Inquiring your career/work ideas for son

[Crushin It]

Thought I would ask the group for their ideas. Background.. My son is 23 and in that age of life struggling with work/career paths. He is physically fit, has an AA degree in IT, (although cannot stand IT or being in an office environment and is not looking to continue College) is currently an ASE certified mechanic (and has been employed as mechanic for past 4 years, but is slowly beginning to dislike this), and is looking to possibly have own business but not sure what, if not going to continue as mechanic. He is a hands on guy, mechanically inclined, technically inclined, works well alone and unsupervised, motivated to make money, and talks of wanting own business...... I have suggested looking into Verizon, Comcast, UPS, Elevator mechanics, ATM Field service techs, or any other Field Service Tech positions but haven't sparked any interest yet...... So I ask my SR friends for their suggestions and comments of positions you might think he might have interest in learning more about.....

Thanks

PS. For what its worth we've suggested he stay as an auto mechanic and continue to get more experience. This is what he is good at..

 

[Oar Play]

Look into wholesale distribution. You can make a very nice living while being your own boss, also his skills as a mechanic would be very valuable in maintaining the vehicle(s)


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[northern]

I have worked in the oil business all my life. I had office/field position all my life. When the office work got too much I went to the field. If your son is an IT person he can program logic systems for plants. It normally is 50% office and 40% field with 10% travel. It involves designing the logic for facility operations then installing it in a facility then making sure it works. This skill works from car plants to steel mills to pump stations to refineries. With the skills he has mechanical/IT he will get considered. I would start by putting a resume together stating what his life ambition is then list his skills. Most recent graduates do not like field work so that is a plus for him. Send it to every company he can think of that have mechanical facilities. Start with oil companies and pipeline companies. The US has an oil boom now and people willing to do field work are hard to find.

 

[MonacoMike]

I Start with oil companies and pipeline companies. The US has an oil boom now and people willing to do field work are hard to find.

These jobs pay quite well and was the type I was going to suggest.

MM

 

[Iprof]

When I was deciding on what to do with my life my mother didn't want me working on cars, my father was a bodyman, my uncle a painter and my grandfather a mechanic. I listened to my mother took design and development of aero space vehicles. Worked for a year in the industry and hated it served an apprenticeship and spent 5 years woking I different body shops. I became bored went to work for a company that made collision repair equipment. I also started teaching night school, this led to a full time teaching position at Centennial College. There were many courses that I took over the years and now that I am semi retilred teaching for the last 31 years has been the most rewarding. Have him see if a high school or college has night courses he might be able to teach a course for them, great source of extra income and it might lead to something else.

Ken

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[Iprof]

Thought I would ask the group for their ideas. Background.. My son is 23 and in that age of life struggling with work/career paths. He is physically fit, has an AA degree in IT, (although cannot stand IT or being in an office environment and is not looking to continue College) is currently an ASE certified mechanic (and has been employed as mechanic for past 4 years, but is slowly beginning to dislike this), and is looking to possibly have own business but not sure what, if not going to continue as mechanic. He is a hands on guy, mechanically inclined, technically inclined, works well alone and unsupervised, motivated to make money, and talks of wanting own business...... I have suggested looking into Verizon, Comcast, UPS, Elevator mechanics, ATM Field service techs, or any other Field Service Tech positions but haven't sparked any interest yet...... So I ask my SR friends for their suggestions and comments of positions you might think he might have interest in learning more about.....

Thanks

PS. For what its worth we've suggested he stay as an auto mechanic and continue to get more experience. This is what he is good at..

I have worked in the oil business all my life. I had office/field position all my life. When the office work got too much I went to the field. If your son is an IT person he can program logic systems for plants. It normally is 50% office and 40% field with 10% travel. It involves designing the logic for facility operations then installing it in a facility then making sure it works. This skill works from car plants to steel mills to pump stations to refineries. With the skills he has mechanical/IT he will get considered. I would start by putting a resume together stating what his life ambition is then list his skills. Most recent graduates do not like field work so that is a plus for him. Send it to every company he can think of that have mechanical facilities. Start with oil companies and pipeline companies. The US has an oil boom now and people willing to do field work are hard to find.

When I was deciding on what to do with my life my mother didn't want me working on cars, my father was a bodyman, my uncle a painter and my grandfather a mechanic. I listened to my mother took design and development of aero space vehicles. Worked for a year in the industry and hated it, I quit, started an apprenticeship in auto body and spent 5 years woking in different body shops. I became bored went to work for a company that made collision repair equipment. I also started teaching night school, this led to a full time teaching position at Centennial College. There were many courses that I took over the years and now that I am semi retilred teaching for the last 31 years has been the most rewarding. Have him see if a high school or college has night courses he might be able to teach a course for them, great source of extra income and it might lead to something else.

Ken

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[Crushin It]

Very interesting ideas and suggestions. Keep them coming..... A&P License, Wholesale Distribution, working in oil field and with PLC's, and teaching...... I like the ideas and will definitely share with my son to investigate further.... Thank you

 

[fwebster]

This probably isn't what you wanted to hear, but at some point, your son has to decide what he want to do with his life. As a parent, the best we can do is to insist that our kids gain the proper tools with which to do whatever they really want to do. I hated college, except for girls and technical courses, and it is a wonder I was able to get an engineering degree since all required a year of literature and 2 years of calculus. However, my parents insisted that I stick it out, since a degree opened doors and prepared me for whatever, so I changed my viewpoint and stuck it out because the B.S. was my entry ticket to a real job. So, it really makes no difference what career field ideas you get from us if your son isn't interested. And, if it doesn't have the requisite tools to look for a job that interests him, then he will one day be 35 years old and have had jobs in 5 -6 different career fields and be telling you the same thing….I'm bored; I hate what I'm doing, etc.

Also, doing something for himself is an admirable goal. Being a small business owner is a lot of fun, very challenging, and can be very rewarding if you are willing to work 18 hours a day 6 days a week. You don't, however, wake up one day and have all the tools you need to open and run a business. You need to know basic business law, basic contracts, basic accounting, something about selecting and hiring help, the law regarding employees/H.R., basic marketing and sales, then you have to have the maturity and patience to deal with customers and customer problems as well as competitors, and finally, you must have the technical knowledge and skills to do whatever it is you are selling.

I wish you and your son good luck was he moves forward…………….

 

[Crushin It]

Agree with all points mentioned Frank - .. As a matter of fact, my upbringing sounds similar to yours. I too struggled with school interest but Parents pushed and insisted needed the degree to open doors. They had degrees so I should get one too. So I obtained my BS Degree in Information Systems and worked up to a nice career in Microsoft business software sales for past 22 years.. Today, I'm glad I have it. These were the suggestions I give my children as its all I know. I do know too that these days Blue Collar jobs are becoming high demand and professional jobs are getting more difficult to obtain... Lots of college grads are having difficulty finding that right job and are willing to work for 10/hour. He won't work for that. My son has rebuilt some very fast cars in the garage during high school years and of course went on to get Certs because he thought that was where he wanted to be. I also do not want him burning thru multi career paths and not finding an interest. I think because he has only been in the auto field he has limited knowledge of other fields and opportunities out there. And that goes for me too.. I ask for ideas only to share with him so if he is interested he can do his own research. Last thing I want to do is push a career he hates. Its definitely all his baby. If he wanted to sell software I could help him.. Again, thanks for all feedback....

 

[arw01]

I would ask what are his hobbies, and what do his friends do? What magazines does devour as soon as they come?

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[Alegria]

I understand your struggle we all want success and independence for our children and I too struggle providing guidance. One item we have always reinforced with our kids is you finish what you started you do not walk away. I think you son is still young and while Franks post rings of wisdom I don't believe your son is there yet. No matter what he decides I feel it best to encourage him to do the job well and then look for areas of the work that interest him the most and build on that. No employer is going to offer him new assignments until he has finished his current one with them timely and accurately. Hang in there as a parent! Your son may have to take 2 steps back to move forward your support and guidance then will be invaluable to him.

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[sb in gp]

Hey, finally a topic I might be able to add some value on. I own an IT business, and was also bored with school, and preferred using my hands, so I appreciate the situation.

There is no right answer, but I agree with the "finish what you start" philosophy - unless he knows that he truly does not like the field. You'll have to assess whether his boredom is simply immaturity or he is not working within his unique ability. If he gets bored easily then this is actually one of the key traits of the visionary role within an entrepreneurial company, and could be a good thing. Two authors that might help you and your son figure this out are: Dan Sullivan, and Gino Wickman. Dan writes about finding your unique ability, and Gino writes about running an entrepreneurial business.

All that being said, my opinion is that he should keep pursuing IT/computers. As others have indicated, there are tons of jobs in computers that are not desk jobs. Automation, for example, is one area where he would use computer skills in the field; using a keyboard instead of a wrench. There are also tons of infrastructure jobs in IT that require both mechanical and computer skills. Cloud computing requires massive infrastructure. We are in the early years of an information age, where computer skills will be the most valuable commodity. As an IT guy, I can tell you that the number of new business opportunities in computers is overwhelming.

Scott

 

[src]

Not necessarily what you or he might want to hear, but there's always a chance that he won't get long-term enjoyment out of any job he has. There are people who just aren't wired to enjoy their jobs, no matter what the job is. I'm not saying they are lazy or don't want to work, just that there is no "perfect" career that will provide fulfillment in their lives. Some people really do just have to work for a living, and find fulfillment in the rest of their lives.

Looking for the dream is great, but holding out for that dream job that might not exist can just lead to a life of aimless disappointment. I guess my point is yes, absolutely keep looking - he's young, and there's a lot he has to experience yet. But there may not be a "right" job for him. Sometimes good enough is good enough.

 

[dpmulvey]

1. Mobile marine mechanic?

2. United States Navy?

3. USMC?

1 gets a hands on job in a decent arena.

2 gets experience to do something later in life and the opportunity to travel. . I have friends doing well in non destructive testing, a skill they learned as hull technicians.

3 gets discipline. Lots of it.


Kids mature at different rates. As my aunt used to say when my Mom was worried about me, "Let it go. By 35 they're either doing great, in jail or dead. You did the best you could with what you had for 24 years. It's his life now."

Aunt Mary was right......again!

 

[Jack380AC]

So much good advice. All worth sharing with you son. I think Scott had a great suggestion. Everything that I'd made involved computers. Production control to robotics.

Also, is there a place in the world that he might proffer to live? Perhaps look there for the kinds of companies that might interest him.


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[kevin27]

Car's are dirty, if he enjoys maintenance, he should get his A&P certificate and work on airplanes. It'll take a little more training, but if he can get hired by an airline, the pay is decent and he'll get travel perks.

I am with Scott on this one! Jets are way better than cars. Worked well for me! Love Delta Airlines and is a great place to work. Well it's really not like work when you love what you do for a living.

 

[Richie89]

he sounds like he's pretty all around proficient. don't know your area, but starting an investment property company and managing my rental properties has worked really well for me. but it takes an investment and usually has to be something someone does on the side at first as he builds his properties. i specialize in small apartment complexes and the return is awesome and after a while takes little time.

 

[tdgard]

Boy does this ring a bell. I slogged it out to get my BS in Electrical Engineering whilst working as an electrician on commercial, television, and film sets. Towards the end I realized I did not want to sit in a lab on a computer designing a newer computer-after all I could work for ESPN during the World Series. I sucked it up and finished and I now realize it was the worst financial mistake I ever made. My degree-as an actual, job securing item-is complete rubbish. No one would hire an Electrical Engineer with a diploma that predates the cell phone by many years who has not stayed active in that field. IT is going to be the same way. If he is not interested in any sort of hybrid version of that and able to keep up with Moore's Law, drop it. I'm currently a Director of Photography in the film world and quite satisfied.

 

[todwod]

I brought this up yesterday as I am going through a mechanical dilemma with my boat and the only marine mechanic available services about 4 marinas in our area and you can never get him. He should specialize in marine services and could make a boatload of money. (pun intended) Start his own company. Train other individuals and give top notch service. Business would take off I am sure.

 

[Crushin It]

All good feedback guys and I have showed my son this thread for him to read. I don't expect any overnight revelations but I think its good for him to get others opinions and suggestions other than mine. Funny, I too had suggested USMC, Boat mechanics, etc... Automation of IT and PLC perked his interest. That's basically what my wife does.