Barking Mad? (another career change thread!)

[FATHER ZED]

I know very little about those kind of courses, I have not done any. I climbed for years before even doing a CS unit. My company is based on my climbing skills (and of those that work for/with me) and my people skills and charm!! Along with some practical mechanical skills and common sense and logistics expertise and modesty!

 

I leave all the science stuff to others, I know what my limitations are. I get the job done in the time it takes others to explain to the client what a cambium layer is, by which time they have died of boredom anyway.

 

If you have free days while at college then get a job with a tree company, dragging brash and chipping. No CS units needed for that, and if you have a pre 97 drivign license then all the better.

 

 

Thanks Rupe, will take all this onboard.

[elfinwood saws]

i,ve been doing firewood for a few years now, Now at the age of 50 i,ve moved into forestry to supply the firewood business and i,ve got a cronic fatigue illness aswell, so if you have enough determination you can suceed. Plus the toys are fantastic! believe in yourself.

[David Goss]

Hi ZED

Thats good advice from Rupe but i would say if you are going to start up on your own then you will need to be extremely careful. You will be in direct competition with many other companies and probably a lot of which are vets to the trade. Pricing jobs is always a difficult thing and its very easy to get it wrong even for someone with years on the job.

Lets say you see a job and think ok that will take 2 or 3 days so you price in the freelancer for that time plus all your other expenses, next thing you know after a week on the job you realise there is still some days left to complete it. BIG mistake and very costly on your part. On the other end of the spectrum you may put 2 or 3 days on a job which you wont get because the next guy knows its a 1 day job and prices you out.

These are just a couple of examples of what can go wrong and for someone with no experience in the job its going to be extremely difficult for you to get it right. I can only wish you the best of luck and if you are serious about it then this is the best place to get advice:thumbup:

[FATHER ZED]

i,ve been doing firewood for a few years now, Now at the age of 50 i,ve moved into forestry to supply the firewood business and i,ve got a cronic fatigue illness aswell, so if you have enough determination you can suceed. Plus the toys are fantastic! believe in yourself.

 

Yes, I think you've hit the nail on the head!

 

Self belief, confidence, call it what you will, must be half the battle, at least!

 

 

For me, the other thing is, at 40, what else is there?

 

I don't want to sound overly pessimistic, but I've been trying to get another job for

over a year now - I must have done over a 1000 applications....

 

I started off looking for stuff at my 'usual' level ... and ended up looking for

virtually anything!

 

In West Yorkshire (where I am now), statistically, there is 1 job, per 5 people.

 

Frustration has turned to anger, and anger has turned to lateral thinking.

 

And, part of that lateral thinking is that I might as well try something I'm interested in.

 

If the wheels fall off, I'll have nowt'.

 

But the wheels have already fallen off, and I have nowt now, so how could

things be worse ?

 

That's a slight exaggeration, I'm not on bread and water yet, but you'll see

my point!

 

Sell up... cheaper house.... see if I can make things a wee bit better.

 

I'm not looking to be making a fortune, just make a living, maybe save a bit.

 

It's a very tempting idea, I must say!

[FATHER ZED]

Hi ZED

Thats good advice from Rupe but i would say if you are going to start up on your own then you will need to be extremely careful. You will be in direct competition with many other companies and probably a lot of which are vets to the trade. Pricing jobs is always a difficult thing and its very easy to get it wrong even for someone with years on the job.

Lets say you see a job and think ok that will take 2 or 3 days so you price in the freelancer for that time plus all your other expenses, next thing you know after a week on the job you realise there is still some days left to complete it. BIG mistake and very costly on your part. On the other end of the spectrum you may put 2 or 3 days on a job which you wont get because the next guy knows its a 1 day job and prices you out.

These are just a couple of examples of what can go wrong and for someone with no experience in the job its going to be extremely difficult for you to get it right. I can only wish you the best of luck and if you are serious about it then this is the best place to get advice:thumbup:

 

All VERY true !!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Took me a while to master the art of sparking estimates, so I know where you're coming from

on this ................

 

 

This is beginning to be slightly bipolar in nature ........

 

One bit of me thinks it's worth a punt .....

 

And the other bit thinks I could be courting disaster!

 

More thought required!!!!

[RobArb]

I'm playing with the idea of:

 

Foundation Degree in Arboriculture Course - Moulton College, Northampton

 

-- the Foundation Degree in Arboriculture, and then doing the 1 year top

up to turn it into a degree.

 

If I'd only be actually in college a few days a week, that would leave me enough time to earn some brass from gardening, and perhaps do some

very basic tree work, to keep the wolf from the door.............

 

I'd value your opinion on this course's suitability ????

 

I'm doing the FdSc at the moment but at myerscough college

 

It is a very good course as you would expect from degree level, therefore requiring a lot of self discipline to do it and A LOT of reading if your not "up on trees" already

 

but if you think you can do it, go for it:thumbup:

[FATHER ZED]

I'm doing the FdSc at the moment but at myerscough college

 

It is a very good course as you would expect from degree level, therefore requiring a lot of self discipline to do it and A LOT of reading if your not "up on trees" already

 

but if you think you can do it, go for it:thumbup:

 

Thanks Rob,

 

Oddly enough, this would be the one bit that least phases me.

 

I've studies at degree level before, and know what's required.

 

And you're right, you do have to be disciplined etc

 

You've made me curious now, I'll have to google Myerscough ....

 

[Rupe]

Ah, 40! Got there in the end! I'm 41 and climb nearly everyday, but i went through the pain barrier 15+ years ago, you will suffer big time if you try and become a climber! You will pass a CS unit if you can stand for 8hrs a day, but you will not be able to work for 8 hrs a day.

 

Could you run a half marathon tomorrow? Only a half marathon, and you have all day to do it. But you need to be able to do it again the day after, and the day after that. Thats the kind of fitness you should be lookign at, no extreme fitness but long term endurance, plus evenings of paperwork and maintenance. Not being negative, but I'm just trying to explain how it is.

[FATHER ZED]

Ah, 40! Got there in the end! I'm 41 and climb nearly everyday, but i went through the pain barrier 15+ years ago, you will suffer big time if you try and become a climber! You will pass a CS unit if you can stand for 8hrs a day, but you will not be able to work for 8 hrs a day.

 

Could you run a half marathon tomorrow? Only a half marathon, and you have all day to do it. But you need to be able to do it again the day after, and the day after that. Thats the kind of fitness you should be lookign at, no extreme fitness but long term endurance, plus evenings of paperwork and maintenance. Not being negative, but I'm just trying to explain how it is.

 

I can't argue with that Rupe!

 

I'm probably somewhere in the middle territory, fitness wise, at the mo ........

 

I run to keep fit, periodically, but must admit my motivation varies greatly!

 

To put it in some sort of context, I'm probably fitter than most of the people

I went to school with, but I could still be a lot, lot fitter.

 

The evening work wouldn't phase me - my typical Sparking day started at 5 a.m -

and I'd get home at 10pm. The most brass I've ever had, even compared to being a

desk-jockey, but when I wasn't working I was sleeping

 

It's good food for thought anyway!

 

I'd HAVE to acknowledge the need to get properly fit!

[Rupe]

Dont get me wrong, I'm not particularly fit, and could not run a half marathon tomorrow or any other day, but I can do tree work without it doing me in because my body has learned how to over time.

 

I think it sounds as though you have a good measure of all the necessary qualities, but still I would say get some part time work with a company, small outfits are usually better than large ones, and learn from that as much, if not more than from college.