[Shorty]

Hello,
For the last year I have been “on leave” from my job in the hardwood industry due to a protracted and unpleasant medical treatment. I am now free from the medicine and am once again becoming a human being. To my dismay I have discovered that my job is no longer available as my former employer is laying people off and, as a consequence, not hiring anyone.

Instead of dispairing, I have chosen to look at this as an opportunity to further explore my growing interest in CNC machining. My question to the community is whether or not I have a shot at a job. I could return to the wood business with little difficulty, but I really don't want a sales desk anymore. Anyway, I haven't prepared a formal resume yet as I have never actually had the need for one, and my work experience to date has little connection to the work I am seeking. I am going to offer a rough profile here and would like to hear back from you shop owners as to whether or not you would hire a person like me. This is not a solicitation for a job unless you are in the Memphis area

On the negative side:

I have no experience machining anything other than wood. None.
I am 45

On the positive side:

I am reasonably smart
I am sober
I am punctual
I am stable (married, own home, reliable trans.)
I aleady have health insurance
I am meticulous
I am safety conscious
I want to learn, and not stop learning
I have management experience
I have labor experience
I ran a cabinet shop for 6 years and am familiar with working with machines
I am willing to work long hours ( though I prefer an early start to a late finish)
I am willing to take, at my expense, night classes at the local tech school to speed up learning process.
I am willing to start at the very botton as long as advancement opportunities are offered

I could probably carry on for a while longer, but I will spare you.

It is my understanding that there is a need for people in the machining world and am hoping that there is a chance that I can be one of those people. What do you guys think, do I have a shot, or should I just bite the bullet and try for a job in an industry where I am no longer content, but could earn a pretty comfortable living?

[lerman]

A key issue is going to be what is your required salary. How much savings do you have (how long can you wait until you get that salary)?

You cannot assume that you will start a new career at the same salary you ended your old career. That is, it will take some time for you to rise to the same level at your new job. Do you have the (financial) resources to hang in there until you get to that level? Do you have the support of your family?

Even then, it might be tough.

Ken

[keebler303]

why not think about the cnc side of woodworking. there are a lot of bigger wood shops around running several big cnc routers. I would think it would be easier to get your foot in the door there.

Matt