Hi,
A bit about me, and my "journey" so far...I'm 35, from the north of the England.
I was always pretty good academically, so at 18 the default option as for so many people my age back then who didn't really know what to do, parents didn't have university background I ended up nudged towards an arts degree (languages because I was good at them), being quoted that you earn over "£250,000" over your lifetime than non-grads and other such crap.
I did okay but couldn't shake the nagging feeling that it whilst it was useful, there was a lot of other literature and academic rabbit holes with linguistics that really weren't for me, and more of an auxillary skill to complement a main one
Eventually left, along with the debt and no qualifications or experience aged 21.
Got a job driving delivery vans, 4 years of early starts and weekend work.
Eventually left for an office job and after a year went back, 4 years later got a degree in Mechanical Engineering graduating aged 30.
So I'd spent 7 years of my twenties in full-time education at this point! Although I'd worked summer jobs and some internships.
Did some "contracting" (although really it's just working via ltd company, no-one with just a degree and no experience is a specialist contractor yet) for 3 years and found a full time job in the hope I can learn more whilst there. It's a different area of mechanical (oil & gas) but I was glad to change industry.
I feel like I'm well behind for my age to be honest but I can't change the past.
I know a couple of close friends who've gone down the entrepreneur route, one in HVAC, starting as a one-man band in the trade and now employs a lot of people, and another in the drinks business.
Not going to lie, feels like time is running out for me to do something but I don't really know what.
I'm looking into the coding and online thing but not sure it's for me.
Another option is trying to do something with mechanical engineering, I am already on this path in a way but it's O&G and not an area that I can go off and contract easily at the moment. Potentially a lucrative area once it picks up again but more consulting rather than a business.
I think areas such as HVAC/Building services consulting (from the design side rather than on the tools like my mate started out) has a better market in some ways as there's lots of smaller clients rather than the large oil companies. Problem being I'd need to learn this area as I really don't know much outside the basics, and don't think it's possible to learn it yourself to a standard to sell to clients.
I've also considered doing some structural engineering, doing work for residential clients and then moving onto bigger ones. However I don't really have the experience in this, and short of taking a pay cut for 5 years to become proficient and then setting up on my own I don't see how to get into it. I think it's fairly common for structural engineers to do work on the side in this way, but I'm mechanical and though I know how to do the calculations really not sure what else is involved in the detail.
A final wildcard option is retraining in a trade, seems crazy after all those years education already but I've heard of another guy on a forum who did just that. Retrained as a gas engineer, with one of the fast-track courses, then worked for nothing for a year to get the final qualifcation (how it works in the UK is you need a certain amount of practical experience to sign off the final part of the qualification), if you can work on the industrial side the demand is huge and money is very good. Again more consulting type work but scope to set-up a business.
Anyway enough rambling. I look forward to making use of the forum, I've seen some great posts already (US needs more tradespeople for one).
Cheers,
Matt
A bit about me, and my "journey" so far...I'm 35, from the north of the England.
I was always pretty good academically, so at 18 the default option as for so many people my age back then who didn't really know what to do, parents didn't have university background I ended up nudged towards an arts degree (languages because I was good at them), being quoted that you earn over "£250,000" over your lifetime than non-grads and other such crap.
I did okay but couldn't shake the nagging feeling that it whilst it was useful, there was a lot of other literature and academic rabbit holes with linguistics that really weren't for me, and more of an auxillary skill to complement a main one
Eventually left, along with the debt and no qualifications or experience aged 21.
Got a job driving delivery vans, 4 years of early starts and weekend work.
Eventually left for an office job and after a year went back, 4 years later got a degree in Mechanical Engineering graduating aged 30.
So I'd spent 7 years of my twenties in full-time education at this point! Although I'd worked summer jobs and some internships.
Did some "contracting" (although really it's just working via ltd company, no-one with just a degree and no experience is a specialist contractor yet) for 3 years and found a full time job in the hope I can learn more whilst there. It's a different area of mechanical (oil & gas) but I was glad to change industry.
I feel like I'm well behind for my age to be honest but I can't change the past.
I know a couple of close friends who've gone down the entrepreneur route, one in HVAC, starting as a one-man band in the trade and now employs a lot of people, and another in the drinks business.
Not going to lie, feels like time is running out for me to do something but I don't really know what.
I'm looking into the coding and online thing but not sure it's for me.
Another option is trying to do something with mechanical engineering, I am already on this path in a way but it's O&G and not an area that I can go off and contract easily at the moment. Potentially a lucrative area once it picks up again but more consulting rather than a business.
I think areas such as HVAC/Building services consulting (from the design side rather than on the tools like my mate started out) has a better market in some ways as there's lots of smaller clients rather than the large oil companies. Problem being I'd need to learn this area as I really don't know much outside the basics, and don't think it's possible to learn it yourself to a standard to sell to clients.
I've also considered doing some structural engineering, doing work for residential clients and then moving onto bigger ones. However I don't really have the experience in this, and short of taking a pay cut for 5 years to become proficient and then setting up on my own I don't see how to get into it. I think it's fairly common for structural engineers to do work on the side in this way, but I'm mechanical and though I know how to do the calculations really not sure what else is involved in the detail.
A final wildcard option is retraining in a trade, seems crazy after all those years education already but I've heard of another guy on a forum who did just that. Retrained as a gas engineer, with one of the fast-track courses, then worked for nothing for a year to get the final qualifcation (how it works in the UK is you need a certain amount of practical experience to sign off the final part of the qualification), if you can work on the industrial side the demand is huge and money is very good. Again more consulting type work but scope to set-up a business.
Anyway enough rambling. I look forward to making use of the forum, I've seen some great posts already (US needs more tradespeople for one).
Cheers,
Matt
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