How old is 'too old' for career change?

[Shadowdog500]

I looked it up and 104 is the age where it is too late to change careers. . You can always do something else, but as you know, you will most likely be starting at the bottom and working your way up again.

I see you are currently a sign painter and do gas signs (is that neon?). Is that type of work drying up completely? If so can you use your decades of experience in a similar career that uses similar skills so you can at least start further up the ladder for more pay?

Chris

 

[MarkG]

I'm kinda overwhelmed by all the responses and I really appreciate all the input. As much as I'd like to, if I tried to respond to every point made, I'd be typing all night, but just a few things:

1. About the 'gas signs' my last name is Gasser. My business is Gasser Signs & Lettering. If you check my profile on here, I've got pics posted, plus the address of my fb page if you're interested. Yes, neon is a gas, but I don't do neon. I love traditional, hand-lettering, gold leaf, striping, airbrush----the typical old-school cool stuff you'll never find at FastSigns coming out of their color printers. You can get good pay (on your own), but the market for the really nice stuff is relatively small, at least around here.

2. I've fabricated a few basic things with what tools I have, and I think they're all posted on here somewhere probably. Woodburning stove, bike work stand, welder cart, rust patch panels including ones I built with a shrinker/stretcher set I bought.

3. The health/fitness comments: yes, I've always tried to stay in shape. I work out and bike regularly. I don't like sitting here typing!!

4. Isn't it interesting that someone such as myself with 'EXTREMELY limited skills' can manage to do engine swaps, build a 14' sailboat from blueprints and from 'scratch' in his basement and learn to sail it, build a 16' cedar strip kayak from prints and cedar boards from Menards, graduate with honors in engineering design and drafting from NIU, and earn a MIG cert. with honors from a community college? Also, has worked in cabinet shops building and installing high-end cabinetry. I know I'm no rocket scientist, but I wouldn't say I have 'EXTREMELY limited skills'-----unless you think welders need to know brain surgery!

Most young kids I see today apparently don't know how to tie their shoes and can't walk without staring at their iphones. 'Captain'-----I could not care less about cell phones! I never saw the fascination. All I've got is a Trac phone and only use it if I absolutely have to and never while driving.

5. I've seen how kids 'work' today, and if I were the boss, I'd hire an ambitious motivated 'old' guy ANY day over any 2 young slackers you want to send out!

 

[Oldb]

Hey Mark,
Lots of good points made. I can tell you there is nothing better than doing what you love for a living. And nothing worse than finding out you can't send you kids to school by doing it. Best of luck to you, what ever course you choose.
B

 

[Art From De Leon]

I have to agree with Duck, I am almost 60 and have tried twice to "re-invent" my career. Neither worked as I was over 50 at the time.

We in America, need to get over the "useless" tag so many apply to any one over 50. Experience should count, but doesn't.

As Duck says, it comes down to money, and they can hire two kids, useful or not does not matter, for the price of one old guy.

All the best, no matter what you choose. It ***** to be 60 and un-employable at anything except a wal-mart greeter.

This is so true, I honestly believe that the ONLY reason that I was hired back as a full time employee at age 58, after being laid off, and unemployable for nineteen months, was that both the department manager, and the co-ordinator had both worked overseas, as I had for 25 years, and they took pity on me.

Now, I see the handwriting on the wall once again, when the layoffs start.

 

[Art From De Leon]

Stay where you are at and use the welding knowledge as a serious hobby/sideline.
When your time comes, an it will, you will at least have some welding contacts for going it on your own, or even getting hired.

This is also good advice, I worked with a man, who on his time off (working 35/35) worked at a welding shop making ornamental iron gates for the "weekend ranchers", who owned their five and ten acre places up around Kerrville, and Fredricksburg, TX.

 

[danski0224]

Hi guys (and gals),

I'm looking for opinions on something. As I've posted a while back, I took a 2 semester MIG welding program at a local college and got good grades as well as passed 3G and 4G bend tests.

Here's my dilemma: I'm not a kid anymore----I'm 48. I'm wondering if it's unrealistic to expect to find a decent MIG welding job and progress enough to get paid a decent wage at my age. Do you know anyone who's done this? I've never held a welding job to date.

I know it may not be 'legal' to discriminate based on age, but come on----what's going to stop the boss from tossing an old guys application in the trash---no one will likely find out why and they likely have many other applicants!

BTW----I do have another career and love it, as you'll see if you checked out my profile, but it's been very very slow and a steady paycheck and some benefits is starting to really sound appealing.

Thanks for your input!

Have you looked into getting a MIG welding job?

What are you looking for?

There are always some sort of "welding" gigs on craigslist, and they frequently seem to be production type fabrication shops with the expected low pay range. I know someone that has worked in that environment, and the pay was less than $15 an hour, the expected dirty and noisy working conditions and being bilingual was a huge plus.

I'd spend some time on the job boards and see what's out there for MIG welding jobs... you'll probably be disappointed. With those expensive trade colleges advertising mechanic, welding and HVAC careers, entry level "skilled trades" workers are a dime a dozen.

Stainless steel/foodservice fabrication work is mostly production shops and TIG, not MIG.

You could luck out and get a dream job at a custom fabricator...

The college you took the classes at would be a good place to start for job placement advice.

 

[MarkG]

Thanks, all. Good points brought up. I will keep my eyes and ears open, keep doing my small projects, and keep plugging away at growing my sign biz until and unless something else opens up.

 

[Strouty]

Mark, I think you are looking at this the wrong way. You all ready have a business that makes the basics. Why not try and expand the business into custom signs and poles made from metal? You could offer the whole package. I think I would dabble in that first. What type of vinyl equipment do you currently have? Most sign guys I know are always busy and they have some expensive machines, but the machines always make them money.

By the way I am almost 40 and I still do not know what I want to be when I grow up.

 

[Shadowdog500]

Mark, I think you are looking at this the wrong way. You all ready have a business that makes the basics. Why not try and expand the business into custom signs and poles made from metal? You could offer the whole package. I think I would dabble in that first. What type of vinyl equipment do you currently have? Most sign guys I know are always busy and they have some expensive machines, but the machines always make them money.

By the way I am almost 40 and I still do not know what I want to be when I grow up.

That is what I was just thinking. As a sign painter you are an artist, could you use your new welding skills to expand your business into 3 dimentional art and signs.

 

[Bruce57]

In my opinion you're not too old to make a change. You certainly seem to be able to excel in other areas so I would expect you could at welding as well. The question is whether good opportunities for you are available in the labor market you live in. The labor market varies a lot from state to state and city to city. You will best be able to determine what opportunities are open for you. I suggest checking it out while keeping your business active.

 

[rsanter]

With the well rounded background you have, I think your approach may be wrong.
You have a business, I think you need to expand the offerings of your business and remarked yourself into other fields.

There are business that do custom work for retail stores, restaurants, trade shows, etc doing custome displays and such often using wood and metal and having graphics on them.
I am always amazed at how much those people charge for what they do and there seems like there is a shortage of them that do really good work that holds up.

What about the hot rod, street rod industry?
A little custom pin striping or old school lettering on someone's rat rod?

In my view what I think you need to do is open a second business in your same location as a custom welding and fabrication shop. Have 2 sided buisness cards printed up that will show the sigh shop on one side and the fab shop on the other. Then go out and market your offerings.
Look at marketing yourself to other buisness. When I had my shop several of us created a kind of co-op where we were doing work for each other and recommending each other to our customers. You may be surprised at how often one shop needs something welded or a quick spot of machine work and they don't do that stuff....etc

Seems to me that there are a lot of welding jobs out there and welders are always in demand, however most of those jobs you will have to start at the bottom and it takes a long time to work your way up. I love welding but I would not want to work in a production welding shop. To me that would ****.


Bob

 

[Ratdog]

You'll be fine, but may be slightly limited as to what work to be hired for. That might actually be a blessing in disguise.

Welding is only part of the job, do you know blueprints, and other basic shop skills? What is your current career field? Does it parallel a welding profession at all? I'd try to talk to a local union rep.

One thing I think others are forgetting, is that there is a difference between 48 and 48. Are you the guy on the verge of a heart attack, struggling to get off the couch? or the guy that could jog a mile under 10min no problem tonight?

Great point!!
Picture this... so you show up 48, or any age, with a huge gut, (personal agenda)attitude and all red-faced, from your 3 cocktail a night habit and you get turned down for whatever job you are after and go into victim mode. Yeah, harsh, but so is life.

I would suggest a bit of introspection for anyone at any age, are you 'product' that someone can make money from? Can I put you in front of customers? do you have an attitude?

Reinvent yourself by ensuring you are the complete package and people will be hungry to hire you, (fact is your over-all life will be better for it) age will mean no more than a number. I am over 50 and as a hiring manager I see this all the time. I have told friends family to remember, what you do in private you wear in public.

I told my boy, be the best person you can be--- stay in shape, READ everything all the time, take feedback as a gift, have empathy for others and the world will open up for you, because it needs you, jobs will come and go, but you will be happy. just my .02 Best of luck!

 

[hackwelder]

This is also good advice, I worked with a man, who on his time off (working 35/35) worked at a welding shop making ornamental iron gates for the "weekend ranchers", who owned their five and ten acre places up around Kerrville, and Fredricksburg, TX.

+1 on the demand for custom built gates, made one for a friend and she got a lot of inquiries as to whether I'd build more, was working full time and had plenty of my own projects then so I didn't pursue more work....
Anyway they serve as their own advertising, just one could have lead to half a dozen more gate jobs for me.

 

[rburke65]

Well at 48 you could have another 20 years ahead of you. Not saying that ya can't and as said, there's a big difference between a 48 yo and a 48 yo. Right now around here they are looking for welders for pipelines. Can't hire a young person.....they can't pass a drug test, no drivers license, and most don't want to do the manual labor. Good luck.

 

[hoyt]

You are never too old as long as you have a well-thought-out plan.

I remember some advice Dear Abby gave a woman who was concerned about going to college because she would be 48 in four years when she graduated. Abby asked "How old will you be in fours years if you don't go to college?"

 

[MarkG]

Thanks for all the additional responses since last time I checked in! Always interesting and helpful to hear others ideas. I'm actually working on a hand-lettered 'weathered' truck door sign for another forum member currently. I'll post up a pic when it's complete.

 

[kingstrider]

I started my third career at 42. 45 now and still going.

 

[bobmulry]

I'm still not sure what I want to do when I grow up............

Started working at 16 years old as an Apprentice Machinist, worked for as a
Machinist for 11 years and then the Navy shut down the shipyard........

So at 27 years old I took and passed the test for the San Francisco Police Department. Fast forward 11 years....bad knee and ankle with no pension just a permanent limited duty desk job.........

So at 38 years old I stated working in a Cadillac Dealership as a line mechanic which went well. Moved up to Shop Foreman, Assistant Service Manager and finally Service Manager. Long story short....New GM and got kicked to the curb.......

So at 50 years old I answered an ad with a Trade and Home Show company....
9 years later I was a half owner of the company and then the economy hit bottom and we folded the company......

So at 61 years old I took the Civil Service test for the California Department of Public Health as a Stationary Engineer and as of today I have 207 days and 17 hours until I retire on July 30, 2015 with 10 years of service, for the last time at the age of 71 years....

Getting bids to build my 40' x 60' shop to work on my racecar....

The point that I am trying to make is that the only limits you have are the ones that you put on yourself.......

Go do whatever you think will make YOU happy....

Good luck,
Bob

PS:
This is my next project...To race at INDY again

 

[Zeke]

I think we almost pissed Mark off too. Glad he settled down. I know another forum that went this way. Never came back.

 

[noremaccameronsss]

A lot of the issues with the younger generation today is pretty much all this talk about how hopeless and un able to do anything they are.. Most of the people here are either the parents or grandparents of these kids. It's your fault they are who they are.. You never trained them or taught them anything. I've been welding since 14yrs old, now in my late 20's I make $150,000 working 7months a year. Are you to old for a career change? No. How bad do you want it, how much are you willing to sacrifice ? That's the real question here.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[mrsnapon]

U will bfine. If u were 65 that would b different. Just mop

 

[buildyourown]

I'm 35 and when I occasionally spend all day MIG welding, I'm beat. I know you get in shape for it. My main job is machining so I'm on my feet, on concrete, lifting material, shoveling chip, etc all day.
I like welding. It's an awesome tool to have in my repertoire, but I wouldn't want to do it all day every day.
I also think it pays poor for the work involved. From what I've seen you need to get very good at all aspects of welding to earn good money. That could completely vary by market though

 

[sberry]

I wouldn't give up the sign biz for mig welding.

 

[PhantomEB]

Went from a dead end warehouse industry to millwright apprenticeship at 37. Now turning 40....intentions are to retire at 58/60.

 

[mrsnapon]

ya go for it,

 

[MarkG]

Wow---this thing just keeps going! Zeke----I just don't get upset that easy, especially when talking with people I've never met or will probably never meet. I try to pick out the points that sound useful and ignore the negative ones, just like the rest of life! There's probably something to learn from each response.

Without a doubt, I'd be happiest if my custom sign work took off and I continue to work on those skills along with pinstriping and gold leaf, but as I mentioned, it's just not a steady income right now. To avoid going nuts, I've been working on samples etc. and harassing local businesses (jk)

OTOH, I really do like welding (and fabrication in general) and want to keep at it and if the right opportunity was there, I'd probably take a welding job somewhere, as long as it wasn't totally mundane monkey work.

 

[duneslider]

We get young kids coming into our shop all the time that want to be welders and almost all of them are asked to leave in a short time. All they want to do is weld, they some how think they are above the fitting part of welding. They don't think they should have to pick up a grinder, the wire wheel, or use the saw. They will stand around waiting for "someone" to get everything prepped so they can "weld". Then when the welding is done they stand around waiting for someone to come clean up after them. I don't know what things are like in other shops but that isn't how it works in our shop.

Like others have mentioned. Reading plans is important. Knowing welding symbols. Fitting. Prepping. Sweeping the floor. Cutting steel. Its all part of the job.

If you were certified and came into our shop tomorrow and were willing to do more than lay a bead you would have a job no matter your age. Most of the guys in the shop are ornery old cusses anyway. I can only think of two under 45 in the shop. One is currently running the saw and helping fit while he works on his welding cert and the other is a good welder that has a couple certs under his belt since starting but is a hard worker and will do anything he needs to do.

Our shop builds a lot of overhead cranes/bridge cranes and then general fab work to fill in.

 

[Farrier]

Went from full time horseshoer of 13 years, to part time shoer-full time separate business owner for 9 years to full time county fire fighter and part time shoer. And I've increased my hobby cow business seven fold to 107 head. I like to keep busy and I enjoy the money coming in from different angles.

 

[nolimits76]

Looking at your FB page, it appears you have a real passion for your sign business and you are really good at your work.

Personally I would try to find a way to expand your current business model. It doesn't sound like you want to offer modern signs, but it may provide the steady income and customer base you seek while still allowing you to chase the work you prefer.

To make it a little more fun, you could offer creative/design services as well since you seem to be more of an artist.

If you want to add a little welding and fabrication to a sign business, have you considered adding lighted box signage? Being able to offer a full range of services would likely put yourself in a position to chase commercial construction work where many of the contracts will be much larger and more profitable. For instance, I am in construction management and was constructing a $200+ million project for our client. The signage contract alone was several million, but that included exterior illuminated signs, all interior signs, room labels, etc.

Just thinking out loud. Again, you seemed very talented. It would seem more prudent to me to expand on a business you already know by adding some additional services.

 

[BillK]

Mark,
How are you at old school hand lettering ? Seems to be a pretty decent demand for that from guys who are building rest race cars with the 60's looks. Might want to do some advertising in that arena too if you are good at that type of lettering.

 

[sberry]

I had a chance to work around the sign biz a little and if I was changing jobs from the sign biz would change to the sign biz as was eluded to earlier. I had a Bud or 2 I became equainted with that were real experts in it up and down the pole. I knew a couple that knew dam near everything there was to know about a sign and did some real deals for bar and rent.
Spray the art on plastics, paint anything, by hand or gun, really knew colors and art and what it really looked like at night. Outdoor advertising, made sketches for sales. Layout hand letter speed demon.
Seen a couple of the nicest little box signs ever made, the biz fizzled but they were good enough to go national.
I would also look for a niche you could excel in. Some sales are everything and get a template, sketch system to give a customer a little gratification. I saw one where the salesman had appointment and always showed up at first meeting with an artist sketch. Always closed the sale where art was involved.

 

[Moose97]

If it's what you have a passion for go for it but with eyes wide open. You may never get to where you want to be financially. That's the chance you take. As far as hiring, I've hired a bunch of "older" guys over the younger even though they may not have as much experience in the job or as much physical ability. It might take them longer to get it done but it will likely be done right the first time and I don't have to deal with as many "personal" issues.

Good luck!