Age 19 career and what do you do ?

[H_baz]

Hello everyone, I have been working as a mechanic since 16 and would say I now have a rough idea about garage life but don’t think it’s particularly for me . Not in a negative way but I just don’t think it particularly suits me and what I see for my future . I would like an office based job I think but I haven’t got a clue about what precisely as it’s not really what anyone in my family does bar one person( which is why I’ve asked here). I can learn quickly and I would say get my head around new things quite well. I would appreciate input from people in such positions and the job title and description etc. Thank you for reading and any help is hugely valued.

Edited by H_baz on Saturday 17th April 11:48

[H_baz]

Benbay001 said:

Have you considered a mechanical role in a factory?

I am mixed skilled (mostly electronics though) and spend about 40% of my time sat behind a computer and the rest either at my work bench or working on equipment around the site.

Im a bit disenfranchised with my job atm but i think its just because of covid.

I had not actually , that does sound more interesting than what I’m doing currently day to day as you would get a bit more variety at least . I definitely don’t think COVID helps at the moment though it makes everything a bit more depressing .

[H_baz]

sociopath said:

Personally, I'd be a mechanic.

Sitting in an office is pants, and I say that as someone who did it for 40 years.

Even worse if you don't know what you want to do, except sit in an office.

Why do you want an office job? If you answer that question you may get more idea of what you could do.

An office job isn't necessarily an easier life than a non-office job, it's just different, and generally has more pointless rules

I think I’d like the opportunity for career progression and once you become good at your ‘thing’ you are valued ( hopefully) accordingly. I’m not scared of hard work or wanting an easy job I just don’t overwhelmingly love working with my hands all day everyday sort of thing .

[H_baz]

Smurfsarepeopletoo said:

You might need to provide more information of why garage life doesnt suit you, and what you want for your future.

There are loads of office jobs out there, but it depends what you want to do as to what will be suitable for you.

I don’t think the earning potential is great for the effort and hassle you have to go through so the satisfaction isn’t particularly high . Not saying I expect to ever be on mega sums but I’d like a good wage where you aren’t crippled by 30-40 sort of thing. I’m not scared of any job really I’d give it a good go and get stuck in but I’m just not sure what people are doing in an office all day and I don’t mean that in a derogatory way haha .

[H_baz]

sociopath said:

That's what you need to deal with, an office job just means you work in an office, but that could be IT, finance, support, operations, HR, admin etc loads of different things. Saying office worker isn't the same as saying mechanic.

You need to think about what job you want to do or could do

Good point it’s such a vast term that I haven’t really asked a question someone could feasibly answer . I would rather IT or finance opposed to the other fields you’ve listed but I’m not sure that’s possible to get into without a degree etc .

[H_baz]

GliderRider said:

Both for your own benefit and for us to be able to give you more useful guidance, list what aspects of your current job you do and don't like.e.g.

• Working with tools
• Working with vehicles
• Being on your feet
• Problem solving
• Recording on paper/computer what you have done
• Dealing face to face with customers
• Working with other employees
• Working/talking to management
• Taking orders from people
• Instructing other people what to do
• Getting out and about (getting away from your normal place of work)
• Staying away overnight
• Working away/abroad - short trips (max two weeks)
• Working away/abroad - Over two weeks
• Repetitive work
• Jobs where you are left to sort it out without much guidance
• Being creative with words e.g. writing a description of something as opposed to just filling in tick boxes.
• Mucking in - doing whatever needs to be done whether its sweeping the floor or a complex task
• Teamworking with one other person
• Teamworking with several people
• Lone working - having to plan the task, the equipment, record what was done and make all the decisions yourself. i.e. the buck stops with you.

Obviously you won't have had personal experience of a lot of these, but you should be able to imagine if you would like them or not.

Let us know what you think!

That’s brilliant thank you very much , it’s a small 3 man garage owned by my dad so I have got more experience with the full process than perhaps others. I enjoy being creative with words opposed to tick boxes for sure and have no problem with dealing with customers and trying to explain things in a less technical sense that’s easier to digest . Obviously problem solving is a large part which I also enjoy because it’s a great feeling when you do find a solution . I have no problems being given problems from people above me and I’m not scared of people being in charge/overseeing what I’m doing . I haven’t ever had to stay away for work but I wouldn’t have a problem with that as I still live at home so no dependents. I do enjoy teamwork actually it’s nice to have people to talk things through with . Repetitive work isn’t a huge problem if it’s remotely interesting to me but by its nature obviously gets boring . Hope that can help a bit I really appreciate all of this

[H_baz]

sociopath said:

If you want IT then the obvious way in without a degree is via an apprenticeship.

My last role I was taking on apprentices into our support team. Its a great way into IT, all mine moved on to well paid jobs with the experience they gained.

I did enjoy my apprenticeship, well the actual job aspect I found the college side a bit mundane but the college side a bit slow . I think an apprenticeship will be the way into anything I choose as it’s invaluable to get experience alongside knowledge IMO .

[H_baz]

Jag_NE said:

As your technically minded I would recommend a job at a large manufacturing company. Start on the shop floor if you have to but it shouldn’t be hard to transition into a Quality or Manufacturing Engineering role.

That does sound like a good career path and something you could grow in . Also very interesting so that always helps when working , sure you could diversify into other engineering sectors when you have a good idea of what goes on .

[H_baz]

LimaDelta said:

Come work on superyachts. If you enjoy fixing stuff, problem solving and are happy talking to people, the work is varied, travel interesting and pay very good compared with most shoreside technical roles.

I have no idea how you would even get into that sort of profession to be honest although it does sound really interesting and paid well from the sounds of it . No experience or outright interest in boats ( beyond the obvious love of looking at yachts the size of my house and above haha) but I wouldn’t turn the opportunity for travel etc down .

[H_baz]

21TonyK said:

My son was in a similar position where he wasnt sure what he wanted to do, just not what he was doing!

He left school with a couple of A levels (design & history, failed maths). Thought about the Police and went through the first few stages of selection whilst working in food retail where he rapidly became a supervisor managing nights and deliveries. He was earning good very money but hated nights and being on call as a key holder etc

At 19 and completely out of the blue he applied for a job as a trainee chartered accountant and got it. No previous experience but fitted in with the existing team.

Trainee was the key thing for him, not an apprenticeship. He gets paid pretty well still and loves it.

A traineeship would be nice working alongside people who already know what they’re doing well. Sounds like your son is well in there though and I’m envious he’s been able to pull it off successfully ! I think a lot of it is confidence at going for something completely new.

[H_baz]

LunarOne said:

I worked for 9 years, building up more serious software skills.

Thank you for that reply very detailed I appreciate you going to that effort massively ! It seems you’ve had a great career in something I hadn’t even really thought about , this is what I mean though about not even really knowing what’s out there or available to someone without a traditional pathway . I think if I was offered 100k p.a I’d take it even if I was bored of what I was doing at the time that’s an incredible figure if you know you can do the job competently so congratulations !once I find something that interests me and I can find a future in I’ll definitely look into courses etc in my own time to try and get a better chance at a position .

[H_baz]

happy fish said:

First of all you sound like a sensible young man . I repair domestic appliances and have done so for almost forty years and have been self employed for at least thirty eight years . The pros of this with the right attitude you can earn a very good living , im not suggesting this but have you considered something such as a plumber gas appliances. The way technology is advancing gas boilers and the associated timers valves etc are becoming more complicated plus there will be big push for heat pump heating systems .
This if you are self employed has many advantages
Very good income
New work place situations daily weekly
The ability to grow a business
Dictating your own hours and days you work.
As an engineer who has been on the road you meet some lovely people ,see some incredible property’s also some absolute dives plus if you need take a couple of hours off you just can.
As you appear quite smart and can work with your hands and problem solve this may be something to look in to as it takes you out of the environment your in .

Sounds like an interesting career I do enjoy getting to meet all different customers and their houses sometimes when stuff needs doing on their end . I think preferably I’d rather get out of using my hands to make a living though that’s just preference I think from what I’ve experienced so far . Definitely would be good to get in ahead of the curve of one of the next big things though for obvious reasons . Thank you !

[H_baz]

LimaDelta said:

Happy to point you in the right direction.

No harm in looking I’m sure thank you that’s very kind of you 👍🏽

[H_baz]

R5_BOY said:

Building Surveying ? A good mix of being out and about and office

Sounds intriguing I do like having a nose about is it quite a good business at the moment ?

[H_baz]

GliderRider said:

H_baz, you mentioned that you found college 'a bit slow'. Is that because the course was pitched at a lower academic level than you can manage, or you just didn't like being at college? It is almost a fact of life that if you are going to get a decent job with an employer, with prospects of moving up the ladder pay and responsibility-wise, that some amount of post-school further education will be required.

What are your views on doing:

• An NVQ/ONC/HNC on day release from work
• Going to college full time for an NVQ Level 3/HND/Foundation degree
• Going to university to do a full time degree.

Please give you views on each category separately.

Hi GliderRider, for me personally I think it was geared for a lower academic level than would suit me , not in a boastful way but i quickly picked things up that took others a few lessons to get their head around . I fully accept further education is a necessity if you are to end up higher up in the chain but I couldn’t see the point in university etc if I wasn’t sure of what I wanted to do or if it would even lead to a job in the end regardless. As such for the right job I would be more than happy to continue education alongside the job and earnings side , got to pay for my car some how :biglaughing: .
Day release would be my preferred option as I enjoy gaining experience more than just getting the theoretical side , helps me to understand things more . University wouldn’t be my cup of tea for the reasons I mentioned above unfortunately .
I think that roughly answers that , really appreciate all of the help

[H_baz]

Cotty said:

If you look at it try to get into someting interesting with a smaller broker like Aviation/aerospace, Marine (as it big cargo and cruise ships), kidnap and randsome etc.

I hadn’t even thought of insurance though the specialisations you listed do sound interesting. I’m sure you could move around a bit , like you have done , to keep it fresh and you moving forward career wise . Thank you that’s another one for consideration .

[H_baz]

A500leroy said:

Maybe consider going into Motorsport to mix roles and aim to go towards F1/formula e?

Hello A500leroy , I do know of someone in the field relatively well but I don’t think it would be for me particularly. I’d like to get out of the trade entirely into something new as much as I love cars although the travelling aspect related to motor sport would be the main appeal for me . Thank you !

[H_baz]

Thanks for the suggestions of forces etc but unfortunately I can’t due to medical issues so that puts an end to that , otherwise it would be intriguing. I have found sales engineer roles that sound interesting but they seem to require further education so could be out of my reach.