Im falling apart!!!

B

BillyTheSparks

I'm only 29 but I don't know how much longer I can go on with this job.

The reason being that my knees are knackered, my back is shot, I keep getting stress related migraines; due to trying to get money in and customers with their job being the most important thing in the world. (I know that the customers are important, and they are concerned about thier job, but no-one seems to understand that I have other jobs to do).

I just wondered if anyone knows what else I can do with the qualifications I have (NVQ L3, 17th update, PAT testing, I tried the 2391 before it change to 2 seperated exams, but didn't pass the written part); which doesn't involve site work or getting down on knees lifting too much etc. I do love my job and I'm not a slacker in any way, but I don't know how much longer my body will hold out!

I've been thinking maybe electrical drawing/CAD. I've thought about teaching electrical theory/practical.

Any ideas would be great

Thanks for reading

Billy
 
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I can sympathise :)

My knees are shot as well :(

Cant you try and get a supervisory role with a bigger firm and get off the tools maybe you'd need to go study the books and get the 2391 -1 &2 ?

no magic wand i am afraid if there were trust me i have waived it long ago :)

72-van
 
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Good idea 72-van, never thought of that.
I'll have a look around the bigger firms for such a thing and see what extra qualifications I may need.
 
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also sympathise pal, my backs shot and i can't even push small machines around anymore (finished a nightshift last week and could hardly get out of the car), like 72-van says supervisory role may be the obvious choice but i'd imagine your migraines will get worse! teaching may be the way forward and i'm sorry i can't be of more help.
 
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Go down the HNC/HND route then you will open up the wonderful world of management. You could be in a nice warm office in the winter and an Air Conditioned one in the summer looking at a nice pair of legs rahter than an hairy --- plumber.

Seriously it would open up management, design and a lot more.
 
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pmac10 said:
finished a nightshift last week and could hardly get out of the car
Click to expand...

Now that's not good!!

I might give the supervisory role a go (if I can get a job doing it) maybe if I can get a tempory contract.
The thing is, although I'm self employed, I have never had a supervisors job.

Do you think this would this hold me back?

Teaching is something I have thought about many times, but I don't think I could cope with all the lesson planning (The girlfriend is a primary school teacher, and most nights is sat up until 23:00 setting out planning etc.)
 
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higher national certificate/diploma. the dip. is 1 below a degree. ( ain't done me much good, still doing domestic crap )
 
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agree with telectrix, only thing it opened up for me was a shed load more tasks, 'oh, who will we use to programme that?, pmac got an hnc, he can do it!;
 
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BillyTheSparks said:
I'd like to know also...
Click to expand...
the patience of a saint i'd imagine, innit, i have a pal who works as an engineering technician at a local college and he tells me you can teach one level below your highest qualification, so if you have an hnc you could theoretically teach BTEC level 3, i'm sure you would need a teaching course also
 
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Supervisory roles for large contracts are not an easy way out by all means. You might not have too do as much physical work but the stress of running a large job can put many a man down. You will find that at times you can not shut yourself off from work and your brain is constantly on the go.

Also to get a supervisory role with a contractor i would reckon they would want someone with a proven track record, most firms i think would be inclined to bring guys up through the ranks rather than brining a man in at the top.
 
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Hi mate,if you think your up to it technically,as it`s a very different ball game,then I`d suggest becoming a factory/industrial electrician as it would be very unlikely you`ll be doing a massive amount of "on your knees " stuff,you get your pay every week or month without fail,GENERALLY ok working conditions,usually a chance of overtime/promotion etc.
Also,with your domestic experience you can get a lot of hobble`s or "homers" as their called in Scotland to boost your pay if you want to boost your wages a bit.
I`ve done it for the last 16 years bar a a 2 year spell mixed with running my own firm (non electrical) and 6 months "official" unemployment,I`ve done very well out of it,I`m 35,live in a 4 bed house in a nice part of town and my house will be paid off in 7 years,we`ve been on great holidays,driven/own decent cars and generally been able to live my life to the full,my only regret was my own business and the money I lost through it,I took my eye off the ball and ended up doing something that I wasn`t that experienced in and got shafted,I`ve just got back into my old game of control sparking in March and I reckon I`m doing ok so far,it`s like riding a bike really!!!

I`m not sure of your background but if you haven`t done any control stuff before it`s a very different animal to domestic,but the same fault finding principles apply,I can give you as much help with buzzwords etc as you need.

I`ve been told in general that when the goings good,the domestic lads can earn a fortune but it`s quite a seasonal thing and it sound`s to me that your generally a bit fed up with it all and if your struggling for work in the South East of England then you can imagine how hard it is in the South of Wales where I come from,hence I`ve moved 600 miles away to get a decent job in Aberdeen,loads of work up here for you mind?

It won`t do you any harm to get a bit of industrial work under your belt anyway and if the domestic game picks up then of course you can always go back in as a supervisor etc to save the old bodywork!!!
 
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If you have your CIS and CSCS then just get on site as a subbie, It.s not as physical as you are on site as part of a crew of blokes so the workload is shared, i.ve been doing it 11 yrs now and am trying to get out and go it alone as the H+S is killing it, 8 hours a day dressed in hi vis, boots, goggles, gloves, and sometimes mask, also seem to spend more time moving scaffold towers around these days than actually doing anything!! Billy i am too in Tring and havent long set up myself, so could do with a few starts, if you wanna share the work load sometime give us a call!! lol, - Home
 
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Im falling apart!!!
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