When I grow up

skyhighZJ

skyhighZJ

Gov retirement < needs to live
Joined
May 31, 2012
Location
Aberdeen, NC.
This afternoon I have my initial counseling session that will start the process of leaving the Army. I’m beyond excited yet scared shitless all at the same time. All I have known for 20 yrs is Uncle Sam. I have the opportunity to attend a trade school for 6 months (paid for) prior to getting out. I have been back and forth about what I would like to do. I’m not saying I will utilize it but it will be an extra feather in my cap to fall back on if need be.
I’m in good health and very good with my hands. I pick up mechanical things very easily and have no problem putting in a days work if it is “rewarding” (both return on my effort and monetary).
What are the trades like these days? I’m not worried about insurance as I have that covered.
So many unknowns.

Discuss.

What do you do, what is the field like, what are the educational expectations?

Going back to a formal “college/university” does not interest me AT ALL.
Working in an office environment, NO (all I picture is the movie Office Space).
 
Yes

Plumbing / electrical / HVAC / welding / et. al.

High demand, don't see them going anywhere, etc.

Pick the one you think checks all the boxes for you, your lifestyle and your family (i.e., figure how how much you like crawl spaces, travel, etc.)
 
I retired at 49 after putting in my 30 for local government. It was different than I thought. I found myself almost immediately wanting to look for another job. I had been on call 24/7 for 30 years and also worked a 48 hour week. To instantly stop work and be free from any work related responsibility was more difficult than I thought it would be. It took a several months to decompress and not feel an overwhelming obligation to go to a job. I've been retired for a year now and I'm slowly catching up on everything that got pushed due to time constraints. It has really helped that the wife works from home. If I had retied to an empty house and total quiet, the transition probably wouldn't have worked. It also worked out that I have the best BIL. You guys don't know him but I've got another BIL @Jody Treadway that needed some help delivering gold, I mean lumber. That has proven to be pretty fun and just enough side biz to keep me satisfied for now. I don't know what your plans were all along after retirement but if you had seen yourself not working for someone else and focusing more on the homestead try your best to do that. I chose to spend the few, fleeting, remaining years with my family and enjoying them. Congratulations on retirement!
 
GotWood said:
HVAC. Always demand.
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My dad drove a truck for over 30 years and retired in 2010. He was retired for about 6 months before he got bored and started looking for something to do. He went to the local community college, Northeast State, and took HVAC classes. He stays as busy as he wants now and makes dang good money for a few days a week work. He has mentioned several times that he wished he had taken it up back in the 70s and 80s when he was getting into trucking.
 
HVAC guys always have work and make plenty of money.

I know a young man that started as a helper a few years ago with Carolina Comfort Air and is a tech making incredible money now with all the OT he wants.
 
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Welding, machining, HVAC, electrical, appliance repair, plumbing...take your pick. I think people are starting to realize that trades are in high demand and we have a bit of a shortage of people in those fields of work. HVAC is appealing for sure. It's amazing how much people will pay you when they're sweating/freezing in their own house! Or, as previously mentioned, it's amazing how many people don't know how to fix a damn thing any more...

Also, I was always told a machinist that can't weld is useless...but a welder than can't machine is pretty normal :D I always thought it was funny.
 
That's when they call somebody...once it's good and mommicked to death and costs more than it would if they just hadn't screwed with it!
 
I vote plumber. Seems like everybody and their brother around Montgomery and Moore county do HVAC work. Not saying they don't make good money though. But sometimes it's kind of difficult to find a reliable plumber. But like others have said, just general handyman in general is a good way to go. It amazes me the amount of people that don't know how to do basic stuff, like use a hammer or a screwdriver lol.
 
Only downvote I give about HVAC, plumbing, residential electric, home repair, etc is just how nasty the general population and their houses could be. I quit doing almost all residential computer service and concentrated on business work back in the late 90's. Too many roaches, crawling on nasty carpet, having to ask client to remove dirty underwear from the keyboard, etc. And much of it in what you would call "nice" neighborhoods. People are just plain nasty.

You are in a great area, though...older population, lots of personal wealth...if you work your targets, and work referrals among similar "normal" customers, you could end up with a not-so-bad job/career.
 
Just about everyone around here is hiring machinist. I'm sure they are looking for bodies to load CNC machines mainly but they seem to pay decent. I want to some day learn to weld. I an stick metal together but it's usually pretty ugly.
 
If your thinking a trade 100% commercial HVAC. You will learn a little bit of every trade. In commercial no crawl spaces and very few attics mainly just in old churches. Most work is off a ladder above a drop ceiling, mechanical room or on a roof top. I was a commercial service tech for over 10 years and have now moved into the controls side of things.

Thats another great thing about it is there is several different routes you can take. Service tech, chiller mechanic, boilers, pipe fitters, sheet metal mechanic, controls, etc. Every day offers something different and a new challenge. I get bored easily but HVAC always has a new challenge and something new to learn.

Right now there is a huge shortage of commercial techs. A little time in a tech school and you can get a service tech job at just about any company in town. The earnings potential is very good also.
 
mbalbritton said:
What do you enjoy doing? What do you want out of life? I enjoy being busy and seeing the fruits of my labor

Do you want a big house and the latest gadgets and a wife with the biggest ring on the block? The wife and I are actually thinking about downsizing into a very simple container style house and making our best attempt to go “off grid/ minimalist”

Do you want a quiet plot of land and to be left alone? YES!!!

Do you want to travel the world? Not really, way too much I’ve never seen right here in America.
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I vote welding. The school I went to (Arclabs) caters to ex service men/women. The instructors and probably 95% of the student body is ex military from all branches. Word from the wise (classmates of mine) is to go through the VA and ask for "vocational rehab". Particularly in the school I went to, vets can take full 900+ hour courses, some of which costs non military students upwards of $15k, for free. Do it. It'll more than get your foot in the door to some excellent fabrication companies. It's how I did it, though I'm not not military and ponied up the $$ because I knew it was worth it. One of my classmates, and still one of my closest friends from school, retired CSM Reagen now works for a pipeline union in Corpus Christi TX making ridiculous money and putting both his daughters through college while living in a log cabin outside of town. Real shit. Results are typical if the drive is there.
 
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