy.

 

[GROUCHO MARX]

I'm sure you'll give careful thought before you decide.

Ask the TV station if you could do your own car repair/talk show.

That would be the best of both. Well, you can dream, can't you.

 

[Win]

Well, it sounds like you have a lot of the key components already: a clientele, tools, and knowledge. Sounds like you just need a place to do business from.

Health insurance is available on the open market if that is what is holding you back. I pay around $900 every quarter for my wife and I, of course, that is a high deductble plan that likley will not survive Obamacare.

Anyway, just a thought.

 

[bigmike]

IMO, the grass doesn't just need to be green for me to find it appealing. It has to be REALLY GREEN. This only applies if you already have a job, especially with benefits.

BTW, I love reading your posts eljefino. I find the wit in there that makes me laugh.

 

[Papa Bear]

I only laugh at eljefino half the time, what does that say about his wit ??......

J/K I love jef's posts !

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Invest in an older dump truck, perhaps an old county truck. Put it in decent running order, and do hauling in the evenings and weekends, things such as driveway rock and dirt.

A neighbor down the road does that and makes a pretty good part time income. He bought an old Ford L9000 dump truck for $6000 from the county (with a snow plow on the front), did some minor work, and has as much business as he wants. It's only about a 14' dump bed on a single axle dump truck, so he can't do what the big boys can, but he makes a killing on the smaller jobs. I think he can haul about 12 tons of rock with it.

When we refreshed the rock on our driveway he hauled in 6 loads at $225 each on a Saturday. As he dropped a load and left I spread it with the tractor. By the time he returned with the next load the prior load was spread-it took about 5 hours in all. I'm guessing the loads cost him about $100 each-the balance being his transportation costs and profit. Not a bad days work, and he's busy almost every Saturday, and frequently during the weekday evenings (he has a 9-5 weekday job).

During the winter he does a little snowplowing with the truck-he contracts with a local outfit and helps with the larger parking lots.

With your mechanical skills keeping an older dump truck on the road shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Drew99GT]

Since you have good mechanical skills and cheaper used economy cars are in high demand these days, why not become a part time Saturn flipper! You could do that right at home.

 

[addyguy]

Yeah, like Drew said, expand your car-flipping business.

 

[Cutehumor]

but since he needs healthcare benefits, he's going to have to work full time somewhere. best bet would be to stick in TV. in this depression, it's hard to get a job.

 

[Turk]

Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
Since you have good mechanical skills and cheaper used economy cars are in high demand these days, why not become a part time Saturn flipper! You could do that right at home.


+1!!!

I have been contemplating that also...

 

[The_Jeff]

Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
Since you have good mechanical skills and cheaper used economy cars are in high demand these days, why not become a part time Saturn flipper! You could do that right at home.


Who says I don't?

I will be exposed to a different bunch of people by being free on weekends. It has been an advantage, IMO, to be able to look at some prospective heap the middle of a weekday.

 

[Shannow]

In our little town, there's no repairs, tyres etc. on weekends...but the parts stores are open.

Can see the market niche there.

 

[andyd]

Try for another situation that would give you the hours you want. Where is the next closest TV station?

 

[The_Jeff]

There are other affiliates around me; they center around certain cities as Nielsen-directed "DMAs"- Designated Marketing Areas. So you get New York, Hartford, Boston, Portland, Bangor...

But the industry is depressing, and this sudden turn of events is a catalyst for me to try something new. And the jobs market is hopelessly full of the guys we're letting go; I can't enjoy success jumping in that fray. At least one of the other stations is union and full of "lifers"-- only some specific employees are allowed to insert a video casette into a VCR!