Jobs: Opinions, please.

[Gnasher_PNW]

Overland Bound,

This isn't really vehicle or overland related, but since this is the anything goes section, I figured I'd utilize it for the tool that it is! (forgive me? :] )

I'm going to be getting out of the military soon, and am looking into three different fields that interest me. I am wondering if anyone of our any members are in any of these fields, and if they'd be willing to share their experience, thoughts, and offer suggestions/advice.

a. Forestry (Ecological - Wildlife Conservation, or Resource Management and Wildland Fire Fighting)
b. Welding
c. Diesel Mechanic.

~Ryan

 

[Winterpeg]

B and C are trades that may benefit your personal life as well... while A may be more rewarding personally.

Family? You may want to consider what would benefit your family if you have. ie: is there lots of travelling and being away? / wage + benefits? (benefits are a huge consideration once you have a family) / pension?

 

[Gnasher_PNW]

B and C are trades that may benefit your personal life as well... while A may be more rewarding personally.

Family? You may want to consider what would benefit your family if you have. ie: is there lots of travelling and being away? / wage + benefits? (benefits are a huge consideration once you have a family) / pension?

I am married. Just the wife and I, probably no kids for a long time (health issues).

There's a good deal of work in my home state (Washington) for welding and diesel, but appears to be limited for Forestry.

B and C also offer the advantage of getting into work sooner (within 1 year of training) than A would.

 

[Winterpeg]

I took Conservation and got into the field briefly... only to find out that it would be close to 10 yrs before I get on FULL time. I changed directions slightly. So I can understand the pull towards that...

 

[Gnasher_PNW]

Talking to another one of our members (who I have found lives just down the road from me, how cool), he was in conservation for around 20 years or so. He says it's well worth it, just stick it out, and to remember that a graduate degree for the field out the door is a little overkill.

I've spoken to local/state Wildland Firefighting Corps about entry, and they all say go Federal for conservation work if you can. Then there's the heavy duty trials for that! Most of that work is seasonal as well. (I could work for a fire-crew as a diesel mechanic for the rigs!)

I would find all of them personally fulfilling, and I've got an avid interest in the three.

The most practical is getting into B and C, as I currently work as an aircraft mechanic and am pretty familiar with the field(s).

I don't like the idea of just going to school and living off the income I'll receive from my G.I. Bill alone. I have to be working, and I believe that I could handle working welding/diesel mech at the same time as going to school. (as those would be faster for entry, I think).

 

[Gnasher_PNW]

I'm a diesel tech. With very limited experience getting your foot in the door can be hard. Military background typically does help, especially if you were wrenching while serving. A fleet (penske, budget, ryder, etc.) Can be easier to get into and get you some experience to get into a dealership.

I've been warned that I'll go from repairing and installing $4,000,000.00 engines, to changing out oil filters for a few years.

How do you feel about your work?

Thanks for the response.

 

[smokey73]

If you're going into the diesel field, I would suggest the heavy equipment side. I did it for 16yrs. The last 5 years I grossed $75k-$90k and loved every minute of it. Now I'm a salesman and am doing even better. Dealers all over are paying good money even for entry level mechanics. Stick with the three major brands and you can't go wrong.

 

[expeditionnorth]

while out there in the PNW option A seems like a valid decision...

I twisted wrenches for a few years & your future there has a ceiling and cap

use your GI bill loans & go to college and get a degree or 2

do something that is stable & has a future; thats not dependent upon the weather/nature in my humble opinion

you deserve it to yourself

 

[Gnasher_PNW]

while out there in the PNW option A seems like a valid decision...

I twisted wrenches for a few years & your future there has a ceiling and cap

use your GI bill loans & go to college and get a degree or 2

do something that is stable & has a future; thats not dependent upon the weather/nature in my humble opinion

you deserve it to yourself

Outside of trade work, I don't know what I'd do.

I've got feelers out for positions to enter into the Caterpiller ThinkBIG program. They seem to want veterans, and there are places near where I live that offer the recipe for entry.

I've always enjoyed turning wrenches and getting dirty. That's why I turn wrenches on aircraft for the Marine Corps.

 

[VCeXpedition]

Are you considering aircraft mechanic in civilian life? Not sure how that looks to you.
I hire a lot of people, I can say that your consideration of your options is very healthy.
Your attitude will also go a long way to achieve your goals.
You have to decide what you think will make you happy for a long time, and it's good that you're thinking it through.
Don't be in a rush to decide between the 3 just yet, something very cool may come along if you are prepared for it.
G'luck, Dan

 

[GoHeels]

Volunteered at a National Park (Rangers) one summer b4 Law Enforcement training.
Learned alot, mostly that I didn't want to do that after all.
I did want to move all over the Country. Which from what they all said, you need to do/be willing to do to get opportunity at better places and jobs.

I ended up working for several years at a power plant as an Armed Guard. (Sucked).

Now I work in Health Care. Health Info Management and love it. But now that I'm older, I enjoy a cushy job, with A/C.

I would go where the jobs are, and forestry jobs aren't many, unless you take crappy ones and bounce.
Idk my .02cents.

 

[whiskeytacos]

A good friend of mine moved to Oregon from NYC to pursue wildland fire fighting (and is currently engaged in such tasks). He left a $100k+ ironworking job to look for more rewarding work. If you're looking to do that during the fire season, I will gladly put you in touch with him and you can look into it once you EAS. I believe he's currently employed by the National Forest Service.

Good luck on whatever path you choose.

 

[Gnasher_PNW]

Are you considering aircraft mechanic in civilian life? Not sure how that looks to you.
I hire a lot of people, I can say that your consideration of your options is very healthy.
Your attitude will also go a long way to achieve your goals.
You have to decide what you think will make you happy for a long time, and it's good that you're thinking it through.
Don't be in a rush to decide between the 3 just yet, something very cool may come along if you are prepared for it.
G'luck, Dan

Not necessarily. You hire for work on aircraft, I take it?
I don't have the A&P training open to me right now, and I won't be in the window to get it once I return from this deployment. Without that, I believe it would be difficult for me to work on aircraft in the private sector, otherwise. Thank you for your post.

A good friend of mine moved to Oregon from NYC to pursue wildland fire fighting (and is currently engaged in such tasks). He left a $100k+ ironworking job to look for more rewarding work. If you're looking to do that during the fire season, I will gladly put you in touch with him and you can look into it once you EAS. I believe he's currently employed by the National Forest Service.

Good luck on whatever path you choose.

Wow, $100k/year? That's incredible. He must have been there for quite some time. I had spoken to Inbound LLC before (Fire Corps in Oregon) about what it would take to join up, and Dillon Sanders responded in kind to my inquiry. (condensed email entry).

"-You should undertake a physical fitness program in order to be in peak shape for the pack test and the season. Pack tests will be administered during the first day, so please wear comfortable clothing and footwear accordingly. For training ideas check out the firefit program http://www.nifc.gov/FireFit/
-You must take the IS-100.b (Introduction to Incident Command System, ICS-100) and IS-700.a (National Incident Management System (NIMS) An Introduction) courses on the FEMA website http://training.fema.gov/IS/NIMS.aspx These are independent study courses and they are free of charge.

-Other optional trainings you could take:
S-130 (http://training.nwcg.gov/courses/s130.html);
S-190 (http://training.nwcg.gov/courses/s190.html); and
L-180 (http://training.nwcg.gov/courses/L180.html) courses on the NWCG website.
-You could take CPR and AED training and be current. We will provide CPR and AED training in the event you are not current.
-If you may be a driver for us, please get a DOT physical exam (it should result in a wallet sized laminated card and a fingerprint card and complete the MSPA Driver Application (Part 1 and Part 3 required )http://www.dol.gov/whd/forms/wh530.pdf"

For which I have in fact began all of those course a few months ago, and have been working on them since (just in case). It seems like fulfilling work, but it seems only seasonal. I would love to cross between working as a mechanic in the off season and fighting fires during the on seasons.

I appreciate your offer to introduce me to your friend, and I would like to accept that offer. The more information I'm armed with, the better off I'll be.

Thank you.

Volunteered at a National Park (Rangers) one summer b4 Law Enforcement training.
Learned alot, mostly that I didn't want to do that after all.
I did want to move all over the Country. Which from what they all said, you need to do/be willing to do to get opportunity at better places and jobs.

I ended up working for several years at a power plant as an Armed Guard. (Sucked).

Now I work in Health Care. Health Info Management and love it. But now that I'm older, I enjoy a cushy job, with A/C.

I would go where the jobs are, and forestry jobs aren't many, unless you take crappy ones and bounce.
Idk my .02cents.

From what I am gathering about forestry and conservation, I am inclined to agree with you. I don't want to give up on a job type simply because it might take me a little longer to push through it to get where I want to be, but I must also face the reality that I need to be able to support my family sooner than later, and the faster I make concrete, the better off we'll be.

Which leads me to looking over at welding and diesel mech (heavy equipment).

I have inquiries in with Ted Fleming at Peterson CAT in Oregon, for the ThinkBIG program. He should get back to me around the 26th of this month.

@Winterpeg @smokey73 @expeditionnorth @Snowtrout @fj80toyman @GoHeels @whiskeytacos

I'm sure there will be more discussion here, and I welcome it, but I'd like to thank you guys for giving me your opinions and advice.