Thinking Career Change- Opinions Needed

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SlushboxTeggy

It's only stupid if it doesn't work
VIP
So I left Amazon in March and started with a 3PL (3rd party logistics) managing a warehouse. Over the past few months I've really grown to loath warehousing and the "need it yesterday" mentality of it all. This company is a mess and doesn't want to hear the experienced advice they're paying for, so I've been looking for a new job. But I just don't think I'll be satisfied at even the best warehouse. So I was thinking about a career change.

I've wanted to learn to weld for years. According to every article I can find, it's becoming more in demand every day and the average age of welders is just rising (currently 57). Due to lack of an available school or scheduling conflicts, I've never learned. Prior to my journey with Amazon, I was actually enrolling in a commercial diving and underwater welding school in NJ. I probably have less than a dozen hours under a mask, but I really enjoyed it and seem to pick up the basics really quickly compared to others. There is a school nearby, but it is a large time commitment every week. Would be very difficult to work full time and attend classes.

So here's what I'm thinking, and I'd love opinions and experiences from anyone willing to provide them.
  • I'm thinking of joining the Coast Guard Reserves. They have a position called a "Damage Controlman" that is basically a jack of all trades. Training would include welding, oxy-fuel gas cutting, firefighting, carpentry, plumbing, watertight closure maintenance, and shipboard damage control, among others. This would provide some training in fields I'm interested in, allow for health benefits, and CG reservists are more likely to be called up and deployed to a disaster vs a warezone. I enjoy being a boots on the ground humanitarian, so this would be a bonus for me.
  • After I return from training, find work to pay the bills, but attend the welding school, up my skills, and get all my certs to start in a new career.
Please rip my ideas apart and make me defend them.
 
Before I ever give any advice or recommendations, I always ask a question along the lines of "do you want to do jobs forever or do you have a career goal in mind?"

You can do any "job" you want. Hell, you can go be an underwater welder for 5 years and move on to something else if you want. If you want to build a career for the long run, you need to start marketing your current skillset and expand upon them. You might hate warehouse work (who wouldn't? I did it for REI) but you understand logistics, operations, etc. All pretty good stuff to help you get a good job that isn't in a warehouse.
 
good credit ? start slangin tools I can get you a franchise and route
Not what I'm looking to do right now. Hell, where I am now is definitely saturated. I see every brand, some with multiple trucks/drivers.

Before I ever give any advice or recommendations, I always ask a question along the lines of "do you want to do jobs forever or do you have a career goal in mind?"
I just looking for something I can relatively enjoy. Right now I easily work 60-70 hours a week and I could give a fuck about the end result. I still do the job well, and stress out about doing the job well, but I don't feel its worth it. Not to mention, I took a pay cut to come here, they knew I was taking a pay cut, and I explained is was for a better work/life balance. I work the same hours, if not more. They sold me on some BS.

You can do any "job" you want. Hell, you can go be an underwater welder for 5 years and move on to something else if you want. If you want to build a career for the long run, you need to start marketing your current skillset and expand upon them. You might hate warehouse work (who wouldn't? I did it for REI) but you understand logistics, operations, etc. All pretty good stuff to help you get a good job that isn't in a warehouse.
I could see it going either way honestly. I value a great experience, whether it be work or leisure. Underwater welder school is back in NJ though and I'm loving CA at the moment. I've even entertained getting my CDL just to explore the country and make a few bucks in the process. If I didnt have a gf, that might be a reality right now.

But I read an article a few months back on fulfillment from a job and some of the points really resonated. Some people need to be told they're doing a good job, that give them fulfillment. Others need a "tangible result". A stack of widgets they built at the end of the day. I think I'm part of the latter and a trailer full of boxes, just doesn't do it. I've always enjoyed working with my hands and seeing the result. I imagine a lot of people here can relate. I have a beautiful pickup truck that I enjoy, but if I had to sell it, whatever. I have a beat to hell 97 Integra that I wouldn't sell if I still had 2 kidneys. Because its still on the road because I've torn it down and put it back together multiple times.

IDK, I'm rambling now. I think I just want to work with my hands and see where it takes me. Why not do it in a very in demand skilled trade?
 
I'm with Nick.... Do you really want to be an underwater welder when you're 65, 2 years before retirement age?

move into supply chain management. There's big oppty here to orchestrate and the 3pl experience is a shoe-in.

Invest $10 and see if you like it. (affiliate link as I have a udemy account)
https://www.udemy.com/share/1001sUAkoYcVpVQno=/

If you get through that, learn the basics of SAP and you'll be ready to take just about any job in supply chain mgmt at any mfg'ing company, oem, or tier1 supplier.
https://www.udemy.com/share/1005IQAkoYcVpVQno=/
 
Not what I'm looking to do right now. Hell, where I am now is definitely saturated. I see every brand, some with multiple trucks/drivers.


I just looking for something I can relatively enjoy. Right now I easily work 60-70 hours a week and I could give a fuck about the end result. I still do the job well, and stress out about doing the job well, but I don't feel its worth it. Not to mention, I took a pay cut to come here, they knew I was taking a pay cut, and I explained is was for a better work/life balance. I work the same hours, if not more. They sold me on some BS.


I could see it going either way honestly. I value a great experience, whether it be work or leisure. Underwater welder school is back in NJ though and I'm loving CA at the moment. I've even entertained getting my CDL just to explore the country and make a few bucks in the process. If I didnt have a gf, that might be a reality right now.

But I read an article a few months back on fulfillment from a job and some of the points really resonated. Some people need to be told they're doing a good job, that give them fulfillment. Others need a "tangible result". A stack of widgets they built at the end of the day. I think I'm part of the latter and a trailer full of boxes, just doesn't do it. I've always enjoyed working with my hands and seeing the result. I imagine a lot of people here can relate. I have a beautiful pickup truck that I enjoy, but if I had to sell it, whatever. I have a beat to hell 97 Integra that I wouldn't sell if I still had 2 kidneys. Because its still on the road because I've torn it down and put it back together multiple times.

IDK, I'm rambling now. I think I just want to work with my hands and see where it takes me. Why not do it in a very in demand skilled trade?

I'm not sure if you're ok with tough love, but it's all I know. Ask James, ask B, ask BigJ, sorry I'm not sorry for being a blunt instrument.

Your posts don't help with anybody provide you any advice. You're either indifferent because you haven't found something you're passionate about or you're just totally apathetic and this thread is pointless.

It sounds like all you care about is making it to the next meal and having your fundamental needs met, but I don't believe that's true. I'm going to tangent here and talk about Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

maslow-5.jpg


This is one thing that is really unique with millennials. Once the basic needs are met, (food, water, shelter, sex, sleep) then safety, and finally belongingness, there is a sense of accomplishment. They tend to feel they have everything they need and they don't need to work to get anything else. It's true, they don't NEED to work to get anything else, but it leads to a lack of satisfaction later on in life because they evolve and grow and their internal needs become more prevalent. One line that confirmed my theory was your statement about having a girlfriend. Your reason for not just picking up and leaving is because you would then lack that state of being and you wouldn't be able to pursue your esteem needs because you don't have that relationship and intimacy anymore and would need to start over.

Hell, maybe your girlfriend is part of the problem. Maybe she's dragging you down. It's also possible she's excelling at what she's doing and you're uncomfortable with it. We really haven't gotten into the rest of the details of your life, goals, family, etc.

If you have EVERYTHING that you need right now, go work in a record store, or be a video game tester, or be a bouncer at a strip club and look at titties all day. If you want to work with your hands, you can be a welder, or make wood statues with a chainsaw, or be a glass blower. But if none of those sound appealing, you know why. It sounds like money needs are an influencer as well.

It's possible to travel the country with no obligations. But it doesn't really sound like what you want to do because you would have done it already. But committing to the military without a plan is a bad option for you as well. You wouldn't be doing it as a sense of mission or desperation to get out of something bad, it's just an escape route to do something cool for a couple years. But six months in, you'll be ready to gtfo because it doesn't get you where you want to be. Share some ideas, goals, dreams, travel, income desires, family plans, etc. and we can provide some better guidance.

If you take anything from this novel I just wrote, it's that if you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there.
 
I have a few comments on welding as a career. My office is across the way from a large boatyard. They have been churning out barges.
At 5pm all their welders pack up and leave via bicycle. They are all brownish, presumably from mexico or south america.
I see them working outside in the very cold, in the rain, in the snow, in the heat. Breathing in those shitty welding fumes day after day.

Welding can be a career, but I don't think you want to live that life long term. And I would anticipate your life expectancy would be greatly reduced as a result of you choosing this occupation.

cliffs: Roads closed, find another way home.
 
I'm not sure if you're ok with tough love, but it's all I know. Ask James, ask B, ask BigJ, sorry I'm not sorry for being a blunt instrument.

Your posts don't help with anybody provide you any advice. You're either indifferent because you haven't found something you're passionate about or you're just totally apathetic and this thread is pointless.
Hoping it's the former, not the latter, but you're absolutely right.

It sounds like all you care about is making it to the next meal and having your fundamental needs met, but I don't believe that's true. I'm going to tangent here and talk about Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

maslow-5.jpg


This is one thing that is really unique with millennials. Once the basic needs are met, (food, water, shelter, sex, sleep) then safety, and finally belongingness, there is a sense of accomplishment. They tend to feel they have everything they need and they don't need to work to get anything else. It's true, they don't NEED to work to get anything else, but it leads to a lack of satisfaction later on in life because they evolve and grow and their internal needs become more prevalent. One line that confirmed my theory was your statement about having a girlfriend. Your reason for not just picking up and leaving is because you would then lack that state of being and you wouldn't be able to pursue your esteem needs because you don't have that relationship and intimacy anymore and would need to start over.

Hell, maybe your girlfriend is part of the problem. Maybe she's dragging you down. It's also possible she's excelling at what she's doing and you're uncomfortable with it. We really haven't gotten into the rest of the details of your life, goals, family, etc.
Definitely stuck at the "Esteem Needs". Shit, I may just be a millennial after all.

As far as my girlfriend goes, she's been amazing. She up and left NJ when I took a job in Boston, without really asking her. She had an incredible job in Boston when I told her I had an opportunity I just couldn't pass up in CA. We fought, almost broke up, but at the end of the day she uprooted again for me. She actually works for a much worse company now than she did in Boston. She's a duck on a pond waiting for her contract to be fulfilled so she can find something better.

Would I up and move around constantly if I was single? Maybe, but I do love where I live now. I have no problem staying for a bit.

As far as goals, plans, etc goes, let me see if I can get some thoughts down.
Family- Mine is in NJ, hers is in NY. We do not plan on having children. We have 2 cats and that's too much sometimes, haha.

Life/goals- I would say I'm happy most of the time. My work is really the only source of grief. I enjoy getting out and doing things after work and on weekends. This position has late night and weekend obligations at a moments notice (I have been told we're working Saturday on Friday evening, or that we're staying late at 4p). Doesn't allow for a lot of planning. Something I did recently was take a motorcycle rider education course. 2, 8 hour days of classroom and riding to get new riders ready for the road. I absolutely loved it. I had to reschedule it twice because of work. This lack of a real work schedule is preventing me from enrolling in the welding course right now, or taking classes to get my MBA (I already have my Masters). Hell, it's preventing me from taking a cooking class, or whatever.

If you have EVERYTHING that you need right now, go work in a record store, or be a video game tester, or be a bouncer at a strip club and look at titties all day. If you want to work with your hands, you can be a welder, or make wood statues with a chainsaw, or be a glass blower. But if none of those sound appealing, you know why. It sounds like money needs are an influencer as well.
Money is an influencer. Right now, money isn't a problem for me. I budget, but I'm not all that flashy to begin with. I could make cuts if my income was adjusted. That's part of it though. I was led to believe this job would be between 50-55 hours a week. I agreed to my compensation based on that. I can do 50-55 hours standing on my head. Above 55, I get expensive. I know this. You are now encroaching on my personal life. That's the next piece. I'm salary. I don't get comp days or anything when I work the weekends. I just get more hours for the same pay. I do think I need to go back to hourly. If you need me to stay late, pay me for it.

It's possible to travel the country with no obligations. But it doesn't really sound like what you want to do because you would have done it already. But committing to the military without a plan is a bad option for you as well. You wouldn't be doing it as a sense of mission or desperation to get out of something bad, it's just an escape route to do something cool for a couple years. But six months in, you'll be ready to gtfo because it doesn't get you where you want to be. Share some ideas, goals, dreams, travel, income desires, family plans, etc. and we can provide some better guidance.
I have always wanted to serve. I do feel somewhat like its an obligation I haven't fulfilled. But I also do not agree with our countries foreign policy, so it gets complicated. In what I researched, it doesn't appear that any Coast Guard forces are deployed to a foreign "warzone". The caveat is that they get deployed to disasters with much less notice of deployment than other branches (like 24-48 hours). I actually think I would enjoy the job quite a bit.

Goal- to have my own welding business. If I wound up with an hourly welding job, taking sidework for extra cash, I think I would be happy as well. I want to stop being a manager responsible for the performance of others, but if I can be my own boss, I would definitely take the opportunity.

Dreams- Kate Upton? Seriously though, a modest carriage house with a few toys and a 2nd story/rooftop deck.

Travel- I like weird travel options. I want to go to Africa and China. No desire to see Rome. I want to snowboard in South America and Asia. I'm going to a different part of northern Italy snowboarding in January. Already did the Alps, now the Dolomites. I want to explore this country and Mexico with no real plan. I want to go to Alaska. My crazy uncle wants to go on a gold mining expedition up there. I am so in. I really just like a unique experience. Fuck a cruise or an all inclusive resort that you never leave.

Income desires- I can pay my bills with ~$50k. Anything after that is gravy.

Family Plans- I don't want children. The girlfriend agrees. Marriage is out there somewhere, but not as close as she would like I'm sure.

If you take anything from this novel I just wrote, it's that if you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there.
I think my novel is longer. I don't know where I'm going, but I'm OK with that. I am trying to enjoy the journey. The road I'm currently on is full of potholes and no view... Alright, that was corny.
 
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I have a few comments on welding as a career. My office is across the way from a large boatyard. They have been churning out barges.
At 5pm all their welders pack up and leave via bicycle. They are all brownish, presumably from mexico or south america.
I see them working outside in the very cold, in the rain, in the snow, in the heat. Breathing in those shitty welding fumes day after day.

Welding can be a career, but I don't think you want to live that life long term. And I would anticipate your life expectancy would be greatly reduced as a result of you choosing this occupation.

cliffs: Roads closed, find another way home.
"Park's closed. Moose should have told you outside."

I have to imagine barges don't require any real certifications, or any real skill for that matter. Probably stick welding, which does produce fumes. There are $12/hr welders and $35+/hr welders. I'd be more inclined to MIG and TIG welding. Hell, get good at welding aluminum and I can name my price. The elements are definitely a factor I have considered. In my current climate though, it doesn't get cold or precipitate much. If I moved back east, I would have to consider it again.

I'm with Nick.... Do you really want to be an underwater welder when you're 65, 2 years before retirement age?

move into supply chain management. There's big oppty here to orchestrate and the 3pl experience is a shoe-in.

Invest $10 and see if you like it. (affiliate link as I have a udemy account)
https://www.udemy.com/share/1001sUAkoYcVpVQno=/

If you get through that, learn the basics of SAP and you'll be ready to take just about any job in supply chain mgmt at any mfg'ing company, oem, or tier1 supplier.
https://www.udemy.com/share/1005IQAkoYcVpVQno=/

The underwater school is back in NJ. No plans to go back that way at this point. But you're absolutely right. I'll be a "land" welder for now.

Nothing about warehousing, logistics, or supply chain gets me passionate, or should I say moves the needle from indifferent. It dumb, but I bet the best I could hope for would be a 9-5 where I was compensated well. It would still be lacking.
 
Travel- I like weird travel options. I want to go to Africa and China. No desire to see Rome. I want to snowboard in South America and Asia. I'm going to a different part of northern Italy snowboarding in January. Already did the Alps, now the Dolomites. I want to explore this country and Mexico with no real plan. I want to go to Alaska. My crazy uncle wants to go on a gold mining expedition up there. I am so in. I really just like a unique experience. Fuck a cruise or an all inclusive resort that you never leave.

This probably helps the most right here. You actually want to do something. It's relatively easy to have a degree and find a job where you can get time off. Being an underwater welder isn't going to be a 9-5 either. There's going to be a lot of emergencies that need your attention. Neither is going to into the Coast Guard. If you want income, balance, and the ability to travel, there are a lot of great jobs and companies out there. Hell, my last company, F5 Networks, starts you off with 18 days PTO your first year, 20 your second year, and 25 days after 5 years. Some companies offer unlimited PTO (even though it's a scam) and great policies for working remotely.

She's a duck on a pond waiting for her contract to be fulfilled so she can find something better.
This lack of a real work schedule is preventing me from enrolling in the welding course right now, or taking classes to get my MBA (I already have my Masters). Hell, it's preventing me from taking a cooking class, or whatever.

These two points are concerning.
1) She's "waiting" for something to happen. If you and her continue to wait for something, the only thing that you'll be waiting for is your death. It's pointless to wait, be proactive, get something done, go networking, apply for second jobs, read a book, whatever.

2) As for the work schedule, I just hear excuses. You don't have kids, you have enough money to pay out of pocket for a class at a local community college, and there's enough online training you can do for free. Indeed.com has a mobile app, you can search, apply, and track job applications 24/7. Instead of surfing the internet, update your linkedin and commit to sending one email every time you're on the shitter. You can take a cooking class at a local supermarket for $20-$30. You can do MBA online. You can walk down to your closest welding school, auto shop, or smithing business and ask if you can just sit and watch, maybe offer to sweep the floors or something. Go buy a welder at Harbor Freight and start making rebar stick figures or something. Hell, You could even just do volunteer work if you wanted. Find a local VA hospital, that's a LOT of service without the same commitment.

Motion creates emotion. The worst thing possible is to just sit at home because you can't have a consistent schedule or the fact your gf doesn't want to do anything.

IMHO, it doesn't sound like you need a career change as much as the fact that you're in a rut and need a change habits to create some energy. Next time you get off work, don't go home for 1 hour and see where you end up. If you end up at the bar drinking alone, delete this thread. You'd be surprised what might happen if you treat your house like a place to sleep and nothing more.
 
1. She signed a contract. She would owe thousands of dollars if she left before the time was up. That's besides the point, I'm going to attempt to keep this about me. We're actually more active in our personal lives than ever. We walk, hike, and bike a lot because its really easy to do them around erratic work schedules. We're both actually in the best shape we've been in years.

2. If I told my boss I cant work late X evening because I'm taking a class, he would just look at me. The motorcycle class I took was SAT-SUN. When I said I already had a prior engagement, I was told I needed to get out of it because I had work. Didn't ask what it was. Could have been a family member's wedding. Had the place not been sop understanding, I would have been out a few hundred bucks, twice.

It's not a matter of working a lot of hours or a weird schedule. I worked overnight 12s for 18 months and was perfectly happy. Because I knew when I was off and when I had work and was able to plan a life. I knew I could go to the DMV on Thursday at 12 because I wasn't working. I don't have that right now. I could plan to take classes, lessons, activities, and I would miss a lot of them because "work ran long" or "we had to come in on SAT". Also, I do not do well in online classes. Never have. Call that an excuse and I'll agree with you, but I know myself in that regard.

I'm leaving this job, that's for sure. I apply on Indeed, Glassdoor, and ZipRecruiter on my phone everyday. I just think its time for a change. Nothing drew me to warehousing. It was a job that turn into a career.

IDK why it keeps coming up, I'm not going to go be an underwater welder. I just said it was a path I was briefly on. No longer going that route, haha.

I do appreciate the "tough love" or whatever you want to call it. Its making me critique myself on these options. I do have a few excuses in here. I'm not blind to that. I need to sit down with a recruiter and talk to some things with the reserves. I have the number of an adviser at the welding school that will enroll me the moment I say go too. I just need to work on a situation that will sustain my finances while I'm working through the class.
 
FWIW asking for advice is still a. Step in the right direction. Much better than those that just deal with the 9-5 everyday hating their Jobs and their lives. You want to be better
 
Supply chain may seem dull on the surface, but it can be exciting and rewarding.

Like, what if you're responsible for making sure every part is ready when airforce 1 comes in for service across all 500 vendors you work in. When it's done, ready, and out the door, you can take pride in knowing that you ensured the president had a ride that worked.
Do you need to touch things your self to feel satisfaction?
 
FWIW asking for advice is still a. Step in the right direction. Much better than those that just deal with the 9-5 everyday hating their Jobs and their lives. You want to be better

Agreed.

I'll throw out some ideas and links for jobs around supply chain and operations that could be a reasonably change of pace for you and still utilize your skillset. If I were in your shoes, I'd find a decent job at a great company and work there for a while. You'd be surprised where having Amazon on your resume will get you if you market it correctly.
 
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Supply chain may seem dull on the surface, but it can be exciting and rewarding.

Like, what if you're responsible for making sure every part is ready when airforce 1 comes in for service across all 500 vendors you work in. When it's done, ready, and out the door, you can take pride in knowing that you ensured the president had a ride that worked.
Do you need to touch things your self to feel satisfaction?
This made me chuckle, but I think you may be on to something. At Amazon, the further I got away from the "work" the less I enjoyed the job. I'm sure there are tons of possible reasons for that, more stress, more accountability, but I think you hit the nail on the head.

As far as getting to do tasks for prestigious/famous people, that doesn't really do it for me. My current warehouse ships Essentia water. Apparently this stuff is popular with athletes and celebrities. My staff came up to me, "This one is going to one of the Anaheim Angels, and this one is going to Kloe Kardashian!! ZOMG!!" It took everything in me to not say, "Who fucking cares? It's a name on a shipping label".
 
I work in a company with a robust supply chain. I'm in Sales Development / Sales Ops and I can't tell you how much credit I take for reporting crazy #'s. Couldn't be further from the work being done but when a new strategy/program launches and is successful with moving the market, it's absolutely fantastic.

And some people are bound and determined to change careers every 5 years. I'm a fan of those, as you'll be more and more well rounded and probably useful.
 
Buddy of mine from Amazon now works for Wayfair. He's going to recommend me for a few positions there. The one at the top of my list is a mid-mile logistical role. Less management, more doing. Guess we'll see how that pans out.
 
Buddy of mine from Amazon now works for Wayfair. He's going to recommend me for a few positions there. The one at the top of my list is a mid-mile logistical role. Less management, more doing. Guess we'll see how that pans out.

Watch out for any logistics jobs that is hands on. Look for analytics including machine learning, technology integrations, etc that can be a tangential skill. If hands on, it could end up being super stressful. My wife left the field a few years ago and is very thankful. I work with many major fleets and in supply chain, and logistics itself is ruthless right now. Tonnage at an all time high, complex legal requirements (EDL, Hours of Service, etc), and incredible driver shortage.
 
Watch out for any logistics jobs that is hands on. Look for analytics including machine learning, technology integrations, etc that can be a tangential skill. If hands on, it could end up being super stressful. My wife left the field a few years ago and is very thankful. I work with many major fleets and in supply chain, and logistics itself is ruthless right now. Tonnage at an all time high, complex legal requirements (EDL, Hours of Service, etc), and incredible driver shortage.
I have a phone interview next week. We'll see how they sell the job. I deal with a lot of pick-up and delivery logistics now. If you're willing to pay, stuff gets there on time. If you want to go with "Bobby's LineHaul Co" because they had the cheapest bid, your stuff will probably be late and damaged.
 
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