Going to school for shit I have no idea about

King Kong

Eh, fuck it here goes, I asked everyone else's opnion, might as well ask those where I spend a good hour of my day.

I'm almost 30 years old (28 to be exact) I work retail 5 days a week and I think I'm just coming to have an awakening if you will. The current job I have there will be no real advancing. I was at one time a higher up but got tired of dealing with corporate crap said fuck it and stepped down. In doing that I pretty much sealed my fate to be at the position I'm at now and forever as long as I stay with my current employer. The pay is also horrendous.

Bills are piling up and up and I'm not getting any further in my life. I have 2 kids and a fiance that I need to work for, our house is about 3 rooms to small and all of this is putting a huge amount of stress on myself and people around me.

So today after hearing a good friend is going to school I decided I need to get my shit together and do the same. Then of course in the course of our conversation comes the question "Well What do you want to do?"..

Man fuck if I know. I started thinking about it more and more and mechanic just seems the right fit for me. I don't want to be stuck in a office for 8 hours a day till I'm dead, and I work well with my hands etc etc etc. The mechanic thing also was brought to mind as I have another friend who starts in a couple months to do just that and the job security plus the money saounds nice.

Thing is I know jack dick about cars (suppose thats what schools for) and don't want to show up and get all this in motion only to find out they expect you to know all this diffrent shit.

Just kinda scared to set down this path to better myself and don't want to fuck myself or others along the way.

TL;DR

I'm want to go to school for something I know nothing about and I'm afraid I might be too scared to do it but if it worked out would make me and others I car eabout happy.

supertall

Get in touch with trade schools in your area and talk to them about what that program involves, what's expected of you before hand, etc. They'll be able to answer any questions you have, and possibly put you in touch with current students to ask questions of as well.

embrik

Most tech schools will start you off with the basics, and they'll have a preset program for you to follow. Check out your local tech college for the info (most will have websites with all the course info you could ever want).

Endomatic

I'd suggest you find a personality test. Not one of the shitty online ones mind you, the kind that are developed over a long period of time.

Often it'll ask you questions and give you scenarios and you would pick what you prefer, or whichever appeals to you more. Then it will give you a personality type (usually an amalgamation of many different aspects) and then some (often many) jobs that may interest you.

It'd be a good place to start.

There's one called True Colors, I like that one, but there are many others out there, but the names escape me.

3lwap0

Perhaps I can be of some help, since I am 28 as well, and find myself in the same situation. Take all of this with a grain of salt of course, but I hope it helps.



When I was 19, my friend talked me into quitting K-Mart, and working for him as a car A/C mechanic. For one year I worked in 115 degree heat with no air conditioning. It was without a doubt some of the hardest, nastiest work i've ever done. I learned a tremdous amount about vehicles, and a bit about myself as well. All in all, I knew it was a line of work not for me. My point is that it might not be for you either - and sinking yourself into debt may not be the best idea. Fresh out of technical school, you're going to be a wrench monkey. You'll be doing most of the grunt work, and it pretty much well sucks. You could be in junkyards pulling parts one day, and stripping a busted vehicle another. The pay isn't so great either, starting off. Can you take a income hit while you're in your greenhorn phase?

That being said, luxury import car mechanics can draw top dollar. BMW, Mercedes, Audi mechanics usually work at dealerships or expensive shops. They're the white collar mechanic if you will. If you do pursue this, that's what I'd aim for.

I know how it feels. You're not getting any younger, and you need to pick a path in your life. You can have a rewarding career doing mechanic work, even if it starts out slow. Most tech schools can also get you entry level jobs too, so that's a plus.

Good luck.

The Cat

There are also other trades that are pulling good money and are in high demand, as a large number of current skilled workers are nearing retirement. Basically anything to do with building - cabinetmaking, plumbing, electricity, roofers etc. Oh, and painting, although the fumes have made all the painters I know a little silly :P for indoors-work, drafting is in high demand, and pays quite well even while you're training. That basically involves the 'grunt-work' aspect of producing technical drawings, so its a lot of AutoCAD stuff. Its pretty much always the same process to get started though - go to the local training centre and ask someone about the requirements.

Lewisham

I'll second Cat's pluming and such. Being a tradesman can be good money, particularly in affluent areas where there are too few guys to do the job.

How about gardening? It's not going to pay well, but you get to be outside all day.