Career change vs. current job

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Darrin

Darrin

Member
Joined
Aug 4, 2008
Messages
604
Location
Middletown, Ohio
Sorry folks, just had to vent a little. Im currently an industrial mechanic for a company and have been there 7 years. Im 31 and really hate being a mechanic in the industrial field. Since I have been turning for about 2 years now I really have found a passion in woodworking and recently purchased a very nice Bosch router to further my woodworking abilities in my shop. I don't think at 31 it's too late to have a career change but I'll be if it doesn't seem impossible to find an entry level job as a cabinet maker or furniture builder( Im quite fond of furniture as well but understand there are many more cabinet making shops and would love doing that equally). Everyone seems to want experience of 3+ years and all of my qualifications earned in the last 7 years really have nothing to do with woodworking. What ever happened to the old timers taking an apprentice into the shop and the likes? I'll keep on looking.....and thanks for listening to my rant! :mad-tongue:

Darrin
 
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It seems like you're caught in a classic Catch 22. You can't get hired without prior experience and you can't get experience without first being hired. I heard of another guy in a similar situation who made a sample piece of furniture and brought it along when he went to the shops he visited. He let his worksmanship speak for itself since it means much more to a fellow craftsman to see what you have produced rather than what you say you can. Just thought...

Jim Smith
 
I would GUESS your timing is bad.

Cabinetmaking is better when "house making" (building trades) is in vogue.

I like Jim's suggestion, also if you KNOW of a busy homebuilder, ask them what cabinetmakers are busy and having slow delivery - thus needing more people.

Good luck and keep trying.

Don't quit your day job!!:giggle::giggle::rotfl:
 
I know that when I was out of work, I went to a custom cabinet shop for a job that was advertised. Now I have been a carpenter woodworker my whole life. he wanted to know if I could run certain machines he had, honestly I couldn't and this was before CAD came onto the scene. I would try a cabinet installer and work backwards, while installing you can gain knowledge in how they are assembled and what tools are used and the installer would be able to give you a good referance for the cabinet job. good luck Howard
 
Darrin,

It is never too late to change jobs and you can do anything if you really put your heart and mind to it.

That said, I echo what was said about the timing. Given our current economy, it is not wise to venture into uncertainty right now. I did that 2 years ago and it went south for me. I did bounce back so it is doable but it was really "turbulent".

Working from the bottom up is also a good advise. What matters is getting your foot in. Again, I did that myself recently accepting a job I am over qualified for (as project field inspector) to prove myself. Got promoted in less than 6 months and now doing something much closer to my ultimate goal.

Learn the trade (what skills are in demand, use of various tools, etc.)
Learn ways to get in (know people working in the trade, find an forum specializing on your target, etc.)
Expand your target area (prepare for the possibility of relocation)
Use the internet searches (Monster.com, Craigslist, etc.)
etc., etc.

Also re-evaluate why you are not satisfied with your current job. Maybe it is an easy fix and that you will be happy with it again. Sometimes divorce is really needed but sometimes counseling fixes things too :wink: Cabinet making might be the "other woman" which is not who you think she is until you married her :eek:. Know what I mean? :tongue:

Maybe a smaller leap is the answer...like automotive repair/mechanic? You can even have your own shop after a while.

What I am getting at is that this is a life changing move...you need to look at all the angles before you decide.

Good luck!!!
 
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Work ain't supposed to be fun, that's why they call it "work". Strong advice, but I find it to basically be true. I've been blessed all my life with good jobs, but I have always dreamed and once fulfilled my wishes for better work. Then I get there.................. I quit my corporate job to start a custom woodworking business. Running your own business is TOUGH. My cousin said it best when describing her husbands business. "Marty just works half days running his business. That's 12 hours." My current job as a model maker is considered one of the best jobs around. There are still many days when I have to force myself out of bed to get here. I encourage you to make changes, seek a dream, but I would sure wait a couple of years to make the jump. That would make this a perfect time to start retraining. Weekend classes at Woodcraft, Marc Adams' School, John C. Campbell School, Arrowmont, etc............I would suggest making a really great tool box in one of those classes that you can carry to an employer as your resume. Good luck.
 
Idea

Darrin,

In the Dallas area, the remodeling business is booming! Since the economy is bad, people are opting to remodel instead of purchase new. I agree with previous posts, though, that you may have to work as a "grunt" for a while as these cabinet makers need skilled help today because of all of the work. However, if you could get a shop to agree to apprentice you while you helped with installation, this might work.

For another thought, some of the best cabinet makers that I know have really small shops. They are really good because they don't mass produce. The best one I know of is just one guy working by himself. If you could find a situation like this where he is near retirement and he would let you buy his shop from him (at a future date - say 5 years), then this may be a great apprentice situation and a good way to get some high quality machines that you would be accustomed to.

My $0.02.

God Bless,
StatProf
 
Go to www.woodweb.com these are cabinet makers with Q A. It is fun to read some of the questions and answers. One guy was asking since he was working in a shop that he was going to take over later, what should he work on Pricing of workmanship etc. There were several answers but the one I like best was. If you are single you should work on your dating skills so you can marry someone that can support you in the cabinet shop.LOL This is the only job I would do for FREE. Hang in there.
 
and remember those who are HUNGERY are the ones that get the job. heard someone talk once about how he kept going back to the place asking for a job. he finally got a job when someone showed up intoxicated.
 
markgum said:
and remember those who are HUNGERY are the ones that get the job. heard someone talk once about how he kept going back to the place asking for a job. he finally got a job when someone showed up intoxicated.
Click to expand...

Was that the guy that HIRED him???:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:
 
I work for myself and it is tough at times. The slow times drive you crazy b/c you're not bringing in money, and the busy times drive you crazy b/c you're working every waking minute of the day. It's tough, but if you love what you do it's a different kind of "tough" than when you hate your job. 31 is plenty young. Hell, I've gone from property management to power washing/carpet cleaning to now pen turning and I'm only 24!!!! Find a job you love and you'll never work another day in your life!:)

What I did and what I suggest for anyone is try moonlighting a bit. Do a little work on the weekends and at night and if you love it and are good at it then the demand for your product/service will naturally demand more of your time until the decision to do it full time is a smoother transition. If you don't love doing it after a long day's work and don't want to give up your free time doing it, then you'll find that out while moonlighting without burning your bridge while you're standing on it. If you do love it even if you're tired and burned out, then that's what you're meant to do!!!!:knife:
 
Darren before you jump something to consider. Right now you enjoy woodworking but if you start at it full time you may find it isn't fun any more. When I was working I was an electrician in our nuclear power plants here in Canada. I loved electronics and Ham Radio. After about 8 years I managed to snag a job in electronics maintaining and repairing the shutdown systems in the plants. After a couple years working full time at this I found when I came home I didn't go near the radio equipment or the electronics bench I had set up at home, it just wasn't fun any more it had become a job and it was ok at work but that was about all. Now that I am retired I keep my woodworking as a hobby I do not want it to become a job like electronics did and all the joy go out of it to.
 
Darrin,

Do you have healthcare benefits in your current job? I worked "for myself" for 14 years. Fortunately during that time I only had one health problem which required a surgery. I blew out my ACL. I took a Friday off for the arthroscopic surgery since having reconstruction was out of the question (too much time off work) and was back at work on Monday.

Now, with good benefits, I didn't go bankrupt when I had my lung surgery. I was able to take off the time I needed to recover. Working at your own shop sounds great, but the job owns you, not the other way around.

FWIW,
 
Thanks folks for all the comments. I'm not trying to start my own business but rather work at a cabinet making shop for someone else. I already have MY plate full as my own venture 'Tribal Eclipse Organics' is working well and I get to turn plugs, pens,bowls,etc for custom orders. This 'new career' if you will would be my main job. I know all about burning the midnight oil as I spend anywhere from 15-20 hours in my own small shop every week filling orders or upping my own inventory and then I post pen pictures for you kind folks to see :) Thanks again to everyone for their comments and even the 'work shouldn't be fun' guy. I know better myself that you CAN enjoy your work or I wouldn't have my own tiny business. :) I was just venting about how hard it seems to be getting into the trade of cabinetmaking with no experience. Im also in upstate NY, so double whammy.
 
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If you were local, there might be a place for you in the cabinet shop I work in, and I could use the company, I'm the only employee right now! I'm only 21 and I'd done various carpentry/construction related jobs for about 3 years before I got this job, but I really had no experience with cabinetry. What I had was a small portfolio of woodworking that I had done, and several letters of recommendation from previous employers. It's true that cabinetmakers aren't suffering as much as homebuilders right now because people are working on adding value to their own homes instead of buying or selling. Also, cabinetry is far enough away from turning, and furniture making that I still enjoy those, even though I wouldn't make cabinets for fun. Occasionally I do get to do a bit of skilled woodworking for work, and that's always fun. Mostly it's just ripping, assembling, routing, finishing, installing, trim. Cabinetry is really easy when you know how to do it, almost boring.
 
Darrin, I am very much a self taught woodworker/fixer. I did my first tiling job when I was 18 - my mother's bathroom. 36yrs later the tiles are still on the walls and look very good...if I can say so myself. Since that first entry into fixing & doing I have developed skills in many things, just not becme a master at anything.

What I did was put the word out with my friends that I wanted to learn more woodworking skills and would work for free. (I'm a consultant and at the time was making enough money to do this.) A very short time later I was working 1 day a week at a high end custom furniture making shop. I did it for a year, sometimes doing more days if my contracts would allow and the work specifically interested me. It was a win/win situation for me and the shop....and I learnt a lot.

If you can afford too, try volunteering one day a week......it may turn out into a full-time job.

You might also want to go to some trade school classes...they are usually linked into the empolyment community.
 
My fingeres are crossed. A furniture refinishing and repair shop wants me to come in on Wed afternoon. The owner wants to meet me as well as the shop foreman. Im going to fill out an application and take a tour of the facility. They said they want me to bring in some of my woodwork and that even though they currently were not hiring....it sounds as though they are looking.... :)
 
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