Career - change of direction

[sjhall]

If you had your time again , would you still go down the same career path ? at the age of 34 I'm very disillusioned with the whole sparking game , I have no personal gripe with anyone who has done a short course and become a domestic installer, but I do think the influx of domestic installers is killing the trade and I don't think it will get any better in the future...

If you had the chance to retrain , would you ?

Ste

 

[BlueToBits]

It is a joke, I bet it hardly covers his HP van payments. but how long can he keep that up for? Before long he'll be complaining he can make ends meet.

 

[telectrix]

you have to push the quality side, proper certification and notification, all that. explain to customer that he can probably do it for that as he has "acquired " the materials.

 

[jedisparks]

Interesting thread, im 31 and starting to get itchy feet. But if i change it will be something completely different. I have been thinking about becoming a paramedic. The more i look into it though the more i think im better off where i am. That trade (if you can call it that) is oversubscribed, subject to the governmeant cuts and NHS shake up, less pay, have to put up with abuse from the public etc. But ive always fancied it for some reason.

You have to think really carefully before you jump.

 

[zedess]

Yeah, thats all u can do really...i mean how ffs how can u compete with a price like that? im cutting to the bone and im still miles away on price, ill stick my price in ..pushing the certification, test results and bc notification (if hes not peed), and the fact i use a tradesman to plaster for the finish but dont hold your breath!!

 

[Adam W]

I think this profession has been squeezed just the same as every other - teachers are just glorified babysitters, medics face abuse from the people they're trying to treat for self-inflicted injuries, nobody has any respect for the police, everyone thinks they're an electrician, customers want everything for nothing and trades/traders should be grateful for the privilege of being fleeced otherwise complaints will be made.
Added to that a lot of professions have been dumbed down to the point that anyone can walk in from the jobcentre and do them with no previous experience (although experience is nearly always apparently essential). Sales, finance, telecoms... All of them nowadays seem to involve being paid minimum wage to sit in front of a computer and getting an earbashing from a customer in one ear and an earbashing in the other from the kid who's been there the longest and been made 'supervisor'.

Personally I think I'm going to stick it out - it may not be as good as it used to be, but you can still work 'normal' hours on a site or in a factory and have a bit of a laugh.
If I could wave a magic wand I'd probably be a train driver - a well paid, unionised job driving around in a train with nobody to bother me apart from the occasional suicidalist. If only everyone else hadn't already got the same idea...

 

[VoltzElectrical]

I think this profession has been squeezed just the same as every other - teachers are just glorified babysitters, medics face abuse from the people they're trying to treat for self-inflicted injuries, nobody has any respect for the police, everyone thinks they're an electrician, customers want everything for nothing and trades/traders should be grateful for the privilege of being fleeced otherwise complaints will be made.
Added to that a lot of professions have been dumbed down to the point that anyone can walk in from the jobcentre and do them with no previous experience (although experience is nearly always apparently essential). Sales, finance, telecoms... All of them nowadays seem to involve being paid minimum wage to sit in front of a computer and getting an earbashing from a customer in one ear and an earbashing in the other from the kid who's been there the longest and been made 'supervisor'.

Personally I think I'm going to stick it out - it may not be as good as it used to be, but you can still work 'normal' hours on a site or in a factory and have a bit of a laugh.
If I could wave a magic wand I'd probably be a train driver - a well paid, unionised job driving around in a train with nobody to bother me apart from the occasional suicidalist. If only everyone else hadn't already got the same idea...

Well I was working on a farm when I enrolled on the government scheme to train teachers. I received £150 a week ( the same as I was getting on the farm, when i got laid off due to foot and mouth cutbacks). however, i was only told after graduating that I would only get the last part after working for 1 year as a teacher. Try getting a .....job. I graduated with 51 others from my course. For a total of about 10 jobs within a 50 mile radius. Cue... the AGENCIES. £85 for a days work looking after the worst classes you can imagine. Then a maternity cover contract for 6 months. Then a sickness cover for 10 months. Then back to the agencies. Constantly filling in HUGE application forms for jobs (including cover 'letters') for jobs with 100 + applicants. WHERE THE HELL IS THE TEACHER SHORTAGE??

And now, retrained as a spark. same blinking story. Wages going down, no opportunities, no investment, agencies, subbie bashing, getting bumped.

What to do??

EMIGRATE.

 

[Adam W]

Do you ever feel like you're chasing rainbows? I suppose you could emigrate and experience the same thing in a different country where you've been told there are massive skills shortages, or you could stick with something for long enough to be considered 'experienced' enough to be able to get the work and get paid a good rate.

Being at the top of your game is where the money is.

 

[DurhamSparky]

im fed up with electrics...!! always looking for a exit strategy!! as much as i like doing what i do it just does not have the "stimulation" that i crave...!! and no hanging from the end of a cable with 230 dropping through me wont stimulate me enough!!

 

[SMB]

A change in direction must be hard.....

 

[BlueToBits]

I think we all need a nice cup of tea.
Sugar anyone?

 

[Winnie]

I was an electrician for a total of about 11 years. I worked for numerous companies working on mostly comercial and industrial premises in between travelling the world and would consider myself to be a good electrician who could not only do the job, but also run a job from a supervisors point of view. I will definately say that the job has never let me down as I was always able to find work throughout this period of time. Anyway about 2 and half years ago I decided that the job wasnt challeging me enough and so went a got myself a career change, lets just say that I now drive around with a blue light atop of my car and sometimes wear a plastic --- on my head. I visit this forum quite often and having read all the posts it makes me pine to want to return to sparking. For anybody who is thinking about leaving I would say give it a go as at the end of the day providing that you dont leave it to long you will be able to get back into the game no-probs, but by the same token Sparking I would say is a really good, enjoyable and fullfilling career. At the end of the day yes I have a pension and I am never going to get laid off and I suppose I have a job that enables me to earn quite alot of money if I get promoted. But you wouldnt believe the amount of garbage I have to put up with, not from public but from the organisation itself. I get treated like a child with no real responsibility I get no job satisfactiion as all I ever deal with is dross who cant manage there own lives and are never happy to see me. Its crap when everybody is going out on friday night and you are going to work. I think I will give it another year then go back to sparking (will try fot self employed) as all in all its a really good job with real job satisfaction and that counts for alot in my book.

 

[Antman]

I was only sparking for 4 and a bit years now I work for MK/Honeywell as a Technical support projects Engineer. Finnally a regular job

 

[alarm man]

lets just say that I now drive around with a blue light atop of my car and sometimes wear a plastic --- on my head.

what your a student..
i thought being a polis would be rewarding seeing the scum of this world locked up..not as much as the he fell your honour like the old days but must be a decent job,tho i dont envy you really..dealing with that type..

 

[Adam W]

I would imagine it's a very demoralising job best suited to someone who doesn't give two hoots about decent people - you have to tell victims of robbery, rape, assault, vandalism etc that there isn't really anything you can do, and try to talk them out of reporting crimes so they can be brushed under the carpet to make it appear that the area under the force's jurisdiction is a safe place thanks to their crime prevention work, then if the victims of crime protest at your lack of response you add insult to injury by threatening to arrest them under 'section 5 of the public order act' - an act passed to tackle 'anti-social behaviour' but in reality used to intimidate and wreak revenge against anyone who crosses your path.

 

[alarm man]

so the polis lie and threaten you to do as they say? ive always found them quite reasonable,then again i dont break the law,well 35 in a 30 limit isnt exactly a crime..