Advice/thoughts please...career change!?
Advice/thoughts please...career change!?
Author
Discussion

wheat

Original Poster:

20 posts

206 months

Wednesday 9th February 2011
quotequote all
Ok, im after some advice or thoughts from you guys on what i should do next, or how i can change my career.

In brief i have done.. a mechanics apprenticeship at a high class car dealership, of which i completed nvq/btec level 3.

Aerospace, trained in Non destructive Testing on blades and the like.

A bit of sales inbetween, business to business and door to door.

Workshop Manager at a used car garage for a mate, which lasted a year and folded!!

Back on the spanners, at another high class car garage, working on Porsche's, Ferrari's, Bentley's etc, and finally got a job offer in the Rail industry, sub contracting, which has just ended (2 weeks ago).

So now im 24, and a jobless bum frown I dont really know what to do, my options so far are:
Re-train - electrician/plumber
Car sales (always wanted to work in a dealership selling brand new cars!)

I need some inspiration from PH...
a) any good ideas on what to do next career wise
b) anyone been in a similar situation and re-trained? How?
c) anyone around Derby/Notts that can help biggrin

Andy

StevieBee

15,163 posts

283 months

Wednesday 9th February 2011
quotequote all
A salesman with good and hands on technical understanding of what they are selling is rare and tend to carry a far higher premium.

As a salesmen, your earnings will be linked to how much you can sell, There's little limit on this.

As a mechanic, your earnings a linked to how many cars / trains you can fix. There is only so much you can do here.

As a mechanic, you are reliant upon the efforts of the sales team to secure your income and have no influence on this.

As a salesmen, you are reliant upon nobody but yourself.

Just my opinion.

HTH.

Zaxxon

4,057 posts

188 months

Wednesday 9th February 2011
quotequote all
Join the forces, train to be a sniper.....reach out and touch someone smile

wheat

Original Poster:

20 posts

206 months

Wednesday 9th February 2011
quotequote all
StevieBee said:
A salesman with good and hands on technical understanding of what they are selling is rare and tend to carry a far higher premium.

As a salesmen, you are reliant upon nobody but yourself.

Just my opinion.

HTH.
This is why i thought of Car salesman, there cant be that many out there that know the technical side of cars?? On the other hand, it could be a downfall.

I have thought about joining the forces shoot hmmmmmm biglaugh

okgo

41,941 posts

226 months

Wednesday 9th February 2011
quotequote all
you don't need to know anything about cars to sell them, its almost totally redundant.

StevieBee

15,163 posts

283 months

Wednesday 9th February 2011
quotequote all
wheat said:
This is why i thought of Car salesman, there cant be that many out there that know the technical side of cars?? On the other hand, it could be a downfall.
Doesn't have to be cars that you sell.

Everything starts with a sale. You appear to have a very good grasp of mechanical engineering so the benefits this brings to selling anything or any service related to mechanical engineering are significant.

wheat

Original Poster:

20 posts

206 months

Wednesday 9th February 2011
quotequote all
Good point SB, from what i have seen though most of them type of 'sales/engineer' jobs are aimed at graduates, unfortunately i dont have anything above an A level or equivelant.

wheat

Original Poster:

20 posts

206 months

Wednesday 9th February 2011
quotequote all
I Love Lamp said:
It's refreshing talking to a salesman who can answer most technical questions you fire at them. It usually shows they understand the product/service and not just a 'fact sheet'.
I do agree, and with doing sales and being technically minded i would probably be quite good, but its getting into that sort of role