Smokers need not apply

[CoastRange57]

Plumbers are constantly looking for helpers. Yep, another no prestige job, that doesn't pay high wages, but it pays enough.

Or, if that doesn't sound appealing start up a lawn service business, takes a small investment and as you succeed you can buy better equipment.

Apprentice plumbers are making $ 23 a hour in our area, and straight plumbers toad is making about $ 18- $ 19.

Another old man story here about how to overcome adversity, job loss, bad times. You may want to pass by if you don't want to hear how another old duff did it.

In 1983 newly married with a daughter (now a marketing executive at Nike), I was laid off from my truck driving job. I had been mowing lawns after work and on the weekends to make extra money and made that my full time business at that point in time for about the next 5 years. Then the divorce, and I had to keep my house and property because my parents lived in a manufactured home there.

I got a day job at a school district in grounds maintenance, I was able to work over night sick call, vacation shifts at several local fire departments, sometimes not sleeping for 24 hours or more couple times a week. I also had a greenhouse and grew plants to sell at the local farmers market, and was mowing about 12 lawns a week. I was giving my ex wife half my salary from my job for child support and living on the cash from plant sales. I had no life except work and my time with my kids.

Got laid off at the school district thanks to Ballot Measure 5 in 1991, and yep, got the old lawn mower out again and went full time again until I got a job in equipment sales. Still grew plants and still mowed lawns too, and still had no life. Met a wonderful woman who was raising two boys on her own and we got married and worked on the mess together. Got tired of 80 hour weeks in the equipment sales and went full time landscape construction in 2001, went into a consulting partnership and finally saw some good money and slower pace. Was able to make 200K a year for about 3 years, backed down a bit to 100K until 2009 when the recession took out the company and my health.

All that stress and manual labor over the years gave me ulcerative colitis, and I had a toxic mega colon rupture in 2011 that almost killed me and took 3 years to recover from. Went bankrupt, damn near lost everything. Borrowed some money from the inlaws and bought several pieces of speculative property, managed to hit home runs on them, paid them back with interest and kept reinvesting in real estate, holding and selling and doing it all over again over the last 8 years.

Stable now, new house and property paid for, good IRA's, still holding real estate and selling a piece every other year for income. Health is decent, somewhat compromised and probably cut 10 years off my life. But still here and because I worked my azz off and refused to give up. It can be done.

 

[E4mafia]

That story sounds kinda like my pops. Was an electrician for OEG up until he got these killer migraines that would drop him for hours at a time. Company had to let him go because too much a liability so he just did odd jobs around when he wasn't on the air tank. Numerous health problems had hit but still he kept trucking. Where I learned if you apply yourself you can make it eventually. I really hope on Lookers and lurkers are taking some of these protips in even if we disagree on how things are ran.

Tbh it's also where I learned some skill sets helping him out and working on homes and other crafts so I can be somewhat handy.

 

[Pete F]

Since we still seem to be straying from the original thread, I will throw this out there.

I worked part time and went to college full time at an engineering community college - Navy Exchange Laundry doing deliveries to Bremerton, Keyport and Bangor. I was taking engineering physics, calculus, drafting (using real paper, no computers), chemistry, economics etc. - and two quarters of Trap and Skeet (another story for another time). Soon the part time job turned into almost full time. I started work between 4:00 and 5:00 AM, started school at 8:00 AM and worked from noon to 3:00 and back to school again. My hours varied slightly due to class times, but I remember being up to 2:00 AM studying and doing homework.

Finally, I worked full time and school went by the wayside. I needed one class to complete my AS in engineering. I eventually got that class out of the way a year or so later.

It wasn't easy, but that AS degree got me into the Bremerton Naval Shipyard where I learned Health Physics/Radiation protection. Two years of $4.25 to $4.50 an hour and I quit (1980) and hit the road for 11 years working commercial Nuclear Power Plants around the country. 7 days a week, 12 hours or more a day (with Per Diem) during shutdowns, good money on the road. Funny that many of the nations Nuclear Plants are located near resort areas. Finally settled down at Trojan Nuclear power plant and worked my way up to Health Physics Engineer. 17 years of Nuclear Power and I had to start over again when they closed Trojan or go back on the road.

Back to school, BS in Environmental Science and into a 6 figure job - eventually.

I guess my point is look for oportunities, be light on your feet and be prepared for the next job.

 

[SquirrelSlayer]

Pete F., We may be brothers!
H.P.
Rad. Eng.
H. P. Instructor
E.S.&H. Prof.
Nuke Eng.
And currently a title I cannot reveal but still nuke related.

 

[Pete F]

Pete F., We may be brothers!
H.P.
Rad. Eng.
H. P. Instructor
E.S.&H. Prof.
Nuke Eng.
And currently a title I cannot reveal but still nuke related.

I am now retired, but Nuke life was a good life. I loved my job at Trojan and was pissed when they shut it down. I could have stayed a few more years of decommissioning, but school was calling.

 

[zenbreath]

I'm a mid 50s smoker. I can run 2 miles in under 24 min. Anyone who cant, should be considered UNHEALTHY and fired!

 

[csa_ap_hill]

MEH!