Career change

[JJone]

Just wondering if there are any ex plumbers on here that have changed careers? If so what did you go into?

I'm currently a plumbing & heating engineer qualified to SVQ3 and have my gas tickets am gas safe registered. I am self employed and run my own business but work is slow and seems to be a lot of hard work for little reward. I'm not sure my heart is in it anymore and feel I need a change before its too late. I'm 21 years old and have been in the game 6 years now. Everyone says I'm a great plumber and all my customers are always delighted but I think I need a new challenge.

I am thinking possibly offshore work, I know pipe fitting could be a possibility for a plumber albeit I'd still have to learn a lot which I'm willing to do. Better money, half the year off, no stress of chasing money all the time. I know there are downsides too like being away for weeks on end but I don't have a wife or kids and I'm not in a relationship so that really isn't an issue for me. I know a few people offshore so that could potentially be my way in.

Just wondering if anyone else has any other suggestions/experience of transition from plumber to.....?

thanks

 

[Oscar Wildefan]

Well, my friend, at 21 you have time on your side in abundance. I'm over 30 years older than you and I feel the good days of plumbing have gone forever. How well I remember being able to earn £200+ a day and being able to pick and choose jobs just by saying "I'm too busy" Not any more. too many plumbers, too little quality work, everyone terrified to call a plumber on a weekday, never mind a weekend. I haven't had a weekend callout for months; only 2 in 2012 I think. Think about what you want to do and think it through. Do what you want to do and get good at it. The money will come as a natural consequence. Don't do what you do just for the money though.

 

[dancinplumba]

went into computers once but they said i was to old at 30 🙁 glad really now, after 35 years still love it most days 🙂

 

[JJone]

Exactly what I'm saying, I need to change now while I'm still young rather than 10-20 years down the line when my back and knees start to go after years of crawling under floors and kneeling. That's not to say that I don't want a manual job as I am far from lazy!

This is the problem I find, everyone's assumption is you're loaded and overwhelmed with work if you're a plumber because hey "You always need a plumber" which is true, but the problem is there are so many of us now like you said and not enough work for us all to be working constantly. I also do 24/7 call out mate, not a single call this winter.. Everyone is doing it, there always seems to be someone that can quote cheaper and I am far from expensive, people get get 3,4,5 quotes now and always go for cheapest, not necessarily the guy who's the best. I've lost 3 boiler changes recently as apparently someone can do it cheaper and when I ask the price they're getting it for I could sometimes barely cover materials if I was to drop it to that...though you probably know all of this all to well. I think plumbing is a mugs game these days if I'm totally honest. Thanks for the reply mate 🙂

 

[mugsy]

I'm a plumber/pipefitter and theres no money in it going back to collage to study building services engneering. Hopfully get in to the mechanical design side of things.

 

[JJone]

Yeah you're right there isn't these days, thinking going back into education is probably a good option for me. I got offered a electrical and mechanical apprenticeship with sse at the same time as my plumbing one. Wish I'd taken that now, so many more opportunities in those trades...but the myth of plumbers earning 40-50k a year lured my young adolescent self into taking the plumbing one haha!

 

[dancinplumba]

Exactly what I'm saying, I need to change now while I'm still young rather than 10-20 years down the line when my back and knees start to go after years of crawling under floors and kneeling. That's not to say that I don't want a manual job as I am far from lazy!

This is the problem I find, everyone's assumption is you're loaded and overwhelmed with work if you're a plumber because hey "You always need a plumber" which is true, but the problem is there are so many of us now like you said and not enough work for us all to be working constantly. I also do 24/7 call out mate, not a single call this winter.. Everyone is doing it, there always seems to be someone that can quote cheaper and I am far from expensive, people get get 3,4,5 quotes now and always go for cheapest, not necessarily the guy who's the best. I've lost 3 boiler changes recently as apparently someone can do it cheaper and when I ask the price they're getting it for I could sometimes barely cover materials if I was to drop it to that...though you probably know all of this all to well. I think plumbing is a mugs game these days if I'm totally honest. Thanks for the reply mate 🙂

for you perhaps but not me and a lot of other plumbers on here 🙂
if you stop then there will be more for the ones who have good reputation 🙂

 

[sam51]

you should be so lucky, at 21, i'm 52,this game has had it.i use to treat this job as a hobby.
and thought how nice to get paid for doing it,i couldn't get out of bed quick enough.
but for the last 4 years i am totally broken.
my dad once said to be get a trade son,you will always have work.
i should have been a banker.
i have been gas registered for 30 years,have every other ticket under the sun, and got no work,
i suppose our lives are governed by the powers that be,
i have never had a credit card,another thing my dad said to me,if you borrow,someday you have to pay it back.
so how come i am in it with everyone else.
take care sam. toodle pip.

 

[JJone]

for you perhaps but not me and a lot of other plumbers on here 🙂
if you stop then there will be more for the ones who have good reputation 🙂

Not entirely sure what you mean by that but I can tell you that I do have a good reputation and have never had any complaints about my work if that's what you're getting at. It being a mugs game is just my opinion and not an insult as I'm essentially calling myself a mug 🙂

 

[lame plumber]

theres always money in it for those prepared to stick it out. I find by never dropping my prices to that of the hordes ,when I get work its worthwhile, and Im not peed off working for peanuts, a good customer base is essential and find a niche. customers come and go but life is still ticking over, not my best year, but looking forward to this one, did 5 boiler quotes this week, finished one already, 2 in hand , one a time waster, 5th was so filthy I quoted really stoooopid money, so if it comes off i can renew all my clothes etc.

 

[JJone]

I never drop my prices either, take it or leave it in my opinion. Yet some people seem to think plumbing is charity work. Did a boiler change last week for a joiner who used to be self employed who's now working offshore, said its the Best move he ever made, I'll be keeping in contact with him! I'm gonna have to stick it out for the foreseeable future as if I decide on offshore it takes months to get off and that's if you're lucky. Plus you need 2k for your survival courses. I do enjoy central heating work as I find it more challenging than general plumbing. I really can't see myself doing it for the rest of my career though. I plumb to live not live to plumb 🙂

 

[lame plumber]

if you take the offshore route, consider the extra pay as an early pension, as theres more chance of being killed on a platform than in plumbing. I prefer living at home rather than in a steel cabin in the north sea. I even did a diving aptitude test over a couple of days hoping to do rig diving in my 20s, glad i didnt now as to many lads that did just push wheel chairs now if they are lucky, i joined the navy instead to be a missile target! Make sure your happy with being dunked upside down in the dark in the helicopter survival test before you sign on, some people dont like that at all!! I loved doing that in the RN, must have a weird sense of fun.

 

[kirkgas]

At 21 you have only been doing the job 2 minutes, show some commitment and learn more of the trade, changing now shows no desire to work things through

 

[Gerard17]

I've just read ur post and I actually thought it was me writing it. I'm in the same boat and havent a clue what to do. I'm 24 and i do have a wife and kids so I have to earn a certain amout each month. I keep thinking about a career change an last year I started a college course in design engineering and after 2 weeks sacked it off as I couldn't be bothered going home after college or work 2 write an essay or revise, I've done all that rubbish. But then I think of a couple of really impressive jobs I've done an I think I'm really good heating engineer why do I want to change, then the next day I hate the job and want to do sumfin else. My workload is slow done few quotes over the last week or so and ain't heard of any of them. I'm liturilly day to day. I work for another plumber on a day rate when my work is running dry which is what am doin tomorrow. I keep looking for jobs with other companies but the money is rubbish. Sometimes I can earn a grand in a couple of days then the next week can earn 200 all week. The money is out there it's just finding the work. I don't advertise but thinking of getting my van done at least. I think I would be happier if I had a partner as it would be less stressful and 2 heads are always better than 1

 

[deandive]

Get certified as a commercial diver, will cost you 10 grand and take 3 months to qualify, take a job as an air diver inshore for £150 to £200 a day for 6 months, then go offshore air diver for £500 a day. Do that for a year or so and then get yourself on a saturation course not sure how much that is but then the money rolls in £1000 a day or more if you can get coded on welding or non destructive testing. 28 days on 28 off work into your 50s and then retire as a greybeard telling stories in the pub of when you were a salty sea dog.

 

[JJone]

if you take the offshore route, consider the extra pay as an early pension, as theres more chance of being killed on a platform than in plumbing. I prefer living at home rather than in a steel cabin in the north sea. I even did a diving aptitude test over a couple of days hoping to do rig diving in my 20s, glad i didnt now as to many lads that did just push wheel chairs now if they are lucky, i joined the navy instead to be a missile target! Make sure your happy with being dunked upside down in the dark in the helicopter survival test before you sign on, some people dont like that at all!! I loved doing that in the RN, must have a weird sense of fun.

True, but you're better paid for less work. Plus the attitude is always safety safety safety. I've lost count of the amount of times I've been on ladders 3 stories up in the howling wind and rain, all in the name of getting the job done quickly and not getting shafted by the company. People will just say oh you can just refuse, but can you as a first year apprentice eager to please and under the assurance you'll be fine? I don't do that stuff anymore obviously but puts things into perspective. I could just as easily smash my van and be killed as I could being offshore. It's all relative.

 

[JJone]

I've just read ur post and I actually thought it was me writing it. I'm in the same boat and havent a clue what to do. I'm 24 and i do have a wife and kids so I have to earn a certain amout each month. I keep thinking about a career change an last year I started a college course in design engineering and after 2 weeks sacked it off as I couldn't be bothered going home after college or work 2 write an essay or revise, I've done all that ****. But then I think of a couple of really impressive jobs I've done an I think I'm really good heating engineer why do I want to change, then the next day I hate the job and want to do sumfin else. My workload is ****e done few quotes over the last week or so and ain't heard of any of them. I'm liturilly day to day. I work for another plumber on a day rate when my work is running dry which is what am doin tomorrow. I keep looking for jobs with other companies but the money is ****e. Sometimes I can earn a grand in a couple of days then the next week can earn 200 all week. The money is out there it's just finding the work. I don't advertise but thinking of getting my van done at least. I think I would be happier if I had a partner as it would be less stressful and 2 heads are always better than 1

Glad to know I'm not the only one! I also used to have that attitude but now think that education is the only way you're gonna get a better job. That or luck! I always believed you make your own luck but you really don't, I work like crazy trying to stir up more business, I advertise and have my van written up, throw business cards about like confetti and mention I'm a plumber to anyone I meet, but still live hand to mouth and can't see it changing. Why? Not because the work's not there, because there's too many of us now! This trade is saturated with people, chances are everyone knows someone that's a plumber. And the ones that don't get a million quotes for even the most trivial jobs. I entered this trade too late, glory days have passed. I used to do some work for my old boss but he still owes me money so I refuse to work for him now, needless to say he never answers his phone to me! I also look at some of my work and think wow that's impressive...but was it worth it? Surely all that effort is worth more? Then half the time you have to hound the customer for weeks to get the money for it, if they find it in their heart to pay at all.

 

[Gerard17]

I think sometimes age has to do with it when I get a call an go round to quote there not expecting a 24 year old and I think they lose abit of confidence. I've not really pushed my business never advertised and have got all the signs to do my van just never got them to put them on. I turned down 300 houses to do all the landlords and repairs on them. the reason I left my company was because all I did was landlords and I hate them. I've just gone on a heat pump course as I defo think renewables is the way forward. I know a few people who are academically thick but are rich as they've got a good business head. Ideally I want to be a property developer as there's know1 bothering u an u work at ur own pace I've done 1 project an did well out of it just need to save up more to get my next 1 on the go, but with no work its hard to save. Wer r u from jjone?

 

[stevetheplumber]

if i was 21 again id find a rich wife

 

[Gerard17]

The rich wife is after a rich husband