Fancy a career change - need some encouragement please!!

[ourkid]

Hi,

I'm working at Shell research at the moment, a fantastic job which is sadly coming to an end as our site is to close in about 18 months.I'm a time served Mechanical fitter and over the last 20 yrs have progressed to being in charge of the mechanical workshops.My main roles are designing and installing new rigs and dealing with breakdowns.
Ok this is starting to sound like i'm writing my CV, but just to let you know swinging spanners and pipework,pressure systems etc is not new to me.I've also fitted 3 kitchens and 2 bathrooms over the years, and (shame on me), many yrs ago repaired my boiler.I have a HNC in mechanical engineering and plant/process

The standard pay for anyone in my trade in the NW area working shift in a factory is 25,000 - 30,0000

Shell have offered to pay for a plumbing course for myself with the ultimate goal towards being a heating engineer and possibly dabbling into renewables and solar installs.I really want to setup my own business and work alone for the first few yrs until my son is old enough to join me.I'll have about £30k behind me to start up.

As you can imagine,leaving a secure job i've had most of my life, to step into the big bad world is losing me sleep.Am i doing the right thing?,is there enough work out there?.

I've booked an appointment with an olci advisor who is coming to my house on Friday (i chose OLCI as the centre is about 10 mins away and they appear to give accredited qualifications).

I really need to know what questions i should be asking this guy and what course/modules i should be booking?

Will i need to go through the (rather useless) C&G route before i get my NVQ2?
I really need an NVQ3 to make the most of this opportunity but understand that on the job assesments can be a pain.I can arrange some of these at Shell but realistically how long would it take to achieve this (i'm guessing about 3 yrs with experience to become gas safe approved?)

Any words of help or encouragement would really be appreciated - i'm still unsure whether i'm taking a big risk.

thanks guys!,

Ade.

 

[GQuigley67]

do some research before you part with your hard earned cash, in this current climate our trade has been hit hard so it could be a big risk at the moment, why not try get another engineering job ?

 

[ourkid]

Sadly it seems that Engineering has taken a hit too!,a lot of companies are focusing on growing nations such as India and China.We have many small Engineering firms around here but they are contract work and poor wages with not much in the way of job security.I think it's worth a punt as Shell will be footing the bill.If i time it right i should get my NVQ2 whilst i'm still employed.I've done a few tiling jobs too so am quite flexible.I just don't fancy working shifts as i remember as a kid my dad done it and we hardly saw him.I'm pretty sure that factory work led to his bad health too.

 

[secret squirrel]

This is a very difficult industry to get into, I've done a few posts about starting up, lack of work being the wrong side of 40 etc. How its gone after a year etc.I don't know how you search for these posts but there probably worth a read, if you can find them.

You'll get a lot of negative responses about its a lost industry etc. The posts I've done cover a lot of aspects.

£30k is just over a years salary at what your on at the moment, I know a plumber who had this amount, sold his house and is now a financial advisor, I'm still hanging in there.

Be realistic with what you think you'll earn!

 

[PlumbBobBob]

welcome along ourkid plumbing is really saturated at the moment parts of the country seem to be ok for work and others are really quiet

 

[REDSAW]

my mates lad works for shell in huston tx, he is on shed loads of money.
he was in new orleans but shell wanted him elsewhere and gave him a new house and £65k to move to texas.
he says he will never come back to the u,k,

evber thought about re-allocation?.

 

[Ivor Bates]

I think if I were to have a career change I'd move into the funeral business, guaranteed income and recession proof..

 

[ourkid]

Thanks guys,
I have been offered relocation to Hamburg but it's only for a short assignment and the missus/kids are not keen at all:frown2:

I've been doing quite a bit of research and have decided that whether the course is crap or not,i'd be stupid not to take it if it's paid for.A bit ironic really as last year my neighbour took a 6 week course and setup a plumbing business .I was slagging him off at the time and was disgusted tbh that he could claim to be a fully qualified tradesman on his website!
(It took me 5 years just like most people on here).His business failed because he's a hopeless,clueless and his work is disgraceful.
Anyway,i'm doing the green engineer course,my brother in law is keen too (he's been a engineering foreman for 25 yrs so between us we have almost 50yrs Engineering experience)
I've already discussed it with my mate (an accountant),and closer to the time i plan to befriend a local roofer to sub the solar panel fitment.At least i have over a year to plan things out,i will start on my own house then i have at least 2 guys in work who are interested for installs on their houses,just working weekends at first,i'm sure we could easily cope with the practical side of things,just need to study hard on the theory and get some business sense together.

 

[quality]

Plumbing is a good career its just that currently most plumbers are short of work simply because there are to many plumbers and not enough work. The renewable sector is the one to aim for because its not saturated with installers and there are various areas. Good luck with whatever you choose

 

[NVivas]

Hi ourkid. i trained with olci, went through the same questions myself decidig if i should re train in this industry but decided to go for it because it was something i enjoyed doing, got some help with my cv from the guys at olci and im working full time now after completing my level 2 and 3, so for me it was definatley worth it. Dont get me wrong it wasnt handed to me on a plate but im where i want to be now. Id say meet with the guys at olci and take it from there.

 

[fuzzy]

hello and welcome