10,000 miles around America and I've made an important decision

I've just returned from a month and about 10 thousand miles on the road. I drove from Tacoma down to San Francisco to spend a week with my cousin, then across the deserts of Nevada, Utah, and New Mexico to Austin, Texas; a place I've wanted to visit for years. I spent a week there; the highlight of that stay was the Lone Star Round Up; especially the shop crawl on Thursday and Friday. I visited someone I knew in Kansas City, then drove to Pittsburgh to visit my family before driving across country back to Tacoma.

Why did I do this?

This was a trip to find where I want to go in life as much as a road trip. I've spent the first half of my life trying to be successful at something; picking studies and jobs that I had hoped would lead to a lucrative career and being unhappy and dissatisfied most of the time. After I got laid off from Boeing I went to school to get into the IT field like about 20 million other people did in 2000. After the job market for that crashed I've never been able to find a decent job in the field and even if I did I worried that I would be laid off anyway. Truth be told I was bored silly with it even in school. Is all this stress worth it for a career I'm not passionate about anyway?

At 37 I realised that I just can't do this anymore. I want to LIVE my life everyday, not just when I can get a week or two off.

The Navy Reserve wanted to mobilize me so I had to give up my apartment, put my stuff in storage, and put my papers in order. That fell through but
I was still prepared to travel so I decided to stop dreaming about things and start doing them. Taking a long road trip to escape Washington's dreary winter was one of those things.

I had a lot of time to think while I was on the road. I remembered that the only job I really liked was that "temporary" job at Boeing, building airplanes. But what did I really LOVE?

I was reminded during the Lone Star Round Up's shop crawl. I visited Jeff's Resurrections in Taylor, and got to see the amazing level of work on some of my favorite cars. This isn't the first restoration shop I've visited; I saw a few with the Alfa Romeo Club here in Washington. There, my fellow club members agreed with me that this was a dream job. Well they had years and money invested in their professional careers and families to raise so they couldn't do it but what was stopping me? It's not like I got a Master's degree for what I do.

So I've decided that I really want to work on old cars or hot rods for a living. I asked Larry at Jeff's Resurrections if he thought it was a good field for someone looking for a career change and if I'd be good at it. After hearing about my Boeing experience he said he thought so and encouraged me to do it if i want to.

My decision was sealed when I spoke to my brother. He got into the IT field like I did and he has all the trappings of success that I wanted when I got in. He makes good money and has a large, beautiful midcentury house in a nice neighborhood that he's spent a lot of time and money remodelling.

I asked him how he likes his career and he said, "Eh, it's a job". "You don't sound completely satisfied", I told him and he complained that he's not getting raises or promotions and is constantly worried about getting laid off and worried about paying the mortgage if he did.

Nuts to that! I define sucess as doing what you love to do and enjoying your life in the process.

So I'm going to get into the restoration or hot rod building field. At Boeing I learned to read blueprints, research and follow specifications, use torque wrenches and micrometers for close-tolerance assembly, and shop safety. I also learned the importance of patience in dealing with the inevitable problems and most importantly I gained the pride that comes from performing good workmanship.

I need to learn welding, painting, metalforming, and basic auto mechanics, and I'm looking for a good program locally. In the meantime I need a job. Are there any shopowners in Washington that need a shop-sweep and apprentice? Wherever I end up, someone will be getting a motivated, drug-free, and hardworking person who listens and is eager to learn.

 

North West Speed is looking for somebody. In your part of the country.

See this post

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51099

 

Outstanding! Good job my friend, you have figured out, in 37 years, what some can't figure out in a lifetime: mainly that day to day happiness is the way to go and some mythical ladder that society keeps telling you to climb will not get you there. Yep, we've painted ourselves into a corner where everyone has to accumulate money in order to get by in this country but at least it's still possible (although not popular) to jump off the ugly money train and just go do what you want.

Good luck with your new adventure! I'm sure you'll do great. But ya know, even if you eventually find that the car biz is not for you, you will still be miles ahead of most of the people who don't know happiness because they are too busy jumping into their jellybean shaped cars, with half a piece of burnt toast hanging out of their mouths, to haul ass to a job where they work to move the consumer's money up the line to people who already have more than they can spend in a lifetime.

Bon chance to you Steve Ray!

PS: Most important lesson auto lesson is to keep your fingers out of the fan unless you want the nickname 'Stumpy'.

 

yah, thats what im thinkin... maybe iam a bit of an idealist but i cant see myself working the way i do forever.


JACK TRIPPER OF THE BARRIO... hahah

 

Don't be rash, think about it for another 37 years...

Just kidding!

There's a better chance that you'll regret doing something you don't want to do, than something you do want to do.

 

Bravo! It's never to late to experience the journey, and to experience life and not chasing what corporate America calls the "American Dream".

Goodluck with your new endeavor. I think building hotrods for a living might be a proftable and satisfying venture.

Joel

 

You might want to contact Marshall on here. I got the impression from a previous post he may be hiring. May as well learn from one of the NW's best!
Best of luck in your new endeavor and keep us posted.

 

I'm going to wish you only the best of luck but at 37 years old sweeping the floors for minimum wage is not going to pay the bills. Good luck my friend, everyone should be able to follow their dream. Hope you reach your new goals before you die.

 

Good for you. I always encourage young people to try new directions in life. The sooner you try something the more time you have to make something of it. I did that early on and almost convinced myself that I was dumb or crazy. Fortunately I stuck with it and have had the most personally rewarding career (if you want ot call it that) that I could dream of. After attending General Motors Institute (a GM run engineering college) in the early 60's. I got involved in drag racing with some other Chevrolet Engineeers in a group called Shaker Engineering. That involvement spoke volumes to me and I decided that I wanted nothing to do with the kiss ass management pyramid that is (or at least was) the "way to the top". I quit just when I had the opportunity to train for the head quality control laison position at Chevrolet-Bay City Division of GM.

To add to the "rocket scientist" move I quit in the middle of a wonderful (read miserable) Michigan winter and went to work on construction doing high steel iron working. The pay was great and offered the opportunity to die instantly if you made a mistake while hanging off the structural steel 10-20 stories in the air. The job paid enough to buy my first home and shop where I started an auto repair business to get my feet wet. This evolved into an engine building business specializing in drag and oval track engines.
One of my friends that attended General motors Institute with me also became diselusioned with the corporate life and went to work for an up and coming oval track business doing chassis engineering and managing the sales of their product line. The business was doing so well that they found themselves unable to keep up with the production of many of their chassis products. I was offered the change to subcontract their fabrication work on about 50% of their product line. I sold my business, opened a fabrication shop and as they say, "the rest is history".
I had a small setback in 1988 when an industrial overhead shop door collapsed on me putting me in the hospital for 3 1/2 years with a severe head injury. After a year in a rehab hospital learning how to get dressed, feed myself, walk. and do the other little things you learn during the first few years of your life I'm now semi-retired and enjoying 7 grandkids, and a 25 year collection of old Ford cars and parts and a shop that's equipted to do just about any task I can imagine. Life has DEFINITLY been good.

Frank

BTW, none of this would have been possible if it were not for the most understanding and supportive woman a man could hope for, my wife Sharon. She's seen here for 40 years through the good and the bad, raised 2 great kids, and is the biggest earthly blessing of my life.

 

That, what you have just described, my friend, is what is called the "picaresque road"- in literary terms. The true American dream. It is the notion that if your not happy with your situation in life, you can pickup what you have, move and start anew. Mark Twain is famous for writing such notions, the settlers that headed west and left for a change did it, and many others. It isn't absolutely unique to America, but we certainly epitomize it.

Good luck with your adventures. Well, I don't believe in luck, so make of your adventures what you will! How's that?

 

Living life should not include serving others to the extent that you leave no time to live one for yourself.
Money is great ,but happiness is not always a byproduct of having it.

 

Stevie Ray, you have just about described my last couple of years to a tee. I also got layed off from a job in the tech industry a couple of years ago and can't find work. Thanks to an understanding wife I've been able to work part-time while I try to figure out what I want to spend the second half of my life doing, and I must say that I am totally inspired by the HAMB members every day I come on here and read through these posts. I also realize that I love this culture and industry to much to not try and find a nitch that I will fit into in it. Good Luck on your journey.

 

I just made the decision to go back to building cars, myself. I worked in a Rod Shop for 4 years, then left to work in a friends body shop. It wound up the money wasn't any better, the hours were a lot worse, only one day off a week, and I can't stand working on late model snap tight pieces of shit. Bottom line is I missed the satisfaction of building rods, and I missed the people that I had met because of it. I'll be going back in a week, I'm so excited to be doing it again. Money doesn't mean shit if you are misserable in your life, or if you have to work your ass off so much for it that you have no life. Best of luck to you.

 

I work in a mopar resto/race shop. Profits are low, benefits are non-existant, and I owe a good chunk of money to the snap on guy. Customers are difficult, most of them are non-car-guys, and they are generally their own worst enemies when they walk in the door. Often they want corners cut, which we sometimes can't talk them out of, and then they end up paying more to fix the blunders once they see what a bad idea it was.

BUT!

I sure as shit wouldn't trade this job for any other job. I love every minute at the shop and there is nothing as awesome as getting paid to build a screaming car, or having a car you built get shot for a magazine.

 

In the beginning, it may be a hit money wise. However, I bet in the end you end up doing comparably if not better financially to what you would be if you stayed on your current path. If you do what you want to, you will probably do it very well. If you do it very well, you will most likely be rewarded well. If not, you'll still be loving life. I wish you luck.

 

Money is NOT everything........and job satisfaction may be overated...

You need enogh to live fairly comfortable but do not sell your soul or be a whore for the ca$h.

I have worked the same job for almost 30 years........not my perfect idea of a job but decent.......it is a 4 day a week job ( Monday thru Thursdays) , decent pay and benefits......and I am basically my own boss (government job)

It worked out because I have 3 days a week off plus 20 days vacation, 12 holidays and 12 days sick leave ( per year..... ) PLUS retirement...... I can go home and stay now at just about the same pay for the rest of my life.......with insurance paid......

At 37.......you need to figure out the plan and get with it......you are burning daylight......

GOOD LUCK........

.

 

Did you ever read Death of a Salesman?

(thats from www.sparknotes.com)

It may sound stupid, but this book along with a few others taught me what you just figured out. You just learned something that will make your life a bazillion times better. Don't forget it. Good luck.

 

Good for you!

And from what I have learned...satisfaction in life = good sex.

 

DO it dude then you can satisfy yourself having tried

 

If you were on the Garage Crawl at the Roundup you were at my shop out in the country with all the junk. I don't remember you individually as there were far too many guys here to meet them all and remember them. I done what you are contemplateing 18 years ago. I had been in the collision buisness, owning my own shop for 13 years. I always built Customs or Hot Rods in my spare time. I found myself just waiting for the day to end so I could enjoy myself doing what was enjoyable. I finally figured out I was doing it backwards. I made the commitment to Custom work exclusively and have never been sorry. I'll never be rich but every day I can hardly wait to get to work. My wife has to make deals with me to keep me from working 7 days a week. Commit to it and you'll never be sorry.

Go for it and Good Luck.

 

I think most of us, at your age, go through this "rethinking.. of our goals and priorities."
I agree with Deuce in saying that job satisfaction is too overated.
My past work experience due to the economy has thrown me into many jobs over the past 35 years.

In retrospect, I think it was a good thing because it taught me to be flexible and expanded my knowledge in alot of different areas as a result.
Great for you for taking the step to fullfill your dream.
But don't let your heart allow you to make the wrong moves.
Its great to be doing what we enjoy.
But when circumstances and funds go sour... you realize those dreams are just nightmares in silver linings.
Regardless of our choices in life.....
We don't have control over our destiny........ Just be sure you make a choice that allows you to enjoy the next 10,000 miles of travel.
pj

 

Run with it!!! Think about the opportunities you missed in life. That '32 Coupe you could have bought or that house or that girl you should have asked out...those are things you regret for a lifetime. When you make a mistake, you may regret it in the short time but the bitterness of the mistake fades quickly! Hell, I quit a job I was making GOOD money (high five digit range) in a corporate America to move across the country (CA to FL) to take a shot at ownership in what I thought was the American Dream.
Guess what? Next Friday is my last day...
Do I regret it?
HELL NO!!! But I would have definitely regreted NOT giving it a shot! All in all...wasn't a bad thing, it just didn't work out but it lead to a killer job that I start on May 3rd!

Give it a shot!!! You'll only regret it if you don't!
I wish you the best of luck!

 

I will retire in just over a year.
I am damn scared of that first day.My plans go from opening a resturant to driving a truck to running my shop as a fab shop.These change on a daily basis.
I am worried as I see the retired folks go to coffee every morning and discuss the worlds problems thru lunch.

It may be time for me to take a 10,000 mile trip around America.

 

Best wishes on your on following your dream. My experience is if you can work at something your passionate about, you'll be happy whether you make gods of money or not.

 

Congratulations on finding yourself. And good luck.

For what it's worth I have a life plan of my own that you may find interesting. I plan to build custom cars on television. I will have a program on the Discovery Channel or TLC. My employees will be good-hearted and we will all love each other deep down, but boy oh boy will we have our fights. And from time to time, get this, I will throw something across the shop. Perhaps something metallic. I will more than likely grow interesting facial hair for the show. And I'll probabaly wear either Hawaiian shirts or those zebra-stripe Zubas workout pants, or both. The cars we build will be loved by the mainstream and loathed by the HAMBers. The shop will be filled with Snap-On tools and the walls will be covered with banners from various lubricant companies. I'm working on a scenario where the cars we work on are "stolen" from unsuspecting owners, and "pimped" without their prior knowledge. Boy will they be surprised!

It's just an idea. Feel free to use it yourself. It may be the key to happiness. Or the coming of the apocalypse. You decide.

 

Epiphany. You had an epiphany.

I'm 38, and I had one too. It came to me after I got laid off from Boeing (it was McDonnell-Douglas then, but its Boeing now).

The only major differences between you and I are that my unmasking happened in 1992, and I'm an engine guy.

I got out of the USAF in '88 and went straight to McDonnell to build new airliners. I got 4 promotions in 5 years and was making great money for my age. Then I got laid off at age 25, with 8 years of aircraft experience (I joined the AF at 17) and nowhere to go.

But I loved building engines. I always wanted to build racing engines, so I applied to several local engine shops. One of them hired me.

So I went from delivering new commercial planes to the airlines for big money right to sweeping floors and tearing down worn engines for ten bucks an hour. No benefits.

I listened, and I learned, and I got good at it. I got laid off again when the shop picked up and moved to N. Carolina to work on NASCAR stuff.

I went to another engine shop. Still 10 bucks an hour. I learned more.

..then another....and another...

The reasons for leaving changed, but the song stayed the same. I was learning plenty and eating lots of top ramen.

I had the chance to break out when a guy at a bar told me about a company needing someone to write a Service Manual on a new turbo diesel engine Isuzu was making. I followed up with him and got the job. They kept me on after it was done.

It was better money than engine building, and I learned all about new engine technologies. I enjoyed the job immensely, but it didn't pay anywhere near aerospace money.

A friend suggested I go talk to the car mags in Anaheim about freelancing. Since I knew about both new and old engines, I thought it would be a good idea. They ended up offering me a job I kept for the next 7 years.

I've recently begun my latest occupation as Editor of a new national auto enthusiast magazine. I'm having a ball doing it and I'm making decent money.

This little career path took 13 years to complete.

I can appreciate your want to shift gears and follow your heart. I was able to do it because I was single and had no responsibilities to anyone but myself. I was dirt poor for a long time. I learned to deal with uncomfortable living situations, shitty food, and asshole roommates. I couldn't afford to live any other way.

Now I'm married, planning on kids, and I can't afford to take such a chance again. I wish you the best of luck, but I hope you're prepared to deal with the inevitable bullshit being broke brings with it. You're bound to start at an apprentice level, and that's not going to pay the bills too well.

Here's some tips:

Canned Chili is a meal, as is cereal.
Top ramen noodles are a lot better with a few drops of tabasco.
Recycle stuff. It's free money.
Get a car that's really good on gas- Like a GEO metro. 45 mpg.
Always do good work and you'll never have any regrets.
Be nice to everyone, even if you can't stand them.
Don't lend or borrow money if you can help it. It usually ends up fucked up.
Don't get anyone pregnant. It'll ruin your life right now.

Good Luck Amigo. It's a long road but it can be worth it if you stick to it and take your sweet time to get really good at what you love to do.

Scotch~!

 

I'm not in the NW and don't own a shop but you're hired. See you in the morning.

You did good my friend. I spent my whole life doing pretty much exactly what I wanted to do, lots of wandering etc. I've probably had more careers than you can count, most of them had something to do with being able to move around and build whatever my current dream was.

Now at somewhere near to mid life, I have almost nothing, a couple of old beat up cars, married to the prettiest girl in the school, and a handful of friends that I see once in a good year. I still gotta eat Porknbeans to be able to chase my dreams. I'm lovin' every minute of it. There isn't enough success in the entire world to replace my life.

Follow your dreams friend. You'll always wonder what if? if you don't.

 

i don't think the consumer demand in this field warrants entry into it.

Why not just do general automotive repair?

 

Hey C-10, How did you find this 7.5 year old thread ?

 

7.5 years later, let's have an update. How did it go for ya?