Lost my "day job" of 16+ years Friday...my nerves are shot!

[Tim Hancock]

I have rural dial-up presently here at home, so I will not be very active here on Pelican for the near future.

The special automated machine design and build company that I have worked at for the past 16+ years as a machine designer, just threw in the towel and went belly up.

I don't know what I will do now, as I need health insurance and I have a daughter just starting college. I may initially do engineering consulting for a couple of companies that we just built machines for, but ultimately, I will probably have to start all over with a similar type company.

This just sucks

[VINMAN]

Tim, that really sucks big time! So sorry

[RoninLB]

business mags have been pumping that small aircraft is increasing.

[berettafan]

Damn that's a shame!

Any reason why you can't start your own co?

If you're mainly concerned with insurance consider gubmint work if there is any applicable to your skills (even teaching at a vo-tech type school).

[kach22i]

Get that resume together, I'll get it to my wife, she had luck with helping Art.

Hang in there.

[KFC911]

Hang in there Tim! I've seen a lot of co-workers experience the loss of their jobs, and although it sucks, you will be just fine once the dust settles. Don't let it get you down...

[lendaddy]

Damn Tim that blows. As talented as you are, you should be a commodity. Maybe it's a blessing in disguise, you never know.

[azasadny]

Tim,
I'm sorry to hear that as Tab told me on Saturday. Get George (kach22i) your resume ASAP. His wife Kim helped me land my current job. You may also consider using Linkedin.com as I've seen how effective it is and it's free. I hope you have a smooth landing.

[djmcmath]

Bummer. Uncertainty is a miserable thing. The bright side is that with 16+ years experience in your field, you ought to be employable almost anywhere, right?

[charleskieffner]

also just got done reading cnc west. aircraft orders and everything associated are going thru the roof now.

cnc machine orders up and of course tooling. damn good indicators of economy. as well as porsche sales up. another damn good economic indicator.

this is a classic example of always having plan "Z" in place.

as much as everyone dislikes their jobs in some way, there is always another door opening. life is a bumpy road..........always. just when you think you got it by the huevos a curve comes along. well swing at the curve you got nothing to loose.

the only thing i miss from aerospace is the cutting edge technology i was immersed in 24/7/365. dont miss the people or their crap. deadlines /sales charts/creative expense accts./travel all the time.

my advice to you ...........grab a pot of coffee and start slamming keys on an updated polished as hell resume. network like a mo-fo and consider changing interests. TODAY not monyana.......you'll feel better for the effort!

yeah its a PITA to change, but it almost always gets better, and if it doesnt, capitalize on the new contacts you make.

hell i applied for a job w/a phone call to a guy who i met at PIR thru PCA. he runs all the water tenders for all slurry bomber ops and helo ops for the u.s. forest service, west coast/southwest. mix slurry and stick nozzle in aircraft to fill, and off they go on bombing run. repeat until dark.

its different/its remote/g/friend loves the idea/ and its 6-7 months work and the balance off. just about dont care what it pays!

at 49 going on 50, i'm not ever putting up w/the corp. crap anymore. work your a$$ of and get laid off. have met more intelligent people who dont wear a suit and tie than i did when i wore a suit and tie!

granted (2) things i hate in life..........moving(havent done that since 1985) and looking for a job. have now taken that hatred of job searching and changed it into kind of like a fishing trip. everytime i see something cool that interests me, i inquire w/the poweres that be about any job openings. ie. if you dont have a worm on yer hook you aint gonna catch ANYTHING!

there is no cradle to grave jobs anymore.

[Tim Hancock]

Just got off the phone with a recent customer and he said he will be contacting me soon about either a position with the company or contracting w/ me to do some consulting on a machine we just built for them. I can get a job for sure doing nearly anything as I have done a lot of different kinds of work.

The big question mark is whether to go it on my own doing engineering consulting and risky airplane work or take the safe road and get a full time job with full benefits. I have some serious soul searching to do!

Thanks for the support guys.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Really sorry to hear it Tim, but you are remarkably employable. Just the work you've posted on Pelican should be enough to land you any job you want.

but with your skills and talent, I'd start my own consulting gig in auto/air.

[Oh Haha]

So sorry to hear this, Tim. While I can't help you find another job, I do offer my best wishes in landing on your feet. You seem quite capable of doing most type of engineering, being building or consulting. Again, this may be a blessing in disguise.

[livi]

Sorry to hear of your situation, Tim.

The somewhat paradoxical rule apply however. Even if it is difficult to imagine when hitting bottom - fact is it can only get better from there.

[Dantilla]

I learned a valuable lesson in my early 20's when the construction company I worked for went belly-up.

Lots of worry for a few days when an older, wiser guy I know said:

"If you're truely good at what you do, you'll never be hurting for work".

A couple days later, I got a phone call from a guy who had heard about me, and hired me over the phone.

When all of my co-workers were headed down to the unemployment office, I was loading tools in my truck, heading off to to my new job.

Tim, we have seen the caliber of your work. Guys like you are in demand. I'm convinced you will land on your feet.

[pwd72s]

Bad timing, for sure. Tim, good luck! You'll make the right decisions...if interested in relocating, you might send a resume to Lanceair...

[t6dpilot]

Tim,
Sorry to hear of this misfortune. Keep a positive attitude. I speak from experience as I have have been in transition twice in my life. It is not fun and you will have a roller coaster ride of ups and downs. Ride the ups as long as you can and don't let the downs get you too discouraged. Just when you think "it" ain't gonna happen, something good comes along to get you back up.

First thing you have to do is to decide what the next step is - your own company or back to a safe job. If it is the secure job you desire, then polish your resume and network with anyone you think might be of assistance. You never know when an opportunity might turn up. During my first transition, I decided that I wanted to work in the aviation field. Well actually, I would still like that. I polished my resume and went to Oshkosh. No, not for the airshow, but to network with all potential aircraft and avionics manufacturers. Believe it or not, I received a job offer with a Mooney as my company car! For various reasons, I did not accept that offer (was that right?), but you still never know where the next opportunity lies.

If you have a marketable business skill, which it sounds like you do, then I firmly believe that you should seriously consider "hanging out your shingle." I have a friend that did this as an A&P and he loves the move. Although I am in a secure position for the time being, I made the move to start the process of setting up a business so I can go out on my own. I am actually about to make the official transition in the next couple of days and am really looking forward to it (scared sh--less too!). I have heard from anybody who has made the leap that it was the best decision they ever made regarding their careers. Of course, that assumes that you have done your homework and have a "product" to sell and a readily defined market. So if this is the direction you want to go, I wish you all the best of good fortune and tailwinds.

Unfortunately, I have a lot of experience in the career transistion area. If you decide to go the job search route, feel free to contact me via PM and we can exchange numbers to talk. I am happy to help in any way I can.

[nostatic]

Originally posted by Tim Hancock


The big question mark is whether to go it on my own doing engineering consulting and risky airplane work or take the safe road and get a full time job with full benefits. I have some serious soul searching to do!

When God closes a door, She opens a window. And no, not to jump out of. You'll find a good fit.

[kach22i]

Tim Hancock
Hancock Specialties (Aircraft repair)

From your siginature I can see you are ready to go in any direction.

If a very past due invoice I'm sending out today gets paid, I'd like to talk to you about getting my two stroke hovercraft tuned-up. That is if you are into that sort of thing.

[Grady Clay]

Tim,

charleskieffner has great advice.

Your quandary is very typical. The facts that will direct your decision toward working or independence are both market (which sounds great) and your personal situation which I don’t expect you to share online. There are many common factors that influence these kind of decisions.

Incomplete and In no particular order:

Cost of kids’ education
Mortgage
On-going medical issues
Current assets-debts
Potential inheritances

What you and your partner want.
Life is full of risk and reward. You are not assured someone won’t run a red light and T-bone you this afternoon. That doesn’t mean you will quit driving. You have family responsibilities. That doesn’t mean you don’t accept risk.

There isn’t a win-win answer. No matter what you do, you will always be able to look back and say “I should have….” Don’t let that dissuade you from any choice.

Research everything. Make it your full-time job, 24/7/365 if necessary, to find the best choices. None will be ideal. With due diligence, none will be wrong.

You have PM & email from me and great advice from your friends on Pelican.

Best,
Grady