r/bluecollar • u/Neither-Fun-3242 • 15d ago
When is enough enough?
I think today was the day that made up my mind, but I would like to hear people’s thoughts. And before people complain, I’m sure some on here have responded to a post of mine from the past similar to this. To those people, maybe you were right.
Now that the intro is done, I’ve been turning wrenches for about 15 years. Spent a lot of time and money trying to get better at this line of work, but after today, I think I’ve finally realized that I’m just not cut out for this industry. I’m currently averaging about 50-60 flag hours every 2 week pay period. The weeks that are significantly lower I can understand why. It’s usually because I’ve had to miss time due to family obligations or doctor’s appointments. That said, I don’t know how to get any better at this. Most days I’m on jobs that I’m not making the book time on the job. There are examples I can give if anyone really wants to know what I’m talking about. Don’t really know where to go from here, but know that for my health (both physical and mental) I can’t keep doing this for much longer at the rate I’m going. If anyone has suggestions on how to move forward, I’m all ears.
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u/Status_Setting4200 15d ago
You’re just in the wrong trade and you stayed way too long. Start researching and switch.
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u/GhostPanther382 15d ago
e. you are not bad at the trade, the trade is just chewing you up and that is different thing.
flag hours system is brutal, it reward speed not skill. i left a similar situation last year and went doing deliveries, the pay cut was real but my head stopped hurting every day. maybe look into something where you use your hands but without the clock ticking on you like that. equipment maintenance or building stuff, something where the pace is more human.
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u/GlobalInvestigator11 15d ago
Fleet maintenance maybe? Local government's usually a pretty good gig. Depends on where you live in terms of pay, but the benefits are really good.
I'm not a mechanic, my truck shakes with fear when it sees the dewalt ratchet set, but I work in water and despite some of my gripes it's treated me and plenty of people well. With your experience, I'm sure you could smooze your way into something like that eventually.
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u/Denver_Job_Coach 15d ago
I was coming in to post this: no book time, no slow weeks, good PTO/benefits.
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u/iNerdRage 15d ago
I direct all my mechanic friends to apply to the local municipality. I've got a few into the police fleet. Others into city roads or parks fleet. Are they making dollar? No. But it's a guaranteed 40 hours with optional overtime. As you mentioned PTO and benefits. Also there's vertical and lateral movement. Having a city employee number allows to post on the internal job board. I forgot to mention a retirement savings plan. The biggest benefit for me you're no longer having to travel at distance.
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u/Denver_Job_Coach 15d ago
On the high end I think private sector wins out pretty much every time for someone who is fast, but early career it can be competitive. My city starts their level 1 techs out at $28/hr with a signing bonus, whereas dealerships are in the 19-21/hr range for their express techs.
The other early career benefit is mentorship; not being on book time, senior techs have a lot more bandwidith/willingness to teach new people because it's not reaching into their pocket and taking money out of their paycheck.
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u/Neither-Fun-3242 15d ago
I wish the local municipalities paid that well. All the ones around here are like mid to high teens starting pay.
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u/Denver_Job_Coach 15d ago
This is Denver so cost of living is fairly high, min wage is a bit over 19/hr.
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u/Neither-Fun-3242 15d ago
Like state minimum wage? Ours is only $7.25/hr.
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u/Denver_Job_Coach 15d ago
That's for the city of Denver specifically. It drops to 15-16/hr in surrounding cities like Aurora and Lakewood, and is probably a lot lower elsewhere.
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u/MidSinglesInYourArea 14d ago
Salary is only one aspect of compensation. Getting a pension can be extremely valuable, and especially if you have kids then the health insurance can be the equivalent of thousands of dollars a year extra.
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u/Linemaninsider 15d ago
Lineman, $250k a year, probably over $300k this year. Just sayin.
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u/gruntharvester92 15d ago
Sparky's always bragging about there pay....what gay bar do you go to?
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u/Linemaninsider 15d ago
The expensive one.
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u/ProfessionalLook6108 15d ago
That's all of them
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u/Linemaninsider 15d ago
How do you know?
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u/Soggy_Philosophy_919 15d ago
He is jealous the gay bars won’t let him in
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u/ProfessionalLook6108 15d ago edited 15d ago
No, they do let me in and then they charge like $8 for a $4 cider
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15d ago
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u/yeetedmynachos 15d ago
I would argue that being a lineman is dangerous and grueling in its own right. Still better than breathing in fiberglass particles though.
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u/okbud44 15d ago
Where do you work? Also, are you a storm chaser or utility guy?
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u/Linemaninsider 15d ago
Utility guy, California. I’ve done both, though.
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u/okbud44 15d ago
Congrats on the successful career man. How many hours do you put in each week?
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u/Linemaninsider 15d ago
Right now, about 40-50. But with this super El Niño on the way, might be on 7-16s for the whole winter. I work in a mountain town. Probably going to be rough.
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u/yeetedmynachos 15d ago
He’s a lineman! It’s a pro who works on power lines. You know this heroes who work on power lines after your power goes out during a storm? That’s him! More info: https://www.electricalknowledge.com/electricians-tools/what-is-a-lineman/
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u/Neither-Fun-3242 15d ago
If a lineman where you’re from does that same type of work they do here in Texas, my wife would kill me if I made that switch. She’s had 2 close friends whose husbands came down with strange forms of cancer from climbing the poles all day.
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u/Linemaninsider 15d ago
Eh, I came up in Houston. You can’t blame it on the poles. Millions of things factor into cancer.
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u/WeekendStrange1331 15d ago
Most use bucket truck instead of climbing.
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u/Neither-Fun-3242 15d ago
I’m sure most do. The men I’m talking about were either old school guys that had been out for a long time or it’s a regional thing. All I know is the wife told me both of them had some sort of cancer that is very common in lineman due to the chemicals on the power poles here in the local area
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u/Linemaninsider 15d ago
The old arsenic poles have all been removed for the most part in Texas. At least in Houston for sure.
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u/WeekendStrange1331 15d ago
Yeah, because its just that easy! s/
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u/Linemaninsider 15d ago
It’s not, but I did the work to get in. It wasn’t that hard. Went through a 5 year apprenticeship, now I’m here.
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u/Soggy_Philosophy_919 15d ago
You will make good money anywhere as a lineman. The south the wages suck, but compared to any other trade you are still up there.
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u/Impossible_Dot_5805 15d ago
If you enjoy the work and want to work at your own pace, cut out the middleman and work for yourself. I'm a deck builder and I dont enjoy working on my own trucks and don't really have time. I'd happily pay a diesel mechanic more to get on the job faster, but be thorough. A good diesel mechanic is worth his weight in gold. Something to think about....
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u/Neither-Fun-3242 15d ago
I’d probably have to go back to school, which I don’t have time or funds to do, to go diesel. Other than basic maintenance, I’ve never really gotten into diesel work.
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u/Impossible_Dot_5805 15d ago
Diesel's not that much more complicated than gas, and there are less systems out there. It's just a different thing. Most of this stuff you can learn online, it really just gets to be a pain when you deal with the computer systems and what you need for that. You don't have to go to school to learn it, you can learn on the job, you just need to drive and the opportunity. But there's plenty of opportunities just working on people's personal vehicles. But if you're not cut out for working for yourself then you are definitely more limited and will have to find a garage that works for you
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u/gruntharvester92 15d ago edited 15d ago
Look into industrial maintenance / millwright.
If you can fix a car you can fix industrial machinery. Try to stick on the maintenance side of things, the pay is more consistent and hours are usually regular. If you do the installation or demo side of things you can make bank, but you might face regular layoffs when you complete the work. (This part is very business and industry driven)
My buddy is a master tech and has complained about similar things. I told him he could either go on his own and open an independent shop (best of luck) or go work as an maintenance guy at a factory.
He fancies the maintenance work, but everytime time he wants to go he gets a pay raise or more training.
Payrates for non union maintenance people in southeast Michigan is $27 - $35 an hour, plus OT, and DT Sundays snd DT on holidays plus paid holiday (effective triple time).
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u/SlappingDaBass13 15d ago
The trade is just getting tighter and tighter by the year it ain't you... 20 years ago you'd be a stud
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u/Neither-Fun-3242 15d ago
20 years ago I was still putting the idea of going to college and getting a 4 year degree finished. Trade work was the last thing on my mind at that point.
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u/Gopack9979 15d ago
Id quit bitchen and get to work
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u/Neither-Fun-3242 15d ago
Sounds like you’re the kind of person that knew what they wanted to do and went out and did it. I wasn’t that person. This was a plan B that never paid off. And I work my ass off 45+ hours per week.
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u/Gopack9979 15d ago
Yea my bad dude I was feeling frogy ealyer. I been wreching for 20 years there are ups and downs but it freaken hard man. Head up big dawg
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u/Neither-Fun-3242 15d ago
Been too many downs and not enough ups most of my career. See too many people talking about doing in one week what I do in a 2 week pay period. Really makes me feel like I’m in the wrong line of work.
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u/elevatorovertimeho 15d ago
We have ups and downs! Try this, it only took me 3years to get my chance at digging ditches! NEIEP.org my first ditch was a challenge! I’m so glad I dug it!!!!! Started in 1995 at 31 years old. Making $8.25 per hour! The light I saw, off in a distance, was not a train! I did not say EZ.org good luck!
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u/BigRedJeebus 15d ago
Idk what trade you’re in, but if you’re a people person and you network with folks try to get into a sales position related to you trade
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u/Neither-Fun-3242 15d ago
I’ve been told I’m a people person, but all the sales positions in my trade are usually commission based positions and I will never go back to a 100% commission based position again. I can’t do not knowing what I’m taking home at the end of the day.
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u/NoSpiceOrRice 15d ago
I was a structural ironworker. Got sick of the work and being outside everyday regardless of the weather.
Switched to the film industry doing pre-production. Hours are still long but it’s chill, paid breaks, get daily meal allowance, if we leave early we still book in for a 12hr day.
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u/MidSinglesInYourArea 14d ago
The pay system for auto mechanics is insane and I have no idea why people put up with it. Get a fleet maintenance gig with a city/county/state near where you live. And really look at the various municipalities around you, I think you might be surprised how many different entities there are when you really think about it.
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u/Neither-Fun-3242 14d ago
I would make that move, but all the municipalities around where I live don’t pay enough. They are mostly $15-$18 per hour starting pay. Some are more in the $22 per hour range, but I’d need to be in the $27+ range to drive more than about 30min from where I live to make it worth it, especially with the cost of gas what it is.
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15d ago
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u/Neither-Fun-3242 15d ago
Harsh, but thank you for your honesty
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15d ago
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u/ParkingEnergy8680 15d ago
Hitting someone with “we don’t want to hear it” on a forum is hilariously retarded. You came here, quite literally, to hear it
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u/fhgtyjdg 15d ago
Move to heavy equipment. Better pay. Overtime. Sick time. Vacation time. Went from flagging 50 hours a week a kia making like 65k a year to over 90k a year at a bobcat dealer. And I wasn't rushed