Run Forrest, RUN!

[Keith Browning]

Preface: I love what I do. I pretty much like where I work. Have to be careful with my current situation as I have a young family and need to retain my current earning capacity and insurance. Wife is a "stay at home mom" because NOBODY will care for your children like their parents... but she works part time at night.

 

Issue: I am at my 24'th anniversary in the industry (and with my employer) and next year will be 25 - a milestone in many ways. I am thinking "is this all that I am? If I had the opportunity, where would I go from here?"

 

Question: What would you do with the same circumstances? What direction might a guy like me (or you) take in advancing in our industry? Would you run? Run Forrest, RUN! Have you ever thought about this yourself?

[Aaron]

It's Forrest..

 

I give this a lot of thought, as I am still plagued by back pain that nobody will fix. Went for a neuro consult. Yeah, we don't need to surgically fix it, just keep taking fucking pills forever. Lucky fuckin' me!

 

However, there is not a whole lot I know how to do other than this, nor is there anything I have paper qualifications to do, other than this.

 

Kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place, at this point. If I could satisfactorily get my back fixed and not be in constant blinding pain, I would likely have a little less bleak outlook on things.

 

I tried the hotline. No dice.

 

I was even going to be a warranty Nazi. No dice. Couldn't get a work permit to work in the USA.

 

I would like to stay with Ford, and I would like to keep wrenching, but I need to keep my health in mind. Like I said before -- if I could get my fuckin' discs fixed -- I'd be back at 'er as good as new.

[Fredsvt]

Hi Keith

 

I too think about similar things. I'm not "lucky" enough to have been able to stay with one employer for that long. But if anything happens I think I will 'run' and find something else to do.

 

About the only thing I can see of as advancing in this field, would maybe to teach, if you could get into a local program that teaches up and coming students in a Ford program. I have no idea what they pay though, but the benefits would be excellent plus all the time off.

 

After much other consideration, I missed the boat.

 

The best thing I could have done was get into local or state gov't here in NJ right out of HS. Look at how you can advance into "management" but not really have to work, get paid 6 figures or more, and get to keep all your sick days, personal, comp time and vacation and cash them all in at your maximum pay. Along with the best benefits around. Then you could have retired at 20 years, taken a part time state/local job and double dip while adding onto your pension and accumulated time, all at your combined maximum pay.

[Brad Clayton]

I was gonna be an architect when I graduated, but my car broke down and the rest is history. I would like to get a degree in electrical engineering. I would like to teach auto techs on an "after high school" level. If I went back to do it over again, I would probably be driving a class 8 truck right now.

[Aaron]

He says my car broke down!

 

[Jim Warman]

Ohhhhhh, you are in trouble now... All In can speak for is from my experience... some of your circumstance may be different.

 

One thing you might consider is self-employment... I did it for many years. And I will be the first to tell you that I was and likely still am one of the worlds shittiest businessmen... To put it bluntly, I bought myself a job... I did well, for the most part, but a soft heart and my loving brides medical condition was an overwhelming deciding factor for returning to the land of the employee.

 

Friday nights I would go to the bar... just so the people that owed me money would see me.

 

Part of the reason is because being self employed drew me away from what it is I wanted to do.... and that is fix cars. There's just too many "important" things to do that you soon relegate yourself to a desk job and hire people to fix cars in your place.... they may or may not live up to your expectations and they may or may not make you well liked or respected.

 

We wont mention the venture capital that you will need in order to open an effective shop. And the lessons learned in what it really costs to run a legitmate business.

 

One might consider teaching. I have often started out to go after a teaching degree.... but if I ever landed a teaching position I couldn't afford the cut in pay. (Being true Canadians, we spend 10% more than we earn). If I did, what would I use for a curriculum? Where would I gain my training? Bruce might better answer some of that... but I have to opine that being a private trainer is going to differ from a position in say a vocational school or high school shop. Ford is cutting instructors rather than hiring... Taking a teaching only postion might also serve as "the beginning of the end". I'm a working shop foreman and this allows me to "keep my hand in".

 

While we're on the subject, part of what I do as foreman is to try and make sure that our techs understand how something works... If you don't know how it works, how are you going to fix it? to try and get our techs to understand a simple voltage drop test... to try and get our techs to avoid shortcutting their diagnostic process.

 

You could move into sales or management.... Service Advisors get (I'm making an assumption here) either a commission or a performance bonus..... I have to deal with customers in my position... but not the same way an SA has to... I did enough of that when I signed the front of the cheques. Service manager? Well.... both of these positions would take me away from what I like to do... and that is fix cars....

 

Is there more to be had in this industry for a man like Keith Browning? Let's ask him and see what he has to say.....

 

What did he WANT to do today? Did he do it? What did he say at the end of the day? (FWIW, I usually am heard uttering "Thank GAWD THAT day is over!!!!" - sadly, this is a good sign). Does he look forward to tomorrows challenges? Or does he fear tomorrows drudgery? What would he ENJOY doing?

 

This weekend I turn 60... I would have been about 18 when I entered this trade... I am not where I planned on being at this age... but then I didn't have a real concrete plan of where that was going to be. I know I've wasted three "fortunes" getting here... But - life ain't fair and I don't think we can ever expect it to be...

 

I've spent my life doing what I wanted to do. I'm not wealthy. But I am satisified. I wish I was rich... but then I probably wouldn't be satisifed...

 

Afterthought.... Today Dwayne mentioned that Mondays were getting hard to face or similar... I had to remark "Jayzus.... you haven't seen but half the Mondays I have... are you in for a treat".

[Aaron]

Give me a call tonight Jimmy

[Tony302600]

Keith, I left the business to start taking over the family business. I don't regret it, other than I wish I would have done it right out of high school. The time was prime and our industry was booming. Now, I have calls from employees about customers giving them a hard time over a $150 bill. Shit's tough now. I'd stick with what I knew I could make money and provide for my family.

 

If I did it again, I would have followed my dream of being a police officer or fire-fighter.

[LARRY BRUDZYNSKI]

Keith, First off....Is the grass greener on the other side? OhOhOh I can answer that mr. Kotter! Sound Familiar? Horseshack doesn't have a clue and neither do we.

I took the leap because of a feeling I had and again got real lucky because the Dealer went to Hell in a hand basket. This makes number 3. Not just dealers but Cummins Michigan too. Good "onion" job but couldn't deal with working afternoons. Did it more for my kids than me but ended up better for it. If I didn't do it I wouldn't be here right now.

As for changing your job because you feel like your missing something or could be doing it better than you are, I suggest looking deeper and finding something new and exciting in what you do now. It's there just ask for it.

The Grass is NOT greener. It's more like a vacant field full of weeds and needing alot of fertilizer. It takes alot of work and alot of time to make a big change.

Keith.....KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK, YOUR DOING A AWESOME JOB!!!!!!