I was just reading Stanley's post about his job

[solo1]

It reminded me of what my two sons,  Mark, Mad6Gun) and Chris, (Psychotic Bovine), will face when they come back from vacation Sunday.

Mark will be coming back to a job that he hates but, at 51, he knows no other; a master tech at a Chevy dealer.  He has been off work due to a broken finger.  Doesn't sound like much but a mechanic can't work with just one hand.  The company has hired another tech and he's not sure what's going to happen.  He hates his job but has over 20k invested in tools.  His profession has given him premature arthritis and it's showing up in bad wrists, bad knees, and feet.  Impact wrenches and kneeling, bending, and on his feet all day is finally catching up to him.

Chris was notified in a special meeting that Norfolk and Southern railroad will be dissolving Triple Crown.  He has been a dispatcher for Triple Crown, working Kansas City, for over twenty years.  He's 47 and might be out of a job.  The job is highly specialized just like the auto repair profession.

As a father, I sure don't like to see this and I don't know the answer for them.

Not looking for answers, just talking here to the VRCC family.

[The emperor has no clothes]

I'm sure as a Dad it's nerve racking to see these things. I hope things work out for the both of them. 

[Jess Tolbirt]

It reminded me of what my two sons,  Mark, Mad6Gun) and Chris, (Psychotic Bovine), will face when they come back from vacation Sunday.

Mark will be coming back to a job that he hates but, at 51, he knows no other; a master tech at a Chevy dealer.  He has been off work due to a broken finger.  Doesn't sound like much but a mechanic can't work with just one hand.  The company has hired another tech and he's not sure what's going to happen.  He hates his job but has over 20k invested in tools.  His profession has given him premature arthritis and it's showing up in bad wrists, bad knees, and feet.  Impact wrenches and kneeling, bending, and on his feet all day is finally catching up to him.

Chris was notified in a special meeting that Norfolk and Southern railroad will be dissolving Triple Crown.  He has been a dispatcher for Triple Crown, working Kansas City, for over twenty years.  He's 47 and might be out of a job.  The job is highly specialized just like the auto repair profession.

As a father, I sure don't like to see this and I don't know the answer for them.

Not looking for answers, just talking here to the VRCC family.

my son is a mechanic also, there will always be a demand for a good mechanic, he will do good,,
as far as a dispatcher for the railraod, tell him to look at the police depts. for work,, they always need good dispatchers, so i have been told,,
good luck to the both of them,,

[da prez]

  Wayne , I was a heavy truck and equipment mechanic , welder fabricator until I was hurt and forced into retirement. I was later offered a job by an insurance company as an instructor. If they were to check with local tech schools or colleges , their experience may work as an instructor.

                                 da prez

[solo1]

Wow! Thanks a lot for the input.  As a BOW member in our town, I do know that we always seem to be short on police dispatchers.  As for Mark, another good thought. He does an excellent job as an NRA instructor (Ahem, I trained him  )  Might be put to use as an instructor for auto mechanics in one of our local colleges.

I'll talk to them both when they get back.

[Valkernaut]

Is it just me that can't find Stanley's post? Wanted to add my thoughts to it. I would have to try to decide IF folks, in the future(the way things are looking now...) are gonna have money to have work done for them!

Jim

[MAD6Gun]

20K in tools  dad. That number is closer to 80K over 31 years....

[Serk]

I know the feeling, HP just announced another 33,000 or so layoffs (While hiring in "Lower cost geographic regions")...

Sad sign of the times... Good luck to all.

 

[Willow]

Is it just me that can't find Stanley's post? Wanted to add my thoughts to it. I would have to try to decide IF folks, in the future(the way things are looking now...) are gonna have money to have work done for them!

It's just you. A Serious Post from Me....for Once.....

It's my observation that so much that comes to us, at least to me, has more to do with time and placement than with how hard I, or we, have worked to earn it.  I'm not saying that working hard isn't a good thing but even the tendency to do so appears to come to us based upon where and when we were born and raised.

Those two boys will be fine.  They will face some challenges and they will come through them okay.

When we look around us we can concentrate on the things that gave gone, or are going wrong, or we can focus on how much we have been blessed and how fortunate we have been.  I'm trying hard these days to do the latter.

[solo1]

You're right Carl.   I've had hard times (grew up in the Great Depression) but I can look back and say, for the most part, things worked out.   The Loss of Phyllis was the worst but she left me with good memories.  I've also been blessed with reasonable good health for my age.

 However, as a parent, no matter the age of your kids, they are still your kids.  I know that things will work out for them since we raised them right but that doesn't stop the concerns.

Wayne

[cookiedough]

agree on the chevy tech as well.  Check around at local tech colleges for a teacher of auto mechanics.  A guy at work who is a master tech but didn't like working for the auto dealer with his own tools as well for years did work part time where I currently am for 3-4 months the last few years during busier times.  He got a job at the local blackhawk tech college (2 year program) teaching auto mechanics and loves it.  He did have to go get certified in teaching though thru blackhawk tech as well, but he likes what he does.   

There are good jobs out there, but 100's of applicants and eventually one will get lucky although may take years sometimes.

Still amazes me at a chevy or ford or dodge, etc.  dealership they require master techs to supply their own tools costing 1,000's. 

[art]

Been a machinist for 52 years and always supplied my own tools but they were not as extensive as a mechanics tools. I did the teaching in a trade school for machining for two years and would do it again. It was a great experience and fun job. I even had to do the classroom teaching shop math.

[fudgie]

Same boat here and I'm only near 40 and only been in it for 17 yrs. No where to go in EMS but out. I don't want to find another job so I'll work here another 30.  Most leave for higher paying jobs, driving a garbage truck, nurses, etc. I'm not going back to school.

As for Chris can he take a severance or relocate? Or apply for CSX as a dispatcher? For Mark I guess its what ever he likes/wants to do. Turn wrenches or what ever he likes to do. At least everyone needs a mechanic.

Hope they all find what jobs they like. I'm sure its tough.

[solo1]

Thanks all for the suggestions. Maybe it will give both of them some ideas in case of bad news.