Nonsense Thread

[Chilezen]

Hey guys, I have a career question.

I've been working in a small shop building race cars and stuff like that. It is a very small business that relies mostly on my boss working his ass off to create new products and sell a lot of outsourced stuff. All that merchandise is what keeps the business afloat, and it's all out of my hands. He also brings in clients who want work done to their cars.
My job is unique in that I am the only employee. I play many roles, from janitor to product packaging, but primarily designing new products (like the roll cages, roll bars, and currently a dual oil cooler kit (for the C5 diff and trans fluids)), and, production work, where I build the things I've designed. And not just build them, but build the things to build them, and create the documentation, after having done all the research to produce them.
I don't really have a reference point whether what I do is really a lot, or if it's on par with others... in terms of pay, experience, and abilities. Some days I'm looking at a screen most of the day, some days I'm sending bars through machines that cut and bend them. I of course make those programs, run the machines, and problem solve when errors arise. And I have to check all my work, literally my own quality assurance checker.
Again I don't mean to gloat or anything if it sounds like that. I'm getting to my point.

With 10 years experience in fabrication overall, at 30 years old, I make $30/h. Nobody I've met, except my boss, has said "wow that's a lot" or "that sounds about right." It also doesn't help that I live right outside Los Angeles with a high cost of living.
To give my boss some credit, he picked my up 3 years ago when my last job dumped me and decided to build an entire other business around me. He was already making and selling racecar parts, but he heard I was available, and he went and got us a shop. Then he progressively filled it with equipment (some Harbor Freight, some name brand stuff). He admired my attention to detail and many skills. And I was pretty cheap then.

I do have my own problems though. My attention to detail often far exceeds into tasks that don't require it... meaning I take too long to do things that shouldn't. I have dozed off into my own world and lost track of time. I don't listen all the time and think my idea/route is better. I don't communicate often enough, such as when I find a problem with something, and proceed to fix it instead of telling him, so he can make the call on how to approach it. I have gotten better about these issues, but hey nobody's perfect.

Anyway my question is about a potentially new job. And it's a rather specific new job.
You may know the company Singer Vehicle Design, the one who restores/modifies Porsches. Well they have grown into a new warehouse that is coincidentally in the city I grew up in. With their ever increasing orders and new building, they're hiring. Many positions. One is called "Fabricator III" which I seem to be qualified for. I mean, on paper I check their boxes, and in reality, I think I'm the detail-oriented type of person that they would be looking for.
Their listing says the pay is based on skillset, ranging from $20-$28/h. I kinda would have assumed a "level 3" (if that's what that is) would be paid more, but whatever. A car worth over seven figures is handled by people making a marginally livable wage is this county. Go figure.

But... wouldn't you? Want to go to that interview and try to see if you fit in there? If you are worthy enough to belong there? To be surrounded by other craftsmen and learn from them? To be a part of an internationally recognized group of bespoke individuals responsible for building incredible machines?

What if you made it past the first interview, and you were offered the job?
Would you leave the small company? Leave the relative freedom to create your own designs and actually be thanked by the owners of the cars upon building them their own roll cage? I think that's something special that I may never see within the sea of others of a larger company.
But I'm also just not seen by most anyone at this small place.

I don't know. I want to feel special, like anyone else. And I want to be happy and grow into a career I belong in. I want to make lots of money and have a house to call home, and raise a child one day. I sure as hell can't afford to do any of that now.

I know other people are able to achieve greater financial success by changing jobs often, but I'm just not that kind of person.. I prefer to be loyal, aka stubborn, and make something work. But I don't like that my girlfriend thinks I will blindly follow my current boss wherever he goes and be content with that. My boss wants the company to grow and he wants to increase my pay as we grow, so there's that incentive, but I can't help to wonder if the grass is greener on the other side.

What would you do?
Thank you, kind internet strangers/e30 enthusiasts for reading my rant.

[roguetoaster]

I want to be happy and grow into a career I belong in. I want to make lots of money and have a house to call home, and raise a child one day. I sure as hell can't afford to do any of that now.

Okay, having managed people in several small businesses that were not my own before going solo I would 100% expect an employee who said something like that to depart within six months without significant intervention and even then, retention would be doubtful. I cannot stress this enough, but that situation is totally fine, and is a normal part of running a business. That said, any owner worth anything will realize that it is almost always cheaper to retain, rather than replace a trained, competent employee who is just dissatisfied.

Anyway, it seems like you want the following:

Greater responsibility/involvement in the decision making within the business
A team to work with/more direct day to day involvement from the boss
A reduction in the breadth of your duties or streamlining your position for efficiency
Understanding of how your position will grow and how you will be compensated over time
A change in compensation accounting for low initial compensation and successes over time

It is difficult to discuss those wants without seemingly sounding needy, controlling, or beggarly, but a solid employer will be willing to listen without prejudice, and your boss may be completely oblivious to all of those items. I'd urge you to give it a try, and explain that at the very least for your own edification that you'd like to apply elsewhere to test the waters. If your boss balks at that, your fate is already sealed at your current company. At minimum, talking (and being listened to) will make you feel better about your current job, even if it's temporary, and you may well get what you want where you are.

As to Singer, it sounds like they either don't want you, but rather a younger guy who they can dangle a semi-senior title in front of to make them feel good in that role, or they just roll through employees while not giving a damn. Also remember, and this is changing, that companies expect to pay at the bottom of their pay range unless they are over a barrel for workers. IMO, $30 is sort of a new real minimum wage (in higher cost of living areas) for anyone who can do more than sweep floors badly.

[MR E30 325is]

It's easy to agree with Rogue on this, as he's right. $30/hour really is at the low end of what a competent, skilled person should be earning IMO, especially right outside of LA.

You sound self-motivated, and reliable, even with your few self-admitted faults/tendencies. That has a lot of value to me.

I also agree that Singer will do everything they can to pay you towards the very bottom end of their posted hourly range. Being cut from $30/hour down to $20-23/hour would be like getting kicked in the gut. It would take a HELLUVA job to overcome that pay disparity (I personally only care about making an income from my employer so that I can enjoy life outside of my profession, so YMMV).

If it is really getting to you I would start with a serious conversation with your employer. It was uncomfortable the first time I did it, but now every time I articulate my desires, my 'hard-lines', and my 'will-do's' I always feel better afterwards.

Best of luck my friend.

[McGyver]

I have several thoughts on this. I'm an Operational Excellence manager for a division of a corporation, so my job is to support continuous improvement within 6 different manufacturing businesses.

First is the idea of loyalty to your company. I have had the same feelings as you about a really good supervisor, even through I really didn't feel loyal to the company I worked for. I didn't want to look around at alternatives because I was content with how things were going. I wasn't happy, but it was good enough. I ended up in a good spot, but it also held me back from other possibilities. Interviewing for a job is not the same as accepting the job. I feel like it's a good idea to get an idea of the current market. Are you in a position to walk away if you want? Are you paid at the high end of your experience? Are you under compensated? Maybe you're not the right fit for the Fab III position, but there could be something else that fits better.

That brings me to experience and compensation. I would apply for the Singer job, but be clear with them that starting pay would need to be at least $35 or $40 an hour (tell them during an interview). It's always fine to negotiate down. Besides, you don't NEED the job, but they NEED a Fab III person. You have 10 years of experience doing all kinds of design, fab, and documentation. You are the backbone that creates the value your boss is able to sell. Not a lot of people have good attention to detail, are self motivated, and willing to work with their hands. I wouldn't undercut your experience level. Depending on your aptitude to pick up new skills, you could be at the Fab IV level. Or maybe they would want you as a department lead. Who knows? I do know that $30/hr for skilled labor in LA is cheap. I also know that the companies I support have a VERY difficult time finding skilled labor (welding, machining, forming, assembling).

Finally, I would have a conversation with your boss. Where are you going? How does he see you growing? Running a business has a ton of financial risk, he could loose a ton of money, but he also stands to keep all of the profits if things go well. As the only employee, you also have a ton of risk. What if he dies or decides to do something else? It sounds like he took things to the next level based on having your support. I worked for a small family owned engineering firm and the owner couldn't understand why people didn't want to work more than 40 hours/week. I never saw any extra value for working harder to make them more money. Perhaps there is an opportunity for you and the owner to have more of a partnership in the business.

My last bit of advice, don't tell your boss that you have an offer and will quit if he doesn't match it. If you know that you can make more elsewhere, explain to him that you feel that you are undervalued and ask for what is appropriate. He might agree and give you more money, or he might say you're already over paid, or he might not have the margins to give you a raise. You'll have to decide what to do and evaluate his loyalty to you based on his response.

Good luck!

[2mAn]

What would you do?
Thank you, kind internet strangers/e30 enthusiasts for reading my rant.

Having seen your expertise firsthand I would definitely interview with them, and let them know how you'd like to grow within the company. If anything when they are super impressed with your work ethic, and skills you can counter-offer whatever the $$$ they offer to you. If that doesnt work out I tend to find that I will accept the lower offer but do so with the conversation that I will show you my value so that in 1 year when we have a review you will see that my number was correct and you got me for a discount for that first year

Theres a lot of good advice above so I wont regurgitate it, but I will say you are quite humble so when it comes to Singer, you need to be humble but also you need to sell yourself, why you are worth more than their $$ AND why you'd be the worth the money to them

[varg]

This past week I was out of town and had the displeasure of renting a Hyundai Venue. What a hunk of shit, why do cars like this even exist? It's less spacious than the corolla I asked for from the rental company, and worse in just about every way, as if that's possible considering how much I dislike my wife's corolla. You get less practical storage than a small sedan for an increase in height, why? This thing couldn't even fit both of our suitcases in the back, a corolla can fit both of our suitcases, my backpack rigged for hiking, and my wife's backpack (I tested it before we left). For all of the applause people have been giving hyundai lately this thing sure seemed like business as usual, obvious cost cutting everywhere, and even simple things like the cruise control didn't work right (doesn't hold speed worth a damn on any slope, CVT constantly hunts going uphill). It was a great trip though, I got some nice photos, some of which I may share, and even spotted a banged up E30 on steelies while driving through Hat Creek CA.

What would you do?
Thank you, kind internet strangers/e30 enthusiasts for reading my rant.

For me, I'd have to hate my job or have some other circumstance (like 100% paid for health insurance) to consider changing positions for a pay cut, especially considering where you live (it's not cheap here either, but it's not CA). Prestige of a high profile company is not enough unless you're using it as a resume builder to jump off from. I have turned down "prestige" because they were going to expect a lot more of me for only a marginal pay increase, because I'm the kind of employee who will take ownership and do what needs to be done to accomplish something has and I will ask for a raise if I think I deserve it for my output.

[MrBurgundy]

I'd check out other welding/fab careers outside of the automotive industry. The automotive industry can suck.

Also, can we please let these shit threads ride a bit longer.. It's boring as fuck here

[Chilezen]

That said, any owner worth anything will realize that it is almost always cheaper to retain, rather than replace a trained, competent employee who is just dissatisfied.

Agreed, and we've been through this; we have had a couple employees come and go. One in particular lasted... 7 months I think. He could do a bulk of the work, but consistently made small mistakes, that I won't go into, so he had to go. The hardest part was indeed "losing the investment" of the time and training we put into him.

Anyway, it seems like you want the following:

Greater responsibility/involvement in the decision making within the business
A team to work with/more direct day to day involvement from the boss
A reduction in the breadth of your duties or streamlining your position for efficiency
Understanding of how your position will grow and how you will be compensated over time
A change in compensation accounting for low initial compensation and successes over time

All correct. I have a lot of ideas, and I have a big whiteboard by my desk with like two dozen to-do items of various implications, whether they improve the workspace, mass produce certain things, or small reminders.. etc. A lot of those items could be tackled by a second/third person. And I know I deserve the recognition/reward for caring enough to do more than what I simply need to do.

It is difficult to discuss those wants without seemingly sounding needy, controlling, or beggarly, but a solid employer will be willing to listen without prejudice, and your boss may be completely oblivious to all of those items. I'd urge you to give it a try, and explain that at the very least for your own edification that you'd like to apply elsewhere to test the waters. If your boss balks at that, your fate is already sealed at your current company. At minimum, talking (and being listened to) will make you feel better about your current job, even if it's temporary, and you may well get what you want where you are.

We have had a couple of these talks, which is how I got the bump up from $27 a month ago. He has also given me some bonus pay for the cage kits we send out. I get $50 for every kit, which is about 4-5 a month. This isn't meant to push me to make sales, I don't, it's just a reward for having designed it.

As to Singer, it sounds like they either don't want you, but rather a younger guy who they can dangle a semi-senior title in front of to make them feel good in that role, or they just roll through employees while not giving a damn. Also remember, and this is changing, that companies expect to pay at the bottom of their pay range unless they are over a barrel for workers. IMO, $30 is sort of a new real minimum wage (in higher cost of living areas) for anyone who can do more than sweep floors badly.

Honestly that's what that looks like. Working at "Fancy XYZ Place" for "That Title" will lower some people's asking price just so they can be there. I am guilty of that. And since the business is expanding, that can't just be throwing out tons of money at new people. It makes sense to start everyone low.

-

It's easy to agree with Rogue on this, as he's right. $30/hour really is at the low end of what a competent, skilled person should be earning IMO, especially right outside of LA.

You sound self-motivated, and reliable, even with your few self-admitted faults/tendencies. That has a lot of value to me.

Thank you :)

I also agree that Singer will do everything they can to pay you towards the very bottom end of their posted hourly range. Being cut from $30/hour down to $20-23/hour would be like getting kicked in the gut. It would take a HELLUVA job to overcome that pay disparity (I personally only care about making an income from my employer so that I can enjoy life outside of my profession, so YMMV).

From my perspective, most people can fall into two mentalities: enjoy your work for less pay, or put up with a crapload of shtt to take home more pay. I know there are exceptions and many in a grey area. There's a buddy of mine I went to college with, we were both in the welding program. He went off to join a union and become a Millwright. He makes a buttload of money to be out in California City (basically the Mojave Desert) installing solar panels. Another friend of mine is still a lowly auto tech, barely getting by. The difference in my eyes is the motivation; one was willing to put in much more work to excel. Lots of factors impact us, but I think none more so than how badly you want something versus how comfortable you are.

If it is really getting to you I would start with a serious conversation with your employer. It was uncomfortable the first time I did it, but now every time I articulate my desires, my 'hard-lines', and my 'will-do's' I always feel better afterwards.

I agree, starting the conversation is difficult but well worth it. It feels like every time it's going good, I screw something up. So I get stuck in a worse spot trying to reason for my worth when all that I'm responsible for is also stressing me out to minor points of failure. I always feel like I have to work more and harder, which, yes I mean of course... but I'm too young to be this exhausted. I mean my own car is its own handful lol.

Best of luck my friend.

-

I have several thoughts on this. I'm an Operational Excellence manager for a division of a corporation, so my job is to support continuous improvement within 6 different manufacturing businesses.

What's funny to me is, we totally need that, and we try to do it ourselves, but then never really finish because of time constraints. My boss is a smart guy and can work out priorities pretty well, whereas I'm kind of dumb and just want to "improve everything all the time" so that work is just better. We compromise. Work is an organized mess.

First is the idea of loyalty to your company. I have had the same feelings as you about a really good supervisor, even through I really didn't feel loyal to the company I worked for. I didn't want to look around at alternatives because I was content with how things were going. I wasn't happy, but it was good enough. I ended up in a good spot, but it also held me back from other possibilities. Interviewing for a job is not the same as accepting the job. I feel like it's a good idea to get an idea of the current market. Are you in a position to walk away if you want? Are you paid at the high end of your experience? Are you under compensated? Maybe you're not the right fit for the Fab III position, but there could be something else that fits better.

Can I walk away from my job? Technically yes but at a severe detriment to the company. The organized mess is a workflow I can manage, but without me, very little can actually be done there...I mean in terms of anyone else trying to figure everything out. When we had our last employee, I had started creating a book of, what we called "engineering drawings" which were basically diagrams and instructions for the other guy. Creating all those instructions, all those diagrams, was extremely tedious and time consuming.. but a relief when I didn't have to repeat myself. I could just throw the book at him. Anyway the book is very much incomplete, and it only covers a certain aspect of product fulfillment. At minimum if I walked away, I should, in good faith, stay long enough to train someone or at least write down everything I can remember.

And yes my boss knows this, he does make effort to try and make me happy. For example, air conditioning: the shop gets very hot in the summer. What we've been doing is leaving the office door open (which has AC) and have a fan blowing cold air into the shop. It helps. But he has recently purchased a unit dedicated to the shop side, awaiting professional installation (on the roof). Could he have not bought that and paid me more money? Maybe. But I appreciate better working conditions. Welding gets hot, don't ya know?

Obviously I don't know what other conditions are like without looking. What I have seen are compromises everywhere. You gain this but you lose that. More people either means more productivity or more problems. More tools is more knowledge and frustration to operate. More production means more customers that could become a problem. Specialization is alienation. Mass appeal is a drop in the bucket. I think I'm getting to cynical now. Anyway.

I bring up specialization because I feel that I, while I may be very good at many things, I may not be great at what is most needed... and that could very well be soft skills with those... fleshy mammals who need me to do something. Ugh. Perhaps the greatest thing about my job is also my most loathed... the lonely aspect. There aren't other people around me because I can do most of that things that need to be done myself (or with my boss). And also because other people cost money too. So, I guess what I'm saying is, it's kind of my fault, I did this to myself.

That brings me to experience and compensation. I would apply for the Singer job, but be clear with them that starting pay would need to be at least $35 or $40 an hour (tell them during an interview). It's always fine to negotiate down. Besides, you don't NEED the job, but they NEED a Fab III person. You have 10 years of experience doing all kinds of design, fab, and documentation. You are the backbone that creates the value your boss is able to sell. Not a lot of people have good attention to detail, are self motivated, and willing to work with their hands. I wouldn't undercut your experience level. Depending on your aptitude to pick up new skills, you could be at the Fab IV level. Or maybe they would want you as a department lead. Who knows? I do know that $30/hr for skilled labor in LA is cheap. I also know that the companies I support have a VERY difficult time finding skilled labor (welding, machining, forming, assembling).

I've heavily considered this proposal. At first I thought I should cater down to them, hoping they'll accept me at $28. "Just so I could work at Singer, have a retirement plan set up, and.. I don't know, Porsche things." Maybe because I want a change of pace. I want to be lost but recognized in a sea of people. I want to not live in Moreno Valley :barf:

I do easily sell myself short to receive acceptance (and money). I figure I can provide something, so could someone else, but I need the money sooo I'll be the "optimal" candidate. Consequently here I am. Three years ago I started this job at $18/h only because my last one topped off at $17. I figured Hey I'm available and willing to work! And I was okay with letting my boss(es) take advantage of that... since I liked the work anyway.

You're right. I can go into the interview asking for $35, and maybe I could be placed in a higher position that isn't on the website. It could be possible!

Finally, I would have a conversation with your boss. Where are you going? How does he see you growing? Running a business has a ton of financial risk, he could loose a ton of money, but he also stands to keep all of the profits if things go well. As the only employee, you also have a ton of risk. What if he dies or decides to do something else? It sounds like he took things to the next level based on having your support. I worked for a small family owned engineering firm and the owner couldn't understand why people didn't want to work more than 40 hours/week. I never saw any extra value for working harder to make them more money. Perhaps there is an opportunity for you and the owner to have more of a partnership in the business.

My boss, I believe a year ago, described a scenario he envisioned for us, at the company: There's an office, there's a shop space, and then there's a glass box. I live upstairs with my 12 cats, and I come down around 10am still kinda tired. Other people are at work. I get to work. I' m designing something new. Working on a car or whatever. I have models and prototypes around me, I have parts scattered across a table. The glass walls are there for people to watch me work. Watch me be meticulous, overthink things, and amuse myself. I get to keep my distance from people and I get to introduce them to something new once in a while. The beautiful secretary he hired just for me would bring me food, and I would keep working after everyone else went home.

Seems anecdotal but it's shocking how intriguing this is. I actually would like that. I do want to work for a lunatic that can produce that kind of lunacy.
In his words, "We have a good thing going." If I can keep up with him, and if he can deal with me, we can, well, be our own "Singer." That part is my own interpretation. I like to think that the company I work for wants to grow and be great. He has said so, he wants to, and he wants me to help get us there, and he'll compensate me as we grow.

I know it takes time for things to grow, but damn it's hard to ignore something that's growing faster.

Oh and I have constantly worked more than 40 hours out of pure willingness. Partly because I get overtime, but also because, 1. if I don't do it (whatever project it is), nobody will, so it won't get done, and 2. I generally just like doing the work. No matter how much my boss wants to curb #1 so that things take less time to do, there's always so much to do, that I'll have any legitimate reason to keep working on any amount of projects.
I've also lied many many times about my hours so that I could keep working and make something even better, just because I wanted to.

My last bit of advice, don't tell your boss that you have an offer and will quit if he doesn't match it. If you know that you can make more elsewhere, explain to him that you feel that you are undervalued and ask for what is appropriate. He might agree and give you more money, or he might say you're already over paid, or he might not have the margins to give you a raise. You'll have to decide what to do and evaluate his loyalty to you based on his response.

From what I've observed, it's largely the last one, "not having the margins." Or maybe I'm fooling myself into thinking it, which could be likely. I've often convinced myself that if I saw improvements in the shop, that I would negate asking for more money because I see that money being spent on something relevant to me. I'd love some new tools/equipment. I'd love AC in the shop. I'd love to make my job easier. ......But I'd also love to not live 45 minutes away. I'd love to afford a vacation and a wedding and a child and a house. And my 12 cats. And car etc. etc. It's an internal battle every day.

I like the idea of tax-friendly compensations, like business purchases for equipment. Maybe I should bug him about a retirement plan. Right now my only benefit is that he covers my health insurance.

Good luck!

-

Having seen your expertise firsthand I would definitely interview with them, and let them know how you'd like to grow within the company. If anything when they are super impressed with your work ethic, and skills you can counter-offer whatever the $$$ they offer to you. If that doesn't work out I tend to find that I will accept the lower offer but do so with the conversation that I will show you my value so that in 1 year when we have a review you will see that my number was correct and you got me for a discount for that first year.

Yes, I will interview, and I like this plan of aiming high and talking myself up. I can't make assumption on what they'll say, so it's pretty hard to justify a pay cut if I'm already struggling where I am.
I suppose a little more background is relevant: I live with my mom (my mom lives with me, whatever) and I pay the bulk of the expenses. She barely has any money, but she does work as a cashier to get by. I do have 12 cats (I never get tired of this sentiment) but it's my mom who primarily takes care of them. We do rent, and I'm lucky it's a house and not an apartment (considering the price). Aside from that, expenses are just plain high compared to what we can bring in. My girlfriend and I have started a savings account for a house, so that's a novel motion, but naturally it's a hard balance to save and still enjoy life while we're still "in our youth." Essentially, I feel like I'm past the point in my life to be letting any employer get me for a discount (it feels ironic to say that... that's life I guess).

There's a lot of good advice above so I wont regurgitate it, but I will say you are quite humble so when it comes to Singer, you need to be humble but also you need to sell yourself, why you are worth more than their $$ AND why you'd be the worth the money to them

-

This past week I was out of town and had the displeasure of renting a Hyundai Venue.

I rented a Subaru Outback earlier this year for a day trip up to the snow. It was wonderful! The car was competent and roomy. Would recommend. Also, after a car accident last year, my girlfriend was given a Mazda CX-30 rental for a week. We loved that too.

For me, I'd have to hate my job or have some other circumstance (like 100% paid for health insurance) to consider changing positions for a pay cut, especially considering where you live (it's not cheap here either, but it's not CA). Prestige of a high profile company is not enough unless you're using it as a resume builder to jump off from. I have turned down "prestige" because they were going to expect a lot more of me for only a marginal pay increase, because I'm the kind of employee who will take ownership and do what needs to be done to accomplish something has and I will ask for a raise if I think I deserve it for my output.

After all this negotiating in my head, after writing all this out and seeing many points made, I agree, in that I would need something significantly better to jump the ship I'm on. It might happen, but it really has to be worth it, and I have to at least try to look for it.

-

I'd check out other welding/fab careers outside of the automotive industry. The automotive industry can suck.

There's industrial (pipe fitting, large-scale manufacturing, offshore work, etc.) and there's structural work (buildings/construction, city/civil work) and there's aerospace (well, you know). What all these have in common, that I don't, is certification. I actually don't (gasp!!) have any certificates outside of college degrees. I know a lot, but... not enough to pass a test. Not yet anyway. Most welders/fabricators know that the big money is with unions. It's not specifically the automotive industry that can suck, which is generally does, it's that most independent places suck, regardless of their specialization.
Requiring things to be done by code costs a lot, because union workers can charge a lot. Yes I've thought about it. I have chosen a path of less financial compensation but it comes with a certain standard of comfort and it maintains a level of family closeness. There are some things money can't buy.

Thank you all so much for responding, I really appreciate it!

[Chilezen]

Also, can we please let these shit threads ride a bit longer.. It's boring as fuck here

What has been your least favorite job?

[McGyver]

Also, can we please let these shit threads ride a bit longer.. It's boring as fuck here

I can't believe they deleted the thread

[MrBurgundy]

What has been your least favorite job?

I used to work at the port of Long Beach unloading containers... That sucked... in 2010 I was making 270 a week after taxes after 40 hours lol.

It was almost entirely ex convicts and gang bangers that worked there. 80 percent of the dudes would be getting dropped off by someone who either had their own car, or could legally drive. lol

You wouldn't even know if you had work that day until you got to the port. They had this chain link cage where 100 dudes are squeezing past each other to get to the single clipboard, where you'd have to sift through all the names and see if yours is there.. If it's not, your ride is waiting for you still in the lot to take you back home. If you're lucky, then you get down to the bays with all the freights and you'd play tetris with 100lb boxes for 8 hours.

[Chilezen]

It was almost entirely ex convicts and gang bangers that worked there.

I assume you weren't one of those kinds of people, so how did you end up there if it wasn't for the stellar pay?

[2mAn]

Thank you all so much for responding, I really appreciate it!

After reading your replies and having more time to think about this... I think you’re in the right place, but I think there needs to be a solid 3, 5 and 10 year plan. This could be a good and fruitful partnership but maybe it’s time he gives you partial ownership “stocks” in the company because if this company gets noticed and a big brand company wants to add this to their catalog then the company gets purchased and you are rewarded appropriately for your labor, and commitment to this company.

Lets buy another rusty Alfa! Lol... seriously though the Porsche resto-mod world is so over saturated but there are other vintage markets that are attempting to do this.

[Chilezen]

if this company gets noticed and a big brand company wants to add this to their catalog

the Porsche resto-mod world is so over saturated

Last week we just secured a deal for Summit to distribute some of our bolt-in bars.. which I suppose is big news. It means, by contrast to what we usually do (which is fulfilling one order at a time, we'll have to build "10" or so to send out for stock.)
We currently operate on a built-to-order state, namely because we have more orders than I have time to build any inventory. So we never really stock anything. If I'm not fulfilling an order, I'm designing a new product.

So that kind of goes back to me "settling" for my low pay,;in order for the business to hire a new person, I can't be taking all the money for myself. We need more people but good people are hard to find.

My favorite production restomod vehicle has to be the Volvo P1800.. I'd love to be a part of that team! I'm all for the other makes too. Who's heading the Alfa market? Like it's nice to see personal builds by enthusiasts, but I can see why operating a company to do that specific work is costly and not profitable, unless your clients are "Porsche money" type of people.

[MrBurgundy]

I assume you weren't one of those kinds of people, so how did you end up there if it wasn't for the stellar pay?

My friends mom, who also worked there with me, worked in the office.

We just graduated high school, so we needed to find some work. Job market was trash back then, so we took what we could get.

Def my least favorite job, but at the same time, probably the most important one I had. Eye opening experience at that age.

One bad choice, or a handful can land you a life like that.