Trying to make a decision

-
lou3500

lou3500

Fla. Cuda Guy
Joined
Apr 11, 2010
Messages
1,327
Reaction score
62
Location
Palm Harbor Fla.
Short intro then my problem i'm 51 years old i'm a licenced aircraft and power plant mechanic. I worked for a company in my area for 6 1/2 years on commercial aircraft, during that time i was laid off several times never more than a month the place closed in 1994. I have not touched an airplane since, i saw an ad here and sent a resume and receved a call from a guy i knew when i worked at the other place he said he could put my resume on the desk of the person doing the hireing. Here is my problem i'm 51 not as young as i used to be/i haven't touched a plane in 16 years/i'm afraid to leave my current job where i've been for 14 years and could probly stay there forever [except they cut our pay/hours and i'm tired of being broke] thats part of my motivation to look for another job. The guy told me they were looking to hire 400 guys by january which tells me they will be picking from that group and letting the others go in several months [ possibly] i would hate to leave my job just to become unemployed at a later date but i'm also convinced that we are never getting our money back. I would be making double or more a week than i'm making now but thats not the thing that is bothering me, oh one last thing the company that has my resume is the same one i worked for in 1994 under new ownership and management in a different airport. My sons said go and talk to them then make your decision which i'm doing next week any input would help especially from guys my age or older what would you do you know all about the aches and pains we have.And the wife is'nt too keen on the idea either but she is tired of being broke also.
 
make a list of all the pros and cons and see which one is longer. im still kind of young, but have had to make a similar decision, i ended up staying where i was. i dont know what your job is like now, but i was a crew chief on a C-5 years ago, i dont know if i am flexible enough anymore to get into some of the tight confines of an aircraft. another possibility would be a second job at a laid back place like home depot or lowes maybe to bring home a little more bacon. good luck with whatever you decide.
 
Pray about it. If you are not the type, try it anyway. I'm not going to get on a soapbox about it, but this is a huge step. I can't think of anything more frightening and exillerating at the same time, than the opportunity you just described. I remember another post about your current job, and I got the sense then that you were not happy with the way the employees have been treated lately, so this looks like a great opportunity to get back on solid ground. On the other hand, I have had people leave here to start another job (and burn bridges) only to come back a month or two later with their tail between their legs. It is a tough job market right now. You may feel like you are in the crapper right now, but at least it is a "comfortable" crapper, and sometimes being in the crapper is better than living in your car with no... you know. That's why I said pray about it. Think about it HARD and keep your wife in on the discussion. If you move forward with this it will be a leap of faith, but it doesn't have to be a blind leap of faith. Good luck, and I will be praying for you.
 
You will be surprise at how much you remember and how fast it comes back. I was working in the Aircraft industry for 20 year as an NDT tech. A position opened up at a nuclear plant for an NDT tech. I was 45 at the time with bills, kids etc. I wasn’t too sure of myself at the start but slowly I fit right into the new career. No matter what you decide it will be the right decision for you.
 
Thanks for the replys, 4flats a friend at work said almost the same thing you said and i've been doing that, me and the lord have had a few disagreements in the past and i've been trying to make up for them since. The money ain't the problem it's the unknown outcome that scares me. And my age i know i can do the job just not as fast as i used to. I'm going to have a t shirt made that says THE OLDER I GET THE FASTER I WAS lol. Thanks again i'm building motivation.
 
Go for it with both hands!
I am 44 and I am changing fileds COMPLETELY! I have chosen to go into nursing.Yours will come back to you in short order I am sure!
 
That's my fear that i give up what i have even tho i'm unhappy and have to go crawling back a failure and start all over[i've got 4 weeks vacation every year]my pay is good for the area but it's not enough to cover bills after my pay cut where i lost around 150.00$ per week on 40 hours. I would get a part time job but they are few and far between around here. I have made cuts on household expenses, no more dinners out, the barracuda has to wait for it's restoration ect but still short every payday. And overtime is getting harder to get, soon slow season will be here and they will cut us back to 32 hours a week.
 
Lou.Go for the interview. Dont be afraid to tell your new possible employer how you feel. If he or she understand your concerns its possible they may be straight forward with you and respect you for being a straight shooter kinda guy. It is definitely worth a shot. I wish you the best.
 
lou3500 said:
That's my fear that i give up what i have even tho i'm unhappy and have to go crawling back a failure and start all over[i've got 4 weeks vacation every year]my pay is good for the area but it's not enough to cover bills after my pay cut where i lost around 150.00$ per week on 40 hours. I would get a part time job but they are few and far between around here. I have made cuts on household expenses, no more dinners out, the barracuda has to wait for it's restoration ect but still short every payday. And overtime is getting harder to get, soon slow season will be here and they will cut us back to 32 hours a week.
Click to expand...

If you aren't happy doing what you are doing, go for something that you will be happy doing. You only live one life, and it isn't worth it doing something you don't like (especially when it isn't paying your bills). I say go for it man.
 
Thanks horsehead i plan to go check them out who knows i may get luckey. I really would like to go back to doing that i spent a lot of time learning that trade to let it go to waste, i enjoy working on aircraft, more so on fighters than commercial but it will do i'd rather wrench on old cars but with the money i could make i could do that at home again when i paid off the bills and put a little away i just want to do something i like till my retirement age gets here if the goverment doesn't give it all away before then.
 
I'm 52 now

13 years ago I left a place I had worked at for about 8 years. Had good benefits coming up on 4 weeks vacation and for the most part liked the job and most of the people

The week i was to leave one of the other managers told me the plant I was going to was for sale. i had not heard this but wasn't too long after i got there the rumors were flying. I have about 6 more weeks before I get laid off and a year from now all production will stop and the plant will be closed.

On the other side of the coin, the place i left 13 years ago closed 2 years ago

Now that I may have to go back into the job market, I too doubt my skills i had and used for over 18 years, hope it is like riding a bike and they all come back

If you weigh the pro's and con's of your current position and the one offered, hopefully you will come to a decision you can live with.

One thing is try not to burn the bridges you have to cross, just in case you need to use it in the future
 
My father said do what you love for a living and the paycheck is a bonus. Some of us gave that some thought when we were young and made it happen and now are living their dream. Sometimes i wish i had listened to my father and went to auto trade school who knows what my life would have been like but the drinking and druggin was more important till the second overdose that allmost killed me, my life changed after that. Went in the military learned a trade spent 8 years persued my a/p licence got to work on comercial aircraft,got married became a father have had some rough times but came out ok.
 
I was with Delta for almost 14 years at the Dallas/Fort Worth hangar working in the 757 overhaul bays. But they closed DFW in 2004 and now I'm in a real dead end job. I didn't transfer to Atlanta in 04 because we wanted to stay close to our grandkids, who were little at the time. It was and still is a good decision, though I miss working for Delta.

One of the problems you'll run into is the current generation of managers who run the aviation maintenance business. Most don't know which end of the airplane flies through the air first. But they're the ones in charge making all the decisions, including hiring decisions.

Even though I'm still working in aviation, albeit at a very low paying job, I was recently told that it's been too long since I've done any structural sheetmetal repair and that's why I would not be considered for the job I was applying for (I work in engine parts inspection). That's what happens when you put college boys in charge with no real world experience. Most of the people nowadays who manage hangars and other aviation repair facilities HAVE NEVER TURNED A WRENCH!! The guy doing the interview was convinced that I had become completely incompetent in just a few short years. The truth is, I wouldn't want to work for someone like that anyway, someone whose mind is made up and not willing to listen. That wouldn't be a good person to work for.

(with all due apologies to the college grads here who DO know what it's like to get your hands dirty, no slight intended, but too many today don't know what it's like to get their hands dirty,)

But if you can get an interview, ask them tough questions. Don't hold back. You're interviewing them just as much as they're interviewing you. Ask them if they're hiring such a large number of people with the intent of letting most of them go later on down the road. Ask them about their attrition rate. Be respectful, but let them know you're not looking for a temp job.

I second the need for prayer. As a Christian, I still have to ask hard questions when I go to interviews. I'm 52 and can't afford surprises.
 
I'm 53 and have been at the same place of employment for 30yrs. It would be hard to leave. lou3500 and randy wm bring up valid points. (First thing to remember You have to Apply to be Considered.)
 
Any possibility of taking a leave of absence from you current job to work a bit on the new job, then make up your mind?
Maybe an alternative.
 
Is the aircraft industry picking up? 9/11 did a number on them. I have an aquaintance who was working at Air Canada in maintenance and it's been layoff/recall for the last 10 years. He finally gave up and he's working in the CN intermodal yard running a shuttle.
 
I don't beleve that much has changed in the avation field i think these guys are just what randy said college educated managers that only see the bottom line, the place i'm at now is the same type of mentality alltho i have given up arguing with them just do what i'm told and that's it, i plan to speak with them and ask the hard questions then make my decision, i've also had the leave of absence idea but it's becoming slow season in the field i'm in and the management may just say have a nice day instead, i also thought of asking these guys about a part time type of employment weekends and nights or whatever, can't work 2 full time jobs not enough time in a day for that. Thanks for the words of encouragement.
 
will be 50 next week. last dec. left a good paying job. aslong as i turn the work over as it was commsion only not alot of bennys.12 years and still two weeks vac. no paid days off. to try it on my own.sort of. my friend used me so he got a head left and found another job not high pay but much better people to work for.it,s been real hard on the wife and 5 kids but we are living and i hope next year things will move a head.i love working on car as thats all i,ve done. we do every thing and i still learn new stuff daily so if i can make it 10 more years with out a break down, knees hurt hard to get up and down that kind of stuff i will be find.with the way the banker are killing us no sign of real hope me and my family will make it. good luck on your life.hope it works out.
 
First of all, before you go to the interview, gain your confidence back! They will see your hesitation and it won't matter how you feel about the job. Go do it. Don't miss out on the opportunity.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top