Career Change at 29, Am I crazy?

[connorb94]

Back story:
Been cooking for over 10 Years at a really good level but got fed up of Hours. Decided Welding seems the best career change for me. Love the look & Attention to detail required and honing one’s craft over years.
Grandfather was a welder on the Shipyards ‘SwanHunters’ on Newcastle Quayside and helped to build the Tyne Tunnel.
Enough of the Bio…. I’m starting my first job as a Production Welder at a office Furniture manufacturers in North Yorkshire. MIG, TIG and Laser welding as far as I could gather.
However I’m the type of person that needs a good future forecast to remain focused and avoid the groundhog mundane aspect to essentially Factory work.
Is there any advice I could get in terms of how best to approach my first Job, Do’s and Don’ts and the best ways to advance my career?
Thanks guys, Read tons of posts and all seem very helpful!
TIA,
Connor

 

[Sergei Slovenija]

To begin with, avoid laser welding; judging by the reviews, the threshold for entering a profession with a laser is one step lower. This will spoil you and will not give you professional growth. IMHO.

 

[DeBangis]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[atomant48]

I’m not going to comment on the specifics of welding as it’s not my profession …. But in terms of a career change at 29 - absolutely no dramas at all! I speak from experience (and I would say it’s more common/easier these days….) I trained as one thing, did it for a couple years then changed at 25 then moved across the other side of the world at 26 and have never looked back. And I’m pretty sure your cooking skillset will serve you well going forwards too - there’s even a part of this forum for that !!

 

[premmington]

Nothing wrong with changing jobs/careers - makes for an interesting life.

Avoid welding - it just shamefully does not pay very well.

Aim higher... At aged 29 - "the sky is the limit" ...

 

[Pete.]

16-29 = 13 years
29-68 = 39 years

You're exactly 1/4 of the way through your working life so what's the worry?

 

[rcx132]

I had a major career change in late thirties, best thing I did. Go for it!

 

[connorb94]

Nothing wrong with changing jobs/careers - makes for an interesting life.

Avoid welding - it just shamefully does not pay very well.

Aim higher... At aged 29 - "the sky is the limit" ...

Thanks for the advice but I’m looking at indeed and seeing 16-32 £ P/H after a few years on the bench, by trade I’ve been a self-confessed perfectionist and if this skill can move across with me I’ll be good to go in no time.

 

[connorb94]

16-29 = 13 years
29-68 = 39 years

You're exactly 1/4 of the way through your working life so what's the worry?

Wow, in the months I’ve been worrying about this I’ve never heard anyone put it into perspective like that, thank you!

 

[oilcooled :)]

Nothing wrong with changing jobs/careers - makes for an interesting life.

Avoid welding - it just shamefully does not pay very well.

Aim higher... At aged 29 - "the sky is the limit" ...

Plenty of money to be made in welding just have to aim to get pipe welding and coded welding I made plenty at it often made more than the engineers on the jobs.

 

[lchris21]

Thanks for the advice but I’m looking at indeed and seeing 16-32 £ P/H after a few years on the bench, by trade I’ve been a self-confessed perfectionist and if this skill can move across with me I’ll be good to go in no time.

you might have to park that perfectionism at the clocking in station....the production manager will just need the welding done to the quality spec required to meet his/her schedule. Take a look at some furniture on sale these days and it'll give you some idea as to the standards required.

 

[chrismac]

you might have to park that perfectionism at the clocking in station....the production manager will just need the welding done to the quality spec required to meet his schedule. Take a look at some furniture on sale these days and it'll give you some idea as to the standards required.

Well said, the odd youtube video I stumble over, I wonder if its slowed down or real time, that slow perfect weaves with a dab of wire looks great but its not real life, not were I come from anyway, your looking for it to be tidy but production is key, there is a balance between what we used to call as banter "exhibition welds" and churning out butts still tidy though.

 

[jenki]

Good luck Connor I changed at about 27 to a management trainee in a Shoe factory 4 years later the factory closed and I was redundant changed again and ended up in IT (this was the early 80's) the experience you gain will stand you in good stead whereever you end up.

 

[Morrisman]

I packed in my career in the machine shop at 29 and went off traveling, to ‘find myself’.
Having always worked with old fellas who were on the cusp of retirement I could not face the fact that I was going to do that same job, in a cold miserable factory, for the remainder of my working life, never going anywhere, same drudgery years after year, until I was an old fella, doing the same job.

Long story short, my next employ was in a yacht marina in Singapore, as a mechanic, never having set foot on a yacht in my life before…..

Two years of that was followed by 23 years working in oil survey, on ships all over the world, and retiring at 56.

Nope, no regrets making the big decision at 29.

 

[charlysays]

Back story:
Been cooking for over 10 Years at a really good level but got fed up of Hours. Decided Welding seems the best career change for me. Love the look & Attention to detail required and honing one’s craft over years.
Grandfather was a welder on the Shipyards ‘SwanHunters’ on Newcastle Quayside and helped to build the Tyne Tunnel.
Enough of the Bio…. I’m starting my first job as a Production Welder at a office Furniture manufacturers in North Yorkshire. MIG, TIG and Laser welding as far as I could gather.
However I’m the type of person that needs a good future forecast to remain focused and avoid the groundhog mundane aspect to essentially Factory work.
Is there any advice I could get in terms of how best to approach my first Job, Do’s and Don’ts and the best ways to advance my career?
Thanks guys, Read tons of posts and all seem very helpful!
TIA,
Connor

Career change at 29 is nothing to be concerned about. I was dating a doctor for while who was 24 (so she had got into it about as young as you can) and she said there were a number of people in her cohort in their 40s retraining as doctors. It's possible to get established in most careers quicker than a medical doctor so don't hesitate if it looks like a good move. You could always do a bit of both, part time chef part time welder.

 

[Robotstar5]

Thanks for the advice but I’m looking at indeed and seeing 16-32 £ P/H after a few years on the bench, by trade I’ve been a self-confessed perfectionist and if this skill can move across with me I’ll be good to go in no time.

Don't get your hopes up earning those sort of figures as a production welder companies don't want perfection, they want product out of the door so welds need to be quality acceptable not perfection.

 

[Gritineye]

Nothing wrong with changing careers as often as you like, whenever you like, it can take a while to find what suits you.

 

[winchman]

You can always fall back on the previous career
Give it a go, around here the places connected to the Pharma industry pay the best, but can mean travelling

 

[DeBangis]

Nothing wrong with changing jobs/careers - makes for an interesting life.

Avoid welding - it just shamefully does not pay very well.

Aim higher... At aged 29 - "the sky is the limit" ...

'Plenty of money to be made in welding' just have to aim to get pipe welding and coded welding I made plenty at it often made more than the engineers on the jobs.

This is what I want to hear.

 

[DeBangis]

...not the former.