shunty

Hi,

Well after 2 years of thinking about it I have decided to do it!!
Become a plumber/tiler/kitchen fitter (& eventually a heating engineer...hopefully)

What's the best way to go about doing this please ?

can anyone recommend a company that will provide me with practical & theoretical courses on plumbing ??

I havn't got much experience in this area, but do have some basics.

any help appreciated

ps - I HATE OFFICE WORK, I.T. & all it's politics

shunty

The Zohan

Talk to your job centre or whatever they are called now re courses, you may get financial help retraining.

Brave move and i understand your motives, left my last companny 2 years ago, health netter, mental state better and quality of life better, i still worry about paying the bills but all in all i am a happy bunny.

Good luck.

Paul

P.S.

You may need to do the following as well.
Practice saying these phrases with conviction and a straight face
"Its not your parts love it's the labour"
"It will only take an hour or so to fix"
"I'll be there in half an hour"

Get some badly fitting coveralls or bib and braces and a K reg white escort van with roofrack.





[Edited by Paul Habgood - 1/9/2004 12:39:12 PM]

barge

thinking about jumping out of IT myself, its getting all bitchy

want to be a crane driver cos that look like a cool job

shunty

thanks for that Paul
I feel better already & it's only been 1 week. I plan to have a bit of time off first & buy tools, find courses etc, but I know what you mean about paying the bills.
I just know I will be healthier/happier working for myself.

lol @ phrases I need to learn.

Barge, do it if you can.....but have a good think about what exactly you want to do. You might change your mind in a few months.

shunty

J S W

sorry to say it shunty but you sound like another dreamer who thinks we earn a fortune doing manuel labour.

What trades do you have already? how many kitchens have you fitted and tiled?

Fitting kitchen's and tiling takes time to learn and do properly.
It isn't something you can learn on a 2 day course, if you are serious about this you need to start as a monkey on a firm and learn from professionals.

It isn't as easy as people think to run a small business doing this kind of thing.

If you are serious good luck but these things take time to learn and it is a lot harder than you probably think.

just my pennies worth though.

James

mkyboy

Kind of agree with James.

I started my own business about 2 years ago and haven't looked back but it takes time and i have a partner to share the stress of day 2 day running and staff issues etc. But the part i agree with James is "you know, what you know!" i got pissed off making idiots (my old bosses) rich so thought i'd have a go for myself but stayed in the same industry, so i knew all the right people / contacts.

Im just starting to see the light and make some serious money but the satisfaction of doing it yourself is best!!!

Hope this helps and GOOD LUCK (all new business need some)!!!!

Darren

mkyboy

Just a quick follow up!

No matter how much more cash you earn, you'll still spend it all (or the missus will!!! LOL)!!!

Don't let the cash be the motive, even though a bigger house and nicer car are COOL!!!

af

Good luck to you! I was a UNIX Sys Admin for years before jacking it all in & falling back on my 1st trade as a carpenter last June.

It was a bloody hard decision to make, but I was fortunate in that:

a) I already had a trade to fall back on - I got into IT by mistake (easy money!?!)
b) I have a supportive wife
c) I had a few jobs lined up to go straight on to

It was hard, but I am just starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel now... Your "Quality of Life" will improve drastically, but be prepared for the hard times ahead:

No money, Work not coming along all the time, and so on!

All told though - go for it. You'll feel a million times better in the long run, I can assure you!

IT is still shiite then?

shunty

JSW - been away buying me tools this afty & people now calling me a "dreamer"

well, I appreciate your comments, but I was brought up on a fookin rough council estate & my early career covered the following areas:
carpet fitting, shelf stacking, labouring, driving, sales, trainee pub manager(glorified barman), then I went to UNI @ 27 y/old & did a HND & Degree in IT.
My point being, that when I stated that I intended to do a degree in IT & a become a "manager", thay laughed tbh & said I had no chance. I lived in a council house, so to most people this was me "dreaming"
I only got my HND then degree IT (conversion degree in BIT) in 1999 & therefore ONLY have 4-5 years in IT. In this time I accomplished (in my eyes) what others took 10 years to do, I lied a fair bit regarding the time I had been in IT & project work, but I worked very hard, was very lucky, as well as working with some very good engineers/consultants etc & picked up good skills.

I intend to do the same in my new career, ALTHOUGH I understand that I won't take anything on that I don't think I can do OR that could be dangerous for the customer (like gas/electrical type work).....
I intend to take 2 theoretical courses, probably from someone like OLCI & also pay for their 2 practical courses as well. I have registered with a couple of good internet plumbing sites & for the last 3-6 months have been following loads of threads etc.

I do appreciate the comments though, I know a lot of people are jumping on the bandwagon & stating that they are qualified plumbers with 3 months under their belt & a corgi 16 day crash course.

mkyboy - too true about the missus spending the money though

shunty

GaryK

shunty,

go for it mate I always think that a career change takes ***** and if you can pull it off then great.

However I do agree with James to a degree anybody these days thinks they can jump ship and in a matter of days become an 'expert' for me thats what f_cked up IT everyone heard about the so called big bucks and thought I'll have a go at that and slash the cost of everything to the bone.

Kinda reminds me of an accountant about 10 years ago wanted me to write a system for him, I got undercut by a guy who would do the same job for a tenth of the price, so i said cool go with him, thats what he does for a living is it? The accountant replied, No he drives a break-down truck by day, that was all I needed to hear!!!

ProperCharlie

for me the best things about labouring were:

at the end of the day you switch off and don't think about work until the alarm goes the next day
you don't really have to give a f**k
you usually have a good laugh with the lads
you usually get to do a few sacms for extra cash
going to proper caffs
beers with the lads straight after work, still in dirty clothes, every friday. it's like religion.

but the down sides were:
sh*te money
busting your **** for the above
people treat you like scum cos you don't have a suit on
getting cold, p*ss wet through etc in winter
customers
no internet access during the day
no time to do all your banking, personal correspondence etc whilst at work

overall, i would go back to it if i had to but i don't think i would choose to.

shunty

af - carpenter then UNIX so surely it shold be \carpenter bash

like you I have a very supportive wife, which I agree helps out. I don't mind taking a drop in money (which I will) & even if I only earn as much as I was on then I would be SO much happier away from IT & office based work.
Unlike you I have no jobs lined up...apart from doing my mates house up & converting my loft (after the steel beams have gone in). Hopefully this will give me a better insight into my new career....
I have plumbed washine machines in, radiator replacement, immersion heaters, small electrical jobs, etc....being married for 16 years must qualify me as a good DIY-er, surely

you & Paul sound like your so much happier now, even if it's been hard to make the jump.

shunty

shunty

garyk - I am getting some good feedback from this thread.....
I know where you are coming from with the comments about the guy who undercut you btw....

I really beleive that I can do this If you are a quick learner & CAN ask for help & then learn from it. I think this is why a lot of people fail in business as they CAN'T.

PC - it's all about the pro's & con's......it also depends where your priorities lie as well. It would be interesting to see how many office based people would change to manuel (basil's helper)work if they could.

shunty

[Edited by shunty - 1/9/2004 4:56:57 PM]

The Zohan

Shunty

It has been hard but all in all the pros outweigh the cons for me. I see my family more i am less stressed the work, office politics tow the co line stress. which is the main one foe me.

Being your own boss brings its own stress but you are in charge of your own destiny to a greater extent.

I am healthier and happier and i see more of my loved ones which is what i wanted, money is not everything, nor is living to work.

Good luck

Paul

shunty

exactly Paul.....it's ALL about priorities, my family will always come first, regardless of anything else!!

ps - change your occupation in your profile your current one makes you sound like a porno producer

cheers

shunty

The Zohan

ps - change your occupation in your profile your current one makes you sound like a porno producer

47 NAT

Fair play to you for having the gonads to do it Theres so many people I know that are always moaning and b1tching about their jobs that aren't prepared to do anything about it and will probably put up with it for another 10 years and still not do anything about it

Good luck

Nath

shunty

NAT, I had intended to do it in approx 1-2 years tbh, doing courses & practical exams along the way & doing weekend jobs.

The mains reasons I decided to go for it now:
I am 37, my new boss is a complete d1ckhead (&doesn't like me as he feels threatened, IMO) & the company is very unprofessional. My current workload for this year was huge, windows 2003 & exchange 2003 rollout UK & Europe, new CRM & financials expanding, consolidation of company...etc..etc
the bitching & backstabbing & under-qualified people was the worst I have ever come across.....

you get the picture....

I have also changed dramatically in the last 2 years, not seeing my family as much was a big issue for me as my kids are 12 & 14, working long hours lead to bad health problems & also stopped me from training (I kickbox/wrestle/bit-of-everything). I also love golf & only got 1 game in last year!!

have been tiling my mates bathroom this weekend & moved the electrics for the shower....it's a start anyway.

I plan to put a new mains fuse board/box in my house shortly & will be asking for some guidance from good'ol scoobynet

cheers

shunty

beemerboy

If anyone else is thinking of jumping out of IT, do it!!!

BB

fizzled

I was thinking of jumping in to it for a while then corgi reg plumber then cowboy , astronought . i am now trying to better my self in my own industry. But whenever you decide to change career people will always say dont do it becouse money is cr@p , im trying to get out myself etc. if you are not happy in your current job go for a change . you can always go back .

David Lock

There's a guy around our way who was a mechanical engineer but also a competent DIYer and generally presentable. He got pi$$ed off with office stuff and set himself up as a sort of Handyman person who would attend to all DIY jobs around the house for a fixed hourly rate but discounted depending on time spent. e.g £20 for first hour, £60 for 4 hours or whatever. When I moved house I got this guy in for all the odds and sods that I didn't have time for or couldn't do. Everything from setting up the TV to repairing a plumbing leak to installing a new sink. His wife does the marketing and bookings and he now has a mate to take on the work overload. He is successful and loves the change ("meeting interesting new people everyday"). I think the main reason for his success is a professional approach which gives comfort to the customer. I chose him in the first place because I knew the rates to start off with and didn't want to risk the corner shop ad for "have hammer can do anything" merchant. His wife is also good, going for niche markets e.g. families that have just moved and may want help and, for example, an article in a mothers-to-be mag about the "new baby room" which brought several weeks work from harrassed new mums. I am not suggesting that you may wish to follow this example but it may be something you could do part time to bring some pennies in whilst honing your skills in other areas. Just my 2p's worth. Good luck. I got out of an office environment in 1992 and I never regretted it for 1/10th of a nano second. Bright young MBAs and the Blue Sky Scenario make me ill. David. PS. An old Land Rover (TD) and decent trailer with vehicle winch if you have the room can be a good little earner.

shunty

David, I agree that having a good professional manner will help immensely when quoting for jobs...
1 of the most basic things that p1sses me off as a customer is that tradesmen very rarely phone you when they are going to be late or not coming...for something that takes 1 minute to do & keeps eveyone happy I can't understand this ??

my missus seems to have this knack of coming across really trustworthy with everyone & is very good natured (never gets hassled, annoyed etc...rare trait in a women I think), so this will also help me out.
I agree being multi-skilled as well must help, but I suppose you must have your strong areas & don't take on too many different types of trade.

by the way anyone wanting windows 2003 & exchange 2003 books (sybex ones) free send me an e-mail......you must collect though as I can't be ar5ed posting, would suit someone in Westyorks (I am in wakefield)

shunty

David Lock

Hi Shunty, Yep I agree. The guy I mentioned didn't take on the heavyweight stuff - like a whole new kitchen or any serious electrics - just stuck to cupboards, TVs, shelving, attic flooring etc etc. But they all add up. He was also up front about the trades he wouldn't touch such as plastering and brickwork. And yes proper communication is very important and the little extras like the ad in the local church mag and leaving his card with phone number. All obvious but often overlooked. D

n one

iTrader: (5)

Shunty, go for it & good luck with it all too. I`ve recently jacked my job after 14yrs driving HGVs, although I`m a time served Joiner by trade & now I`ve started up on my own, should have done it ages ago, I now feel much better about myself, things are on the up, its great so I`d say do it.

Neil.

shunty

cheers for that

also, I will be using any internet source I can, I have registered on a couple of good bbs sites for plumbing & I'm sure scoobynet people will help me out with some questions, just like I've done over the last 3 years or so on IT stuff.....

just deciding on whather to go for the OLCI courses or see what corgi can offer me ?? will speak with them today. I know they do a 16 day full-time course for corgi registered but I am not ready for that obviously.....perhaps they do an intermediate theory & practical course ??

shunty

shunty

Update -
after speaking with various people I eventually got the right bloke & info I needed.
Instead of spending £1100 on the OLCI plumbing course modules (theory based), I got the actual NVQ level 2 modules for £117 inc vat & delivery, saving me over £900
Obviously I'm not bothered about getting the actual NVQ qual BUT I do need to work through the course work & understand it all!!

shunty

The Zohan

Very best of luck with your new career. I hope it work out.