Growing older, changing careers from IT in 10 years time?

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TeaLeaf

6326 posts

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#206205 14-Dec-2016 09:49

Im wanting to get out of IT one day.

I want to renovate houses as thats what I enjoy doing, not for amazing profits, just because I enjoy it.

I was considering either studying drafting which I loved and was my highest score at school.

Or carpentry, or both. But carpentry you have to do an apprentiship? Who would take on a 50+ Apprentice? eeeek.

The plan is to move out of Aucks or Sydney or Melbourne, wherever I may roam (which i do)

And settle in a 100K plus population NZ town/city. Im thinking Whangarei, Dunedin or maybe new plymouth, but its a bit under 100k pop the property investment rule of not investing in below 100k as it shows sign generally (there are things like retiree expensive areas like Nelson etc) that there is not a lot of business, which means if the main employment goes down, the town shrivels. Ive seen it happen in Aus a lot. Especially mining towns.

But anyway, how do you go about this kind of transition, just study part time while I work now? See if they take on mature age apprentices?

vpsnine

17 posts

Geek

#1687960 14-Dec-2016 20:33

I guess it is all about passion and skills. Work on your carpentry skills over weekends, do a drafting course part time so you have a qualification.

At the end of the day it going to be about finding someone in the town you choose that is willing to take you on, so perhaps also research that now and try and make contact. Perhaps you have a friend somewhere that knows someone?

If you find the right business looking for people and you have the qualifications in drafting, the skills in carpentry and the passion for it all then I am sure someone will give you a chance.

TeaLeaf

6326 posts

Uber Geek

#1689165 15-Dec-2016 09:58

Do you HAVE to have some kind of permit to be a handyman/unofficial carpenter?

I did a lot of my own Renos in the aussie 2001-2006 boom. Landscaping is my forte but I was ok with knocking down walls or putting in walls and plastering etc. But I could do with some actual hands on guidance.

Ha, just reminded me. In Brisbane a lot of houses are like little Miners Cottages, called Qldrs, little 2 bedroom houses on piles for ventilation etc. Well I had this house, it had a 40m long grass drive way with broken old two lane concrete strips for a driveway. So I dug it out with a mini bob cat, laid 40m of crushed rock by hand as the truck couldnt dump it in even spots, so left it at the front and I had to wheel burrow all of it then even it out and wahcker pack it 3 layers with some concrete mix in (so it doesnt run away in the rain). The Whacker packer was the worst, 2 days of vibration in my arms, I could feel it for a week my bones shuddering rofl. It made sanding and polishing the floor boards look easy ROFL.

KrazyKid

1238 posts

Uber Geek

#1689214 15-Dec-2016 10:44

I'd find someone to work alongside for free here and there. Maybe one day a week (Sat mornings?) Help and hone some skills. - Easier said than done I am sure.

Or take a series of TAFE/ploytech courses.

Then when it came to making the switch look at joining/starting a home handyman company.

Fit that in with doing up houses and selling them on maybe?

Dunedin with its flats always has landlords looking for contractors. And it is an aging population so plenty of older people needing some help.
(peculiar city & demographics when you dig down really)

TeaLeaf

6326 posts

Uber Geek

#1689224 15-Dec-2016 11:09

The Mrs likes it down there, Swiss, studied at Cambridge, then I think Harvard, then finished her 2 doctorates at Otago, science, and like all science employees she gets paid sweet ,... all. You really gotta love science to study that much considering what they get paid compared to someone who can make their way up in IT without any formal qualifications. But then, look at movie stars, the world is pretty shallow, ok im stopping, getting myself down ROFL.

So she loves it down there.

Ive never been. But my mates from there tell me there is surf and spearfishing and they even have TV now, rofl.

yes thats the kind of size city Im refering to, I was thinking Welli or Whangarei, but if I could get use to the cold (I find Auck cold after nearly 2 decades all over Aus) I think Id like Dunners.

So really I dont need to be a carpenter, and handyman you dont need registration? Id clearly take some courses. Im also looking now at doing draughting course just for the fun of it.

SepticSceptic

2195 posts

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Trusted

#1693135 21-Dec-2016 10:39

Keep us abreast of how you get on - sort of in a similar boat.

TeaLeaf

6326 posts

Uber Geek

#1693235 21-Dec-2016 13:37

will do, so far, Im trying to get back into IT after working in ecology for last 4 years, 20 years prior in IT. will do that for 10-15 years, then when I have a the draughting skills we will move back to somewhere small in nz, full of sunshine, perhaps north, maybe NP, but its a risk there being under 100k people for work.

by that time hopefully auck has spread its wings and moved business to satellite cities and built a proper high speed train system from whangarei to hamilton. but i doubt it, instead of tolling the roads at $10 each way into the city, we will have buses noone wants to use because of the single person car syndrome, or the busses dont have enough parks still, because fossil fuels are the way to go (sarcasm( instead of building solar and wind turbines like germany and norway etc and having 100% renewable energy and building a tesla gaiga factory. no we will just say "100% pure NZ environmentally BS" advertising. Oh yes Hydro is environmental, RUBBISH, the amount of downstream impact to the environment should be illegal. My view is Auck will keep building houses instead of solving the problem which is actually really easy to solve, and when the bubble bursts we will have under skilled immigrants instead of the 10000s we kick out who study here each year with doctorates who cant stay simply because they cant shovel poo yet, but we take on oceans of unskilled immigrants. who cant afford auck rents. so when your toilet starts throwing back poop at you, it will be your job to fix the sewer line.

Yes I see Auck becoming a mini Sydney, but without the good parts and all the bad parts amplified by 10, thats how clever we are in our little cocoon.

I should have enough in Aussie super to live off, because we know our generation wont get a pension just like the scraped free Uni, introduced income tested Disabilty Allowances etc. Essentially the baby boomers got it all free, we will pay for them and when they are gone we will get shafted again with pensions.

Totally planning around avoiding this scenario.