Career change

[IrishSparks]

Just wondered if any of you had considered leaving the electrical trade.

I've been a Electrician for the past 17 years. I've worked on nearly every aspect of the trade from domestic to industrial to commercial to fire alarms to servicing Hvac and BMS systems etc etc etc.
I've been self employed for the past 8 years and have been very lucky getting maintenance contracts and the like but it seems to be getting harder to get work and get paid for it.
I suppose I've lost a bit of enthusiasm for it as well and I haven't been as pro active in looking for work as I once was.
I have looked around for permanent work and sent my CVs into places but don't hear anything back the majority of the time.
I'm more than experienced for any job I apply for but for some reason I almost never hear anything back.
I was looking for something like in the facilities/maintenance role or field service engineer or something of that like.

Then I also thought of quitting the trade altogether,but for what I don't know.
It would probably mean re training as something else but with two small kids to look after I don't really have the money not to be working and start a course.

Sorry for the moan just feeling a bit down about the whole thing!

 

[Jay Sparks]

Sorry to hear that your thinking of leaving the trade mate. It is hard work, especially with the Electrical Trainee. We all go through low times and feel like we want to quit. Just got to keep your chin up mate, have a beer or two coz tomorrow is another day. And lets face it, if you did go down another route, what ever trade you retrained in, it would be a big step back!!lol

Jay

 

[dingledong]

Also it seems some other trades are saying exactly what your saying now . It's hard in most trades now

 

[GMES]

Don't think I could do another job nor work for someone else either.
We all get down for one reason or another, but there is plenty of work out there and good customers that pay on time.
I am a very positive person and am always busy and I never get comfortable with the customer base that I have.
Even now if I get a steady afternoon or morning then I will go out with a box of business cards and go looking for new customers with the same enthusiasm as when I 1st started.

 

[dingledong]

Surely once you have done all the cages in the zoo where else can you hand out cards

 

[ipf]

A massive payout would do me....so I could retire and become a professional gambler on the horses....but then again, I get bored when I start losing....so I'd be back self employed within a month.

 

[Knobhead]

There’s another approach, don’t leave the trade that I’m sure after 17 years is in your blood. Look for a paying side line, something to take your mind off the electrical side.

I took up photography as a hobby, it became a sideline business. But to progress I needed qualifications.
Hang on, I’ve been here before. This time I’m really enjoying myself.
I still did my full time electrical work and still enjoyed it but now I’d got an escape route I could fall back on if needed.

 

[rapparee]

Electrical Maintenance Jobs in Ireland from Irish Jobs

 

[rapparee]

Sorry to hear that your thinking of leaving the trade mate. It is hard work, especially with the Electrical Trainee. We all go through low times and feel like we want to quit. Just got to keep your chin up mate, have a beer or two coz tomorrow is another day. And lets face it, if you did go down another route, what ever trade you retrained in, it would be a big step back!!lol

Jay

There aren't any Electrical Trainee in ireland (there may be the odd mate in amongst a squad of men, but no Electrical Trainee one man bands), only the english have devalued the trade

 

[dingledong]

Really ? Don't you have these collages everywhere

 

[IrishSparks]

Hi all

Thanks for the advice.

I actually ended up taking a job with a facilities maintenance company.
On the day I started I took a phone call from a job that I priced 8 months ago. It was for circuit inspections for a hotel group with 9 hotels to be done and about 10 months work.
Told the new company thanks but no thanks and finished with them after 1 week and I'm now back working for myself and very happy!
Strange how things work out!

 

[VoltzElectrical]

I've mixed feelings for agencies, but at the moment I'm sorely tempted by some of the offers I keep getting texted from them giving how effing bored I am by my current job, and the effing difficult attitude i get from the the effing two-hats council lazy mongs that are employed to not help me (walked off job yesterday citing colleague attitude i.e. firing F's into me when he's a hole digger and I'm the spark).

Loads of stuff going on at the moment. Latest was text tonight to start in North Wales, 3 months work, digs and loads of overtime.

If you're happy where you are, good luck to you. I have to put up with the Richard Craniums cos I aint being bullied out of van, phone, pension, holidays, sick pay, etc..to go chasing the coin around the country like I used to. I'll just use the equal opportunities stuff to work these dinosaurs around to 2014 thinking.

Just saying, if you're free and easy. get asking around the agencies as there seems to be loads going on now, and it's a great way to make contacts for the future.

Voltz