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  1. #1
    ro4441 Guest

    Default career Suggestions

    Can anyone give me some career suggestion? I enjoy metal work and been givin a specification/working drawings then go off and make it, Im not good with wood, or not too great with the designing, however im good at writing up production plans I have thought about a precision engineering course with an apprentaship with JCB, but theres a slim chance of getting that. So im just want to know what else is out there. Collage and university websites arnt much help 2be honest

  2. #2
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    G'day mate
    Speaking as one who did his apprenticship as a Fitter and Machinist in the 1970's, If I knew back then what I know now I would have got a job as a clerk in the public service somewhere and done metal work as a hobby. Financially I would be a lot better off. I currently work as a Technical Assistant in the Mech Eng dept of a Technical college. To get that job I needed a trade with at least 6 years post trade experience plus other post trade quals. For that, I work longer hours, for less money, than a grade 2 clerk who only had to be able to type 35 words/min when they started as a clerical assistant. Once in they just work their way up the ladder with automatic grade increases with length of service. There are people where I work who are half my age getting more money with virtually no qualifications.
    As a tradesman (I'm talking fitter here) if you are in the right area, you can earn good money, but you are working for it. Its ok when you are young but as you get older it all starts to catch up with you.

    So I suppose I'm trying to say to you is have a look at whats around and then try and think what there will be a need for in 10, 20 years etc down the track. Ask yourself what you would like to be doing in 20years. I suppose there will always be some work for fitters or steel fabricators/welders, auto mechanics etc.
    If an office job doesn't appeal to you, consider plumbing or electrical. There will always be work for a good plumber or eleco. Plus to set yourself up in business (if thats what you want) doesn't cost a lot of money when compared to setting up as a machinist.

    Sorry if this sounds a bit vague, I'm a bit tired.

    Best of luck with it.

    bollie7

  3. #3
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    Have to agree with Bollie ,started my apprenticeship in 1970 , there werent many CNC machines about then ,but they are a lot more common now .
    The skills to operate a CNC machine are not like you need to operate a manual lathe or mill . You still need the basic knowledge ,but It's mostly programing these days ,the machine takes care of the rest .

    Kev
    "Outside of a dog a book is man's best friend ,inside a dog it's too dark to read"
    Groucho Marx

  4. #4
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    I totally agree with the above as well.
    Plumbers have always been the best off financially, since I started out.

    Two little anecdotes.


    1. I have a friend who has been a doctor for the past 30 years. He has three good friends.... myself (Builder), another doctor friend, and a plumber friend. His words...... The Plumber is the only one of us that has two Mercs in the garage!
    2. I was having a chat to the plumber that I use now. We were discussing my nephew wanting to go to university, and my wish that he take up a plumbing apprenticeship that he was offered. Plumber.. "Mate, definately talk him in to the apprenticeship. Being a plumber is like having a licence to print your own money!"

  5. #5
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    I agree with the above. I was told the same sort of things before I started my apprenticeship but didn't listen. In my experience most industry despises craftsmanship and strives to reduce everything to mind numbingly trivial tasks. I don't regret turning my back on fitting and turning and it's amazing how many of the people I went to trade school with did the same.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fossil;952878
    [LIST=1
    [*] Being a plumber is like having a licence to print your own money!"[/LIST]


    That is strange, plumbing is an incredibly easy thing to do..Done plenty of it myself, it is not rocket science...Electrician work would require a lot more knowledge..

  7. #7
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    Don't forget that it's a licensed trade RC, just like an electrician is.

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    Quote Originally Posted by blackfrancis View Post
    Don't forget that it's a licensed trade RC, just like an electrician is.
    Yea, apparently, although I do not know why...Electricity is understandable as to why it is licensed but water is pretty harmless...I guess it must be so home owners in urban areas don't hook the sewerage outlet into the water mains...But since we supply our own water out here we don't bother getting plumbers out..

    Nothing is illegal until you get caught...

    I wonder what the rules are..Am I even supposed to be allowed to install a pump in the house??? What about a pump on a dam??

    oops getting off topic here...

  9. #9
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    Default Vote one for apprenticeship.

    Friend's son had the same dilemna about three years ago.

    He has since been doing an Electrical apprenticeship, and has not looked back.

    Option of plumbing was given but the thoughts of mud/digging when you are older and have bad knees was the clincher.

    Here in Oz, there is a critical shortfall, or so I read, for roof tilers and roof plumbers. The average age of these workers is getting older and new blood is not coming in.
    "Rotten to the Core"

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by rotten_66 View Post
    there is a critical shortfall, or so I read, for roof tilers and roof plumbers.
    Roof Tiling is a very hard profession and one of the wildest. Not too safe either. Seen a few roof tilers who have walked on a broken tile and gone through too.

    I was working on a job one day and during lunch was talking to a plumber about fixing blocked sewerages and how I wouldn't be too fussed doing that sort of work. He stated he liked doing the sewerage work. When questioned why he stated the following.
    1) When you arrive at the job the people are always happy to see you.
    2) While you are doing the job they stay well away from you.
    3) When the job is done they are grateful and happy to pay for the service.
    Peter

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by .RC. View Post

    I wonder what the rules are..Am I even supposed to be allowed to install a pump in the house??? What about a pump on a dam??
    R.C. Here in the middle south, I believe it used to be that you could do your own plumbing on non mains pressure systems. ie in your situation. Technically you were not supposed to work on mains supplied systems. I think the big worry is an un- qualified person doing work that could result in unclean water back feeding into the mains system.
    Not sure what the regs these days are though. Like you, if I was in your situation I would also be doing my own.

    have a nice one

    bollie7

  12. #12
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    TO ro4441

    Mate, Do your utmost to get that apprenticeship! And then when it is completed you can re-evaluate your career path.

    You may have noted a trend on this thread, I also am a Fitter and Turner, who is feeling his age and doesn't want to stay on the tools forever. I've just signed up for a diploma in Engineering (Drafting and Design).

    Good luck with the JCB position!
    The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.
    Albert Einstein

  13. #13
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    To the professional fitter and turners here, if you knew what you do now would you still take up a fitting and turning profession???

    It's interesting in that if I knew what I knew now I would probably take up a fitting and turning apprenticeship rather then be involved in my current occupation.. However when I left school (90's) it was during the period when there was nary an apprenticeship to be had as it was during the period when there was no incentive to employ an apprentice and in fact anybody considering any sort of apprenticeship was discouraged from going that way and instead encouraged to go to university...

    Then the new century came and the massive skills shortage and the businesses ran around like chooks with their heads cut off as there was no young skilled people around to do the work...

  14. #14
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    [quote=.RC.;953982]To the professional fitter and turners here, if you knew what you do now would you still take up a fitting and turning profession???

    ..
    Probably not more likely airconditioning mechanic or electrician as its easier and less costly to set up your own business.
    I probably should have completed my mechanical technitians certificate and taken up draughting .
    Dont get me wrong ,I'm glad I did the trade , and enjoyed the work , but the old days of standing at a lathe or mill or shaper and using your hard learnt skills are gone .
    I enjoy using my trade skills as a hobby more, I'm in my own world when I'm at the lathe or mill but I can make a few dollars doing small jobs for people who can't afford the prices some of the local machine shops are charging ,but prefer not to do too much "outside the hobby " type work.

    My current job is behind a desk , organizing contracts involved with repair of vehicles and plant, quality control etc , I get to hang in the macine shop and occasionally use one of the lathes or mill on the weekend for myself.
    Once the surface grinder is working again that will get some use.
    We have a Kondia CNC milling center as well ,mainly for machining aircraft parts but only one person is allowed to operate this machine .It's mind blowing to watch the machine go through a job in minutes instead of a manual mill that would take a couple of hours, but I'm afraid it's not for me , I prefer the "old way " but most employers look on the "old way" as too time consuming and lesser profit margin on a job than with a CNC .
    There are probably a few "old way" employers around that would take an apprentice on ,
    It still can be good work programming and doing one offs on a CNC though all be it a bit robotic for the operator.


    "Then the new century came and the massive skills shortage and the businesses ran around like chooks with their heads cut off as there was no young skilled people around to do the work"

    That's the catch 22 situation ,"skills shortage " employers don't want to spend the time money and effort training people from scratch it costs too much .The government reduces the training incentives ,employers won't take on apprentice ships .Most of the old tech colleges were closed and the apprentioceship system was replaced with traineeships where the trainee only learns what his employer requires him to do . Technology replaces tradesmen with CNC machinery that can be operated by a non skilled or semi skilled person .One or two prgrammers running about setting programs in the machines or even just recalling the program from the CNC's memory.
    It's all CNC these days because after the initial outlay for the machine ,its mostly profit ,an employer can get a bigger return much faster with a CNC .


    Kev.
    "Outside of a dog a book is man's best friend ,inside a dog it's too dark to read"
    Groucho Marx

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by .RC. View Post
    To the professional fitter and turners here, if you knew what you do now would you still take up a fitting and turning profession???
    No.No way.
    Pretty much the same answer as Woodlee and for the same reasons. Lots cheaper to set up if you are a plumber, eleco etc . For, say an eleco who has his contractors licence. a good used van $20K, another $20K of tools and small materials inventry in the van and you are in business.
    What does a machinest get for $40K? not very much, plus the overheads of renting a shed etc.
    I've been out of the mainstream side of the trade for 20years now and I couldn't go back.
    Mr Arthor Ritus is moving into my hands and pulling on spanners etc upsets him a lot. I have to be careful with what I do at home as well. Probably a bit of a catch 22. Because I'm not using my hands like I used to I've lost a bit of strength which in turn makes it harder when I do do a bit of heavy hands on.
    Such is life.

    bollie7

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