Back To School
I did something last Tuesday that I swore I'd never do again, and that was go back to school. It's only a night course one day a week but I'm hoping it opens doors to a new career change and a better future.
From my previous work experiences I have developed the skills to work a lot of woodworking machinery and it has paid off well so far. But when I moved down to Connecticut I noticed that the majority of the manufacturing jobs with lots of potential are in the metalwork industry. I tried breaking into this new territory with my woodworking background but I haven't had any luck in finding someone who is willing to train me from basically scratch. The knowledge that I have doesn't have the potential to pay off in the long term like I want it too so I decided to invest a little money and time to upgrade my skills. There has been a constant steady stream of metalwork jobs available since I started looking for employment prospects in this area about two years ago so I'm going to change directions while I'm still young enough to do it.
I'm enrolled in a class that is introduction to CNC Milling and Turning. We are being trained to use computer controlled machines that the industry is always looking for operators, programmers, and set-up people. Fortunately for me I'll be learning how to do all three. So far the language is very similar to what I learned back home while working with wood and the first class was just basically a refresher course for me. Everything started to come back really quickly and by the end of the class I could tell I was already light years ahead of the other students. Some of them are completely lost and some I swear don't even speak English. This one black guy has an accent so thick it sounds like he came right out of the movie "Cool Runnings".
But the teacher was nice and he actually owns his own company in the local area so hopefully he can guide me in the right direction when this course is over in 12 weeks, perhaps even hire me :) He offered to come in on extra days and do some more one-on-one teaching if we feel we aren't grasping the concepts or would just like some more time on the machines. He seems really determined to have us feel we got full value for our dollar and is genuinely interested in seeing us succeed.
I'm looking forward to diving into this new challenge. I'm getting bored at my current job and I find it's hard to stay motivated when I work everyday with people who honestly could give a rats ass about anything that goes on. I'm the only guy that always puts in a 40 hour week and looks for overtime and it's hard to deal with "part timers" on a daily basis with nothing positive to say. But, it's paying the bills for now and supplying us with medical insurance which I realize is a very valuable asset, so I won't let myself put down the job itself or the owner.
I'll look for a new job once I finish this course and after I return from my trip back home in February. I'm looking forward to the next few months. :)
From my previous work experiences I have developed the skills to work a lot of woodworking machinery and it has paid off well so far. But when I moved down to Connecticut I noticed that the majority of the manufacturing jobs with lots of potential are in the metalwork industry. I tried breaking into this new territory with my woodworking background but I haven't had any luck in finding someone who is willing to train me from basically scratch. The knowledge that I have doesn't have the potential to pay off in the long term like I want it too so I decided to invest a little money and time to upgrade my skills. There has been a constant steady stream of metalwork jobs available since I started looking for employment prospects in this area about two years ago so I'm going to change directions while I'm still young enough to do it.
I'm enrolled in a class that is introduction to CNC Milling and Turning. We are being trained to use computer controlled machines that the industry is always looking for operators, programmers, and set-up people. Fortunately for me I'll be learning how to do all three. So far the language is very similar to what I learned back home while working with wood and the first class was just basically a refresher course for me. Everything started to come back really quickly and by the end of the class I could tell I was already light years ahead of the other students. Some of them are completely lost and some I swear don't even speak English. This one black guy has an accent so thick it sounds like he came right out of the movie "Cool Runnings".
But the teacher was nice and he actually owns his own company in the local area so hopefully he can guide me in the right direction when this course is over in 12 weeks, perhaps even hire me :) He offered to come in on extra days and do some more one-on-one teaching if we feel we aren't grasping the concepts or would just like some more time on the machines. He seems really determined to have us feel we got full value for our dollar and is genuinely interested in seeing us succeed.
I'm looking forward to diving into this new challenge. I'm getting bored at my current job and I find it's hard to stay motivated when I work everyday with people who honestly could give a rats ass about anything that goes on. I'm the only guy that always puts in a 40 hour week and looks for overtime and it's hard to deal with "part timers" on a daily basis with nothing positive to say. But, it's paying the bills for now and supplying us with medical insurance which I realize is a very valuable asset, so I won't let myself put down the job itself or the owner.
I'll look for a new job once I finish this course and after I return from my trip back home in February. I'm looking forward to the next few months. :)
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