Topic: What would be your dream job?

[ryantowry_81]

So I was terminated from my job last week after relocating my family to another state and slaving away for 2.5 years. now I am left looking for another job and i am left wondering if Engineering is really what I want to do with my life, but I can't say exactly what I would do for the rest of my life as a career instead. It leaves me dreaming of other careers and what would be the coolest.

If you have the choice to do anything what would it be and why?

[RUGER]

ryan

sucks to loose yer job. ive been there to.

thats a tough one. it depends on yer interests and what yer good at. engineering takes lots of math. my dad is retired and was a mechanical and electrical engineer and did fairly well fer himself and the family. my sister is an accountant and is good at what she does and has some very elite clients. me i was in the navy as a mechanic and now work as a detention officer(jailer).befer that i worked retail, warehouse, and as a machinist. i like being a jailer fer the most part.

like i said its a tough one. i could not do what my dad or sister do. i prefer blue collar.  id like to ranch and do cattle/hogs/chickens but no money to buy land and the other equipment to make it happen.

RUGER

[Wainiha]

It isn't the most interesting or the big big money maker, but mowing lawns is always steady work.  Everyone's grass grows.  It is peaceful and easy.

My friends who do it here are still at work everyday despite Covid.  Making $400+ a day easy.

[blackdiamond]

Maybe a better way to look at it to figure out if there’s a better fit for you in a different area of engineering.  I am an engineer and officially hold an engineering position though I do very little real engineering. Others in my office do very little but FEA design work. My area of responsibility is focused on structural stuff and I’m losing one of my engineers to the safety and health division to play with water instead of steel and welding. My point is to be open to the diverse options within engineering.

[sirdeuce]

What do you like to do in your free time? Work on your car? find a field that you can work with your hands, but not working on cars. Just an example. Take an aptitude test, it could spark interest. Might surprise you!

[Wainiha]

Get Solidworks software or something similar and build armor for our trucks?

[ryantowry_81 [OP]]

I have lots of ideas what I could do that would be a fun career. I was more curious what you guys would do for your dream job.

I have joked for a long time that county snow plow driver would be my dream job if money was not an issue. or open a distillery if I had the capital.

What would you do?

[ryantowry_81 [OP]]

Get Solidworks software or something similar and build armor for our trucks?

I love bending tube. it is really fun. you should check out bend tech if you want to do it on the computer.

I need to get my shop built so I can start getting setup again though.

[ryantowry_81 [OP]]

What do you like to do in your free time? Work on your car? find a field that you can work with your hands, but not working on cars. Just an example. Take an aptitude test, it could spark interest. Might surprise you!

Aptitude test would be interesting. I have done everything from calculation pump sizes and fluid flow to driving tractors and welding. would be interesting to see what an aptitude test would say. I will report back if I take one.

[ryantowry_81 [OP]]

It isn't the most interesting or the big big money maker, but mowing lawns is always steady work.  Everyone's grass grows.  It is peaceful and easy.

My friends who do it here are still at work everyday despite Covid.  Making $400+ a day easy.

I have always said lean toward recession proof industries. peoples grass always grows.

[ryantowry_81 [OP]]

Maybe a better way to look at it to figure out if there’s a better fit for you in a different area of engineering.  I am an engineer and officially hold an engineering position though I do very little real engineering. Others in my office do very little but FEA design work. My area of responsibility is focused on structural stuff and I’m losing one of my engineers to the safety and health division to play with water instead of steel and welding. My point is to be open to the diverse options within engineering.

Yeah over my career I had advanced to Director of Engineering and had stepped beyond engineering into management. I am still open inside engineering just exploring other possibilities including management positions and even possibly technical sales.

[Cheesemaker]

That sucks Dude!  Been there more than once.  I just started a family, bought a house, and was "Laid" off was what I was told, from Les Schwab Tires.  I could transfer to any other store, but I just a house!  So, I knocked on doors, and got a job delivering beverages.  It wasn't too bad, I had alot of perks.  Free BEER!!  And then right after we had another kid, business sold, and they didn't want to keep a warehouse open in our town. 


I live in a small town, and there isn't alot of high paying jobs to jump right into.  If I was to start over again, I would become a journeyman in electrical.  But when your bumping 40, and wife an kids, last thing you want to do is try to get into a schooling.  I would also look into becoming a chef of some sort.  Because I love cooking, BBQing, and smoking foods.  I have a buddy that loves making high end food at home, just randomly.  And I keep telling him we need to open a restaurant together. 

[Wainiha]

I have lots of ideas what I could do that would be a fun career. I was more curious what you guys would do for your dream job.

I have joked for a long time that county snow plow driver would be my dream job if money was not an issue. or open a distillery if I had the capital.

What would you do?

When i lived in Montana the snowplows went 50MPH and shot snow super high.  All the while getting passed by trucks and trailers going 90MPH

I like autonomy I don't have any debt or owe anyone.

[Hickory Nut]

I was looking at your post and it got me thinking. Right now I am in Electrical/Industrial Automation Sales. What type of engineering do you currently do? 

[Willard]

I don't know what area you live in, but that sucks to lose your job. I started out as a mechanic for a number of years. Got a technical degree and then figured out there was a lot more money to be made in the oil and gas industry. I really enjoy what I do. Although if I had the capital/balls to jump ship I would try to open a restaurant as a side gig. I love cooking/BBQing. If it wasn't such a hard thing to start up maybe I would venture there. Times are tough and I pray you find a good job man 

[ryantowry_81 [OP]]

I was looking at your post and it got me thinking. Right now I am in Electrical/Industrial Automation Sales. What type of engineering do you currently do? 

Mainly process pipe design and project management. I have a mechanical engineering background in fluid dynamics and heat transfer. I have worked in power plant piping, food and beverage piping and my latest company was a hop company.  I have done everything for capital projects from roi calf, board presentations, equipment specification, contract negotiation, integration design, permitting, scheduling..... all the way down to welding and fork lift driving. 

I don't know what area you live in, but that sucks to lose your job. I started out as a mechanic for a number of years. Got a technical degree and then figured out there was a lot more money to be made in the oil and gas industry. I really enjoy what I do. Although if I had the capital/balls to jump ship I would try to open a restaurant as a side gig. I love cooking/BBQing. If it wasn't such a hard thing to start up maybe I would venture there. Times are tough and I pray you find a good job man 

Yeah not a lot of oil and gas here but I remember when I was in Alaska that it could be quite lucrative.

I have often thought about opening a bar. I think I could be a good bar tender as I like to talk to people and can get along with pretty much anyone. If I can get my shop built I think I am going to start searching for some classic cars to restore and make some money back. I have always been good at flipping cars.

[helipilot77]

My dream job has always been to get paid to fly helicopters. After years of training getting my instrument instructor rating in helicopters I was never able to find a job after the last economic downturn in 08’. I loved every moment of my training but the pay is terrible until pilots have quite a few hours. I had one of my instructors die in a crash right before I was scheduled to fly with her which was a real wake-up about the dangers of what I was doing. But If I could do anything regardless of pay or risk. I would go back to flying.

[Hickory Nut]

Sounds like you have a lot of experience under your belt. If you want to stick with the engineering field I would look for systems integrators in your area or go to work for myself if I had your experience. I have several customers that integrate industrial automation equipment into Water Wastewater, food and bev, Transportation, Paper, Steel, automotive. I am not sure where you are located but these types of customers have engineers on staff to deal with the technical side of the integration process.

If I were to do anything else I would probably sell guns, get into gunsmithing or something like that.

I hope you find something you will enjoy for many years to come. Keep us posted on your progress.

[Wainiha]

I don't know what area you live in, but that sucks to lose your job. I started out as a mechanic for a number of years. Got a technical degree and then figured out there was a lot more money to be made in the oil and gas industry. I really enjoy what I do. Although if I had the capital/balls to jump ship I would try to open a restaurant as a side gig. I love cooking/BBQing. If it wasn't such a hard thing to start up maybe I would venture there. Times are tough and I pray you find a good job man 

I went to culinary school.  The keys are good product & proper food costing.  Your yields.  Meaning you buy a piece of meat for X amount.  How much do you sell it for?  That is buying a piece of meat, gas, electricity, workers pay, insurance, waste, theft etc.  Then you estimate cost of your dish including a profit..

But it all has to taste good.  When it does, call Guy.  Dinners Drive-Ins and Dives to put yourself on the map

[trigrate]

If I had my way I'd definitely be a pilot.

[Gnarly4X]

....call Guy.  Dinners Drive-Ins and Dives to put yourself on the map

I'd trade Guy my left testicle for his Camaro!! 

Gnarls.

[RUGER]

yes guy has a nice carmero. getting paid to drive around eating food from around the county would be badass.

i would like to mod mine. its more of a lottery dream idea that ive had fer years but no snowballs chance in hell of it happening unless i win the lottery. buy lots of land in multiple states to hunt on. build a few hunting lodges on them. have stock ponds/lakes and stock them with trout/bass/catfish ect. have rifle/pistol/clay/archery ranges. have a brewery, bar and grill. have a 1/4 mile drag strip and mile oval with a garage full of barrett jackson cars.  then bring in active duty platoons/vets to enjoy that. have people like ted tugent, the rock, and lt dan band fer motivation.
that would be part of the ranch.  the rest ranch/farm and hire vets to assist with operations.

RUGER

[ryantowry_81 [OP]]

That sounds more like heaven than a business plan. Hahaha

I was just thinking our area does not have a go cart track. I bet I could do some indoor go carts and have a lot of fun at it and make some money.

[ryantowry_81 [OP]]

My other idea is to open a distillery on the front of my property. We have frontage on hwy 12 headed towards the cascades. I bet I could sell a lot of hooch to people headed out of town camping and recreating.

[Wainiha]

He gets his vehicles shipped to Hawaii just for TV!