Jeff,
It was a long and circuitous path, and I never saw this destination. I'm 44 years old, and I've worked about 25 different jobs in eight completely different fields, yet always returned to welding/fabricating/mechanical work. I always liked building things and getting dirt under my nails.
About six years ago, I suffered a financial disaster, that put my wife and me on the ragged edge of homelessness. I couldn't make enough money in Springfield, MO to dig myself out of that hole... Water, power, and gas shut off and locked out in winter, and no money for rent. Then came the ice storm. An odd example of "God works in mysterious ways", I guess. My friend at the electric company called me and told me I could ignore the Mayor's public statement... They were waiving all liscensing/permitting requirements for electricians due to the overwhelming nature of the emergency. There were a half-million without power in sub-freezing weather. I could reattach torn weatherheads and meter boxes all day long, and as long as they met the code, CU would reconnect power, no questions asked. I made $3K in less than a week, mostly from insurance companies, and hauled ass to IA for my first industrial job. That set me on my current path.
On that first job, I was hired over the phone on a man's word, drove 800 miles, and went to work for "welder III" pay. four months later, I was at "top-out" pay. From there, I learned valves, valve operators, pipe fitting, instrument fitting, and TIG welding. Many more lessons.
Then, the economy went in the tank, and, in spite of what I had learned, I didn't have enough years at it to find a job. I did have money in the bank, so I listened to my wife, and moved to S. LA. Since I knew nothing about the local job market, I took my resume' to a local temp/staffing agency. They gave me some BS work right away, then turned me on to my current gig. I had all the background, understood the theory, and knew how to take a learning curve on two wheels.
Sorry for the long story....
Steve S
