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Up Topic Chit-Chat & Non-Welding Discussion / Off-Topic Bar and Grill / I must be off my nut
- - By Cumminsguy71 (*****) Date 07-24-2011 01:19 Edited 07-24-2011 01:26
Got a letter today, two years in the making I presume. The letter, from a Union I applied to a few years back letting me know that I made it! They also let me know the date to be there to talk with the head cheese, do paperwork, yada, yada. For being #2 on the list and it taking 2 years I truely feel for the guys waaayyyy down the list. That being said I suppose I should be excited, enthusiastic but upon reading the letter I thought of how I have been welding on some pretty interesting stuff so far in my business owner career, built some pretty interesting things with little or no help from anybody and looking forward to my spiral staircase bid and build if it should be approved. Two years ago when I applied if they had called, I believe I would have been off and running but nearly 4 years as a business owner, on my own schedule(so I think, seems like it's the clients schedule I just tell myself I'm in charge!) and now I read the letter and think to myself, click, punch the clock, click, punch the clock.......gives me cold shivers up and down my spine!

It's rather odd, I read the letter(almost) and was already thinking(before finishing) about how to let this kind gentleman know that, uhm, no thank you? I have to let them know I appreciate the opportunity and I'm sure I could learn a lot, but, not sure how the wife would feel about a pay cut....wait, pay increase..cut??? Not for sure, not sure if I make minimum wage at the moment so might be a pay increase. Moving on, either way there is only one Union out there that I might just consider if they were to call but pigs ain't flying yet and monkey's have not flown out of my butt so I won't hold my breath. It's interesting though, my list keeps growing, turned down the airport authority, USPS, Pipefitters, Raytheon and now.......darn, what did I do with my lucky rabbits foot....oh heck, gotta go.......ya'll be careful out there!
Parent - - By qcrobert (***) Date 07-25-2011 15:08
Well it's always nice to have choices in this feast or famine business.....
Parent - - By Cumminsguy71 (*****) Date 07-25-2011 20:33
My wife and I talked about this yesterday. Told her two years ago I would have jumped pretty quick on the offer. But after doing my own thing for 4 years and not really enjoying the whole "employee" thing I told her it would be real hard to go back to punching the clock. She chuckled and said, " I hear ya". She has been a stay at home mom/ doing some small business things for the last 12-15 years and recently picked up a job for "the man". I feel for her!!!! She keeps asking when she can come back to work for me! I just tell her, soon honey, soon!!
Parent - By qcrobert (***) Date 07-25-2011 20:41 Edited 07-25-2011 20:43
Well sounds like ya gotta gudun.  We are both fortunate.:wink:  Here's my lifelong riding partner...
Attachment: Joanne1.jpg (0B)
Parent - - By dbigkahunna (****) Date 07-26-2011 00:59
You have crossed the line. And you can never go back to being a wage slave. If you ever do, you will never be happy. Calling your own shots and being responsible for your own risk is something the wage slaves will never know.
Is it more money? I dunno. But when you places your own money and takes your own chances it sometimes becomes irrelevant.
You have your days, but the good ones outweigh the bad ones. And talking to wage slaves that hate what they do will make you glad of the path you have taken.
Parent - By rcwelding (***) Date 07-26-2011 03:39
Yep Yep I will go along with that.. What dbigkahunna said..!! lol..!!

  RC
Parent - - By Superflux (****) Date 07-26-2011 09:58 Edited 07-26-2011 10:15
You would pass on all that SECURITY???
MR... Has your cheese done slud off the cracker?   Consider this scenario.....
Cast aside those foolish dreams of entrepreneurialism and be a good little robot for "The Man". Punch the clock, and do no more than the man who does the least. Might be a bit difficult at first. Eventually, it will grow on you as surely as your credit card debt and waist line will increase as you rest on your laurels with the comfort of all that stability opiating your consciousness. Just think how much easier April 15th will be without all those pesky deductions to contend with...Heck, you'l probably file your taxes on Feb 1st as soon as that statement arrives.
Parent - - By Tommyjoking (****) Date 07-27-2011 02:44 Edited 07-27-2011 02:46
Good post Superflux

Shawn I kinda know where your coming from....the kinda part being I am still wrestling with making the ends meet ok....it will come I have no doubt.  My phone blows up every single week with aerospace contract firms offering this or that...it is all lucrative but temporary.   I just think to myself how good it feels to be welding up that pipe or what have you and NOBODY is telling me I have to start doing it at XXXAM or what I will be wearing when I do it...or really for that matter what days of the year I can take off.

No man, I am pretty dang sure you got it right....it is working for you and I dare say it is making you happy with your life.
Parent - By Cumminsguy71 (*****) Date 07-28-2011 20:29
I know what you mean Tommy! All the places I have turned away in the past I would always wonder, "man, am I doing the right thing?". Especially when they call and say, "come on over bud you can start on Monday" and your thinking really? Do I really want to? Should I? It is a steady income but, do I really want to? The other thing was I was so poor I could not even pay attention and there they were dangling that carrot in my face which made the decisions even harder to make. When you give that final answer and you hang up the phone and sit there wondering, oh boy, was that the right choice. It usually spurred a flurry of phone calls, searches on job boards to try and drum up some more work for the business.

As far as this latest gig. I pretty much gave up on hearing anything from them. Figured my time on my application had run out or something. I bow out now and it'll open up a spot for somebody who is more "employee" oriented and will appreciate the job.
Parent - - By DaveBoyer (*****) Date 07-27-2011 03:23
Why in hell would anybody want to be a welder anyway? Watch this link to see what sector has had an increase in earnings.

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=xOAgT8L_BqQ&feature=player_embedded
Parent - - By slagline 3 (**) Date 07-27-2011 05:47
Tommy, seems like I remember reading several of your rants, bragging about how much money you were making in the aerospace industry.I even remember you refering to yourself as a x-drug dealer. My how things have changed. We all have hit a good lick from time to time, but to come on a national forum and beat your chest....bad taste. Did you find some humility in them Arkansas hills?
Parent - By ssbn727 (*****) Date 07-28-2011 00:59
Why be a jerk by defamation of character slagline 3???

This forum doesn't need people that only post dung to bait someone into a fight, so make up your mind and either contribute for the common good, or else take a long walk off a short pier - CAPECHE???
Henry
Parent - - By Cumminsguy71 (*****) Date 07-28-2011 22:10
I don't know if the beat your own chest thing was directed towards me but on the off chance that it was I would like to say, ahem,...my original post was not a toot toot my own horn, beat my chest, tarzan swinging thru the trees type of post. While I spend nearly three hours a day driving and rarely listen to the radio while doing so I have time to think and lots will go in and out of a persons mind in that time. After I received the letter I found myself driving, the long and lonely road home and began to think about calling this fella and explaining once again that I would like to pass on this opportunity. Actually had a good laugh, by myself, driving down the highway and thought about the other places mentioned, all exceptional opportunities for a job seeking employee oriented type of person and that's when it hit me, I must be off my nut. Who in their right mind would look at the opportunities I have been given and just say, "no thanks"? During times when I have barely had money to fuel the truck to go bid another job. So, as I pondered the past, passed chances, I could not help but wonder if other business owners, more senior than I have found themselves in similar situations many moons ago when they were first struggling to get started. Do I jump from the airplane or should I just sit back down and ride it back in safely to the runway? As I have been coming here now for several years and respect many on this site for their opinions and thoughts I figured I would share this little story.

So in mentioning the places I have above I was doing so in order to express the magnitude of the opportunities I have been given. In example, saying I turned down the USPS job carries a greater loss financially then saying you turned down a job at the local McDonalds. I have talked to other friends/business owners that I know personally and have told them the same thing. Fortunately they don't consider it chest beating, as fellow business owners they have their own stories to tell. Now, if in some way I have offended you or hurt your feelings by my "chest beating" or "bragging" then I am truly sorry.....ahhh, who am I kidding, no I'm not. I could not give a rats behind, if you didn't like what I had to say why did you bother posting? I have good licks and bad licks all in within a few months, that my friend is the nature of the beast and the life of a small business owner, at least from my experience.
Parent - By dbigkahunna (****) Date 07-28-2011 22:51
"toot toot my own horn, beat my chest, tarzan swinging thru the trees"
Mental image of you in a leopard suit tooting your horn swinging through the trees.
And as for tooting your own horn, you do not have to ask for permission. I do not have a toot toot section that blows it for me. And like you can give a rats hiney what someone else thinks of me. Unless it is my wife, grandkids or my dog. They have standing. No one else does.
Carry on.
Parent - - By Cumminsguy71 (*****) Date 07-28-2011 20:36
Good video Dave. Those are some pretty interesting numbers. For the 10k folks that are making $150k/year I am curious as to what their job actually is. That's doctor and lawyer pay there is it not?
Parent - - By DaveBoyer (*****) Date 07-29-2011 02:00 Edited 07-29-2011 02:03
From another source, I have a list of the White House's top 20 raises 2010-2011, but it won't copy & paste.
They vary from $20K to $59,100. the % increases vary from 17% to 83%.
2011 salarys vary from $70K to $172,200 for those on the list.

Woo Hoo baby, big govt. is here to stay, Only a good thing if You are on the payroll.
Parent - - By Cumminsguy71 (*****) Date 07-29-2011 09:41
I can only wonder if they are as gracious with the raises with our men and woman in the military, you know, the people that deserve better pay. Giving them raises is something I could stand behind. That would not be the case I suspect as that is usually where they decide to cut spending, along with our childrens schools.
Parent - - By Mikeqc1 (****) Date 08-06-2011 13:15
NO PLACE TO CUT.......EXCEPT FOR ...................
Senior citizens
The unemployed
Military
Schools
Police
fire
All fair game.
Its not like we have any other place to cut…it’s the Washington monument plan.
Shrimp on treadmills
Spotted salamander
Sex changes for inmates
Money for drug needles
Support of countries (china) who lend us money.
some states have
free tries
free batteries
free cell phones...its a civil right ya know
Those, those are off the table…………….WHAT?
Parent - By ssbn727 (*****) Date 08-06-2011 17:06 Edited 08-06-2011 17:12
I concur... Except there should be no cuts to Seniors who really depend on both Social Security as well as Medicare in order to retire with some sense of dignity, or the truly disabled who payed into the system for years in order to become eligible - PERIOD!!!:mad::yell::yell::yell::twisted:

To hell with all of the deadbeats that don't know what it's like to work one day or to be responsible for their actions and sacrifice for someone else they don't even know.:mad::twisted:

Both the Police and Fire department budgets must be at the very least maintained at their current levels or increased based on ever increasing operating costs because after all, there will be more terrorist attacks, and catastrophes whether man made or natural disasters, and the first responders are who else???:confused::confused::roll::sad:

The maggots who currently have the authority in power to make such lame brain decisions such as the recent ones that resulted nonetheless in the downgrade of the country's credit rating must cut their own salaries completely since after all, they can afford to do so without much sacrifice...:mad::mad::yell::sad:

That word btw, is foreign language amongst themselves for the most part with the exception towards the ones who actually were in the service of the Military IMHO.:mad: For the most part however, I do agree FWIW.:yell::red::mad::twisted:

Respectfully,
Henry
Up Topic Chit-Chat & Non-Welding Discussion / Off-Topic Bar and Grill / I must be off my nut

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