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What's in your garage?

and the winner of a free dinner is.....

Dave Swider!

Thanks for a straight answer. I've got a friend in Mill Valley (assuming that you live in or near there, being in Marin <by God> county) and will gladly treat next time I'm there... or give a shout if you're up for a ride in beautiful Montana!
 
adamceckhardt said:
Dave Swider!

Thanks for a straight answer. I've got a friend in Mill Valley (assuming that you live in or near there, being in Marin <by God> county) and will gladly treat next time I'm there... or give a shout if you're up for a ride in beautiful Montana!
Click to expand...

:ha

Mill Valley's right down the road. No need to pay up. I'll buy you a beer somewhere. Maybe Marin Brewing? :beer
 
Engineering Manager for a defense contractor...anybody need a $700 toilet seat?:usa
 
KBasa said:
We deal with the lawyers that are handling "bet the company" litigation. Typical stuff is a power company builds a powerplant, realizes they're going to default on their loan payment, so they sue the construction company and says they're responsible for delays on the project.

Two pharma companies work together to develop a mouse that's very susceptible to a particular kind of cancer. The companies end their agreement and sue each other for possession of breed of mouse.

That kinda thing.

Oh, the stories. :ha
Click to expand...

Oh I bet you could go on with stories for a lifetime.
This lawyer that I have is a piece of work. I sent him an attitude adjustment message today. I reminded him that he works for me. I also reminded him that the divorce settlement has been handled by myself and future ex.

PC
 
I do engineering-support for medical piped systems. I inspect, certify, and service the oxygen, air, vacuum, etc., systems in hospitals, and I also do some indoor-air-quality testing in healthcare facilities. I'm part of a four-man company. Adam, I'll bet your next ten paychecks that you make more than me. I've always been fairly poor as BMW-owners go, however I do keep trying (so far unsucessfully) to change that. I may do some significant career-change next year. Not sure just yet what direction to go, but I figure I should have enough transferable skill and experience working in the hospital environment to be able to shift into some other aspect of the nuts-n-bolts part of healthcare.
 
I'm not gauranteed anything for my next ten paychecks! Its part of being in the car business, and its rough at times! Everytime I seem to get ahead, we have a terrible month and I end up paying bills with savings. I, too, am considering a career change. For one, I get bored sitting behind a desk and not getting two consecutive days off. Second, like I already mentioned, the paycheck isn't reliable. If I want to make the big bucks in the car business, I'll have to move to a high-volume dealer, which are known to be unfriendly places to work.

I've considered everything from getting a CDL to drive locally for contruction companies, to getting back into nursing. The main reason I asked what people do is that I'm looking for a change- and I'd like a part of that change to include consistent and reliable paychecks.
 
Hmmm...just one "free dinner." and I was all ready to head for Bozeman.
 
what's in...

I'm looking for a change.....adamceckhardt
Click to expand...

Adam:

You might want to retain a career counseller or psychologist. These folks can run you through a battery of tests, do a profile on your interests, strengths, etc., and then review some possible career options.

We had an in depth study done on our daughter when she was 16, and it was well worth it. Cost was about $1,000.

It could identify some strengths you don't know you have and, on the other hand, rule out some possibilities that you are considering. You're still young enough to easily make a career change.

I've heard the car business is a brutal one.

Good luck.

Rinty
 
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Adam,

By default, I ended up with the government for 31 years (26 with the Border Patrol, 4 in the Air Force, and some fighting fire). Better than kicking cows in the hind parts or running a chainsaw, which were my other two local options.

Pretty good benefits, and not bad retirement. Covered positions (enforcement, fire fighters, and such) can retire early. I went out at 50 about 13 years ago, and the checks keep coming. Not big checks, but they keep coming. The retirement structure has changed considerably, but it still can be good if one approaches it properly.

I spent time in virtually all quadrants of the US, and there was always at least a slim potential for overseas stuff (I never could get there).

The Patrol is hiring big time right now.

Gary
 
Interesting Adam! Financially speaking, our jobs sound very similar. I'm not guaranteed anything either, and this month I'm living on savings. We are a small enough company that we don't have regular paychecks and we only have money to take home if we've had work recently- and we've taken a real beating in the market. Right now though we've got tons of jobs that need to be done soon but we're being held up by supplier-issues. Next month might be on the good side, but then December will most likely be pretty slow (hospitals don't like to start new projects near the end of the year). Unless something miraculous happens, I'm jumping-ship in the first quarter next year.
If you're at the rally in Gillette next year, let's compare our (I hope by then former) crappy careers over some beers.
 
thanks!

yes, the car business can be brutal. A good friend owns one of the largest Honda dealerships in the country (in NJ) and the stories baffle me! I swear that I work at the nicest dealership in the country- and with a product line like Honda, its easy to sleep at night. We are consistently ranked in the top 20 for customer satisfation (out of 1100 dealers) and on a montly basis often hit number 1. The problem is that a lot of people still come to us with a chip on their shoulder, expecting to get lied to and ripped off. I started off selling them, which can be pretty fun, and got promoted to finance manager. Its hard to keep smiling all day after talking to customers that are complete jerks. On the other hand, I've made plenty of friends that stop by the dealership just to say hello.

The finance department makes money off of loans, just like the bank does, and in our particular market we usually offer better interest rates than the bank can. We also make money on secondary products like extended warranties. Many dealerships offer credit life insurance, etc... but we don't. I sell clear bras (an awesome rock-chip deterrant), a paint protection (that I was once skeptical of, but now that I use it see the benefits) and a windsheild protectant. In Montana they all sell pretty well. Our problem is that a lot of people here purchase with "true cash" (meaning they write us a personal check) that we can't make money on the finance part. Theres very little profit in the secondary products- and my closing ratio on extended warranties ranges from 20% to 60% in any given month. If you take my worst month, and combine it with the sales departments worst month (I perform poorly, and we don't sell very many cars) and my paycheck becomes non-existent. Many people that do what I do make well over $100000 a year- a select few may make a quarter million. They also work 90+ hours a week and 6-7 days. I work 5+ days and do about 55 hours a week. I wonder what they'll do when I leave, because I don't know any Finance managers that would work for what I make... even if you take the money out of it, it can be incredibly boring in the slow times. In fact, I'm writing this from my desk at work because I have nothing else to do!

Well- thanks for the sound advice- I'll digest it and take it from there. If anyone is hiring an intelligent, self-directed, college educated individual, let me know!
 
Interesting thread. There are a few industries where you can get ahead based upon your ability. Banking is one of them. Regardless of your background or education, you can move from delivery or courier service right to the top of the organization if you have a good work ethic, and your fair share of intelligence, and you're willing to work. I've worked for banks for 33 years, and have seen quite a few people get ahead based upon their abilities. Adam, you might try to see if you could get a job as a credit analyst, business lender or in indirect lending with a bank, and see where it takes you.

50-55 hours week, unfortunately, are common. Not just in banking. It's common for people who do well, who get ahead, who have successful careers. It doesn't mean you can't have a family life, it just means you have to work hard and have less leisure time than you wish, but it will get you ahead in a job with decent pay and benefits. JMHO :whistle
 
Dan,

Very interesting- just as I checked back in to see if there were any posts, I was just looking in the local classified ads- and theres a credit analyst position at one of the banks... I'll have a resume to them on Monday.

Have a great weekend
Adam
 
I keep this C4S in my shop - I'll have to take pictures of the stuff in the garage.

porsche004.jpg
 
what's in...

Me and the kids...

The two most beautiful models Motor Rad ever built, IMHO.

213513301-M.jpg


Donald Douglass used to say: "I'm an RS kind of guy." I'm sorry we never met.

Rinty
 
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ggfossen said:
Adam,

By default, I ended up with the government for 31 years (26 with the Border Patrol, 4 in the Air Force, and some fighting fire). Better than kicking cows in the hind parts or running a chainsaw, which were my other two local options.

Pretty good benefits, and not bad retirement. Covered positions (enforcement, fire fighters, and such) can retire early. I went out at 50 about 13 years ago, and the checks keep coming. Not big checks, but they keep coming. The retirement structure has changed considerably, but it still can be good if one approaches it properly.

I spent time in virtually all quadrants of the US, and there was always at least a slim potential for overseas stuff (I never could get there).

The Patrol is hiring big time right now.

Gary
Click to expand...

One of my old roomies became a border patrol agent in the early 90's. He went through Ranger school and served with one of my brothers before that. He later joined INS now ICE about, and I could be wrong on the exact time frame, six or seven years ago.

If you served in AZ in the mid 90's, let me know via private message. Maybe we know some of the same people.
 
what's in...

Ghostrider:

I can't see the badges clearly; is that a real one, or which kit is it? A client of mine just finished a Factory Five, which I understand is one of the better kits, and installed a hot rodded 351 crate motor in it. He used all new components for running gear. Built it all himself and wouldn't accept any help.

I think these things are fascinating, but I would worry about driving an original, they're so expensive now.

Rinty
 
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