2nd career options - advice

[OldRiverRat]

I’m trying to figure out what I want to do for my second life after I retire from the city and move to our farm. My daughter is a jr in hs now and my son will be starting jr high next year which means I can also retire from my coaching duties after football season next fall. This is going to clear some time to go back to school and I’m nit sure what I want to do. If I can get 8 more years in my current job I will have logged 30 years in the same industry which is more than enough for me, my son will be graduating hs and my wife will have over 30 yrs teaching and qualify for early retirement.
My goal is to leave the city and try to find work to support me and my wife from the country. I just don’t know what the best avenue is. I’m thinking electrical or hvac, maybe plumbing. I’m just concerned with the apprenticeship hours I’ll need. There is money to be made in any of these trades where we will live. Our place is off richland chambers reservoir so lots of upscale wknd homes in the lake that always need something.
I’d like some advice from all you tradesmen out there on what you would do if you were me and it doesn’t have to be one of the trades I listed. What if really like to do is buy some heavy equipment and move dirt or other projects but I’m just very Leary about sinking that much capital after leaving my primary career.

Love to hear some thoughts


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[SaltwaterSlick]

Only help I can give you is to advise you ANYTHING BUT OIL PATCH RELATED WORK!!
Of the ones you listed, I'd pick electrical... Plumbing and HVAC can be mighty tough working conditions outside, wet, inside attics, hot... all the above... Electrical can be that too, but most often not nasty...

[Bayouboy]

You live in the hub for craft training. San Jac and the craft training facility right off the beltway are both near you.

[MONSTERKEN]

Man, if I were you, I would look for a maintenance position at a Data Center, School, College, University, or Hospital or Medical Facility. I was an electrician for most of my life, got into HVAC Controls and then Building Automation. Covid shut the doors on the Building Automation dept at the last company I worked for and now am working in the Engineering dept for a hospital. I can honestly say that for the first time in my life I love my job, and I love where I work. I am 7 minutes from the house, and can set my own hours.

Getting into those trades this late in life can be a beating. As a green apprentice youll get stuck with all the schitt work. Unless you dont really care and just want to be there for a paycheck, then I suggest electrical trade. But then if you want to go where the money is, look into high voltage electricians, like lineman work. Or on the other end of the spectrum get into fiber optic work, or other low voltage work. There's my .02

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[Kevin]

Finding reliable contractors around Richland Chambers is not easy. My in-laws have a lake house there and the number of no-shows is amazing.

[OldRiverRat]

Originally Posted by Bayouboy

You live in the hub for craft training. San Jac and the craft training facility right off the beltway are both near you.

Yep that’s my plan just gotta figure out what direction


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[OldRiverRat]

Originally Posted by MONSTERKEN

Man, if I were you, I would look for a maintenance position at a Data Center, School, College, University, or Hospital or Medical Facility. I was an electrician for most of my life, got into HVAC Controls and then Building Automation. Covid shut the doors on the Building Automation dept at the last company I worked for and now am working in the Engineering dept for a hospital. I can honestly say that for the first time in my life I love my job, and I love where I work. I am 7 minutes from the house, and can set my own hours.

Getting into those trades this late in life can be a beating. As a green apprentice youll get stuck with all the schitt work. Unless you dont really care and just want to be there for a paycheck, then I suggest electrical trade. But then if you want to go where the money is, look into high voltage electricians, like lineman work. Or on the other end of the spectrum get into fiber optic work, or other low voltage work. There's my .02

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Thanks! This is exactly the kind of feedback I’m looking for, folks with practical experience and knowledge.


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[OldRiverRat]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Finding reliable contractors around Richland Chambers is not easy. My in-laws have a lake house there and the number of no-shows is amazing.

Man you aren’t kidding. I have a couple guys I use that are great. Unfortunately we lost one that did everything, dirt, septic, electric etc in a car accident last year. My brother in law has a lake house down the road from our place and the contractors he has ended up with for certain projects have been absolutely horrible. 6 months to build a back patio!


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[Johnny Dangerr]

Fiber optic will be big for 10 years and then something will replace it.............

[boy wonder]

If you're handy, be a Handyman. They are very hard to find and a lot of people need small stuff done.

[OldRiverRat]

Originally Posted by boy wonder

If you're handy, be a Handyman. They are very hard to find and a lot of people need small stuff done.

That’s also what I’m thinking
Crazy what I see the folks paying to do at the lake houses
Like change light bulbs!


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[Horns1]

To add to above- you could start a property management company, help people who rent out their houses & / or those who don’t - make sure all their stuff works & is kept up from light general handy man type stuff to lawn care / sprinkler systems / dock work / issues , boat/ jet ski care - make sure they are clean & work when the owners get there. People with $$$ will pay for stuff like that, they work hard & the last thing they want on their weekend at their get away is to be dealing with dead batteries / / boats that don’t work. Some ideas to think about


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[sbushee]

Get your real estate license and sell farm and ranch land.

[HOOKNBULLET2]

Originally Posted by Horns1

To add to above- you could start a property management company, help people who rent out their houses & / or those who don’t - make sure all their stuff works & is kept up from light general handy man type stuff to lawn care / sprinkler systems / dock work / issues , boat/ jet ski care - make sure they are clean & work when the owners get there. People with $$$ will pay for stuff like that, they work hard & the last thing they want on their weekend at their get away is to be dealing with dead batteries / / boats that don’t work. Some ideas to think about


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This.

We have a vacation house. When we go there we want to vacation. Not do home maintenance.

[DRT]

I guess it depends what skillset you have. My first career left me with skills to succeed in the second. But having friends in related fields who feed you work helps when starting out.
Whatever you do be good at it. Be honest and reliable in it. Word of mouth will build your business if you do those things.

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[NTex]

Good information, I have a little over 2 1/2 years until I can retire from the fire service with 28 years. Trying to figure this out myself!!!
So far the the top 2 are working at a college or going overseas on a contract gig.

Best of luck to you and I hope we can figure this out!!

[OldRiverRat]

Originally Posted by DRT

I guess it depends what skillset you have. My first career left me with skills to succeed in the second. But having friends in related fields who feed you work helps when starting out.
Whatever you do be good at it. Be honest and reliable in it. Word of mouth will build your business if you do those things.

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Kinda Jack of all but king of none
I agree and I think reliability and honesty alone will get you a long way doing odds and ends


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[rut-ro]

Maybe a CDL and drive for a septic company or a propane company.

[brokeno]

When you say qualify for early retirement hopefully it is a full retirement. I've seen so many people retire early with a reduced retirement and later have to find another job. Depending where you retire to there is always skid loader work to do but quite an investment with skid loader, attachments, truck and trailer. I would do landscaping there are lots of lazy home owners out there that will pay outrageous money for landscaping.

[Prairieboy]

Do something you will enjoy doing, sounds like you've been doing the daily grind for half a lifetime already and if you have to do something after retirement it should be something you will enjoy. Just my 2 cents worth anyway. If you enjoy running machines then the Equipment work(dirt work, clearing,etc,etc) could be a good option for you and you might be surprised at the amount of things you can accomplish with a skid steer and a small or medium size tractor w/ a few implements and those are things you could begin to aquire now for future use.

[OldRiverRat]

Originally Posted by Prairieboy

Do something you will enjoy doing, sounds like you've been doing the daily grind for half a lifetime already and if you have to do something after retirement it should be something you will enjoy. Just my 2 cents worth anyway. If you enjoy running machines then the Equipment work(dirt work, clearing,etc,etc) could be a good option for you and you might be surprised at the amount of things you can accomplish with a skid steer and a small or medium size tractor w/ a few implements and those are things you could begin to aquire now for future use.

I’ll definitely do something I enjoy, just want to be outside and doing something constructive.
Contemplating buying another tractor and batwing now which would give me two units to put to work somewhere
Skid steer is on my mind too


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[AntlerCollector]

Meth is big business out in the country

[COACH_EM_UP]

I am taking classes now to get my real estate license. I am going to try to do it in the offseason's from my sports and in the summers to see how it goes. If it something that I can see myself doing for a long time and I end up liking it a whole lot, then I might make it my full time gig. I love coaching and teaching, but with the way things are going with it all, I dont know if I can make it another 15 years. Just something to think about.

[OldRiverRat]

Originally Posted by COACH_EM_UP

I am taking classes now to get my real estate license. I am going to try to do it in the offseason's from my sports and in the summers to see how it goes. If it something that I can see myself doing for a long time and I end up liking it a whole lot, then I might make it my full time gig. I love coaching and teaching, but with the way things are going with it all, I dont know if I can make it another 15 years. Just something to think about.

Just my opinion but teaching and sports about to change dramatically so you are probably on the right track.
I’m hoping my wife can get last 8 in to be honest
She gave up coaching 2 years ago, too much drama and no support from the administration anymore to really run a tight program


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[UltraMax]

One word of advice, don’t be a cop.

Can’t wait til retirement and I’ve got a while.

[OldRiverRat]

Originally Posted by UltraMax

One word of advice, don’t be a cop.

Can’t wait til retirement and I’ve got a while.

No offense but that isn’t anywhere on the list
Don’t know how you guys do it but I appreciate it!


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[PlanoDano]

I lived in Onalaska for a while. I knew a man with a back hoe. Seems like there is always a need for a back hoe on lake front properties. Good luck.

[MagicBlade]

What's wrong with hunting and fishing everyday?

RETIRE for GOOD!

Enjoy life, that's what i do. Hunt when everyone else is working, get on the lake when there's no one else! Its the best!

[Preacher Man]

I've got a buddy who started a lawn care business on the side and did very well. He went after higher end homes and had so much business he had to turn some down.

[Abcdj]

I ve thought about getting 6-8 lawns of my choice to do. Just enough for 2 days a week to keep me away from the house and boss lady. Also thought about running a couple of fire work stands if you can find them. I don't want to be tied down time wise. We have also kicked around the idea of being park host at state parks and places to travel a bit.
I live in Corsicana and finding good reliable contractors is not easy. I just added on to our second house on our place where my daughter lives. I can give you names and numbers of folks not to use and a couple that were good.

[meltingfeather]

Originally Posted by MONSTERKEN

Man, if I were you, I would look for a maintenance position at a Data Center, School, College, University, or Hospital or Medical Facility. I was an electrician for most of my life, got into HVAC Controls and then Building Automation. Covid shut the doors on the Building Automation dept at the last company I worked for and now am working in the Engineering dept for a hospital. I can honestly say that for the first time in my life I love my job, and I love where I work. I am 7 minutes from the house, and can set my own hours.

Getting into those trades this late in life can be a beating. As a green apprentice youll get stuck with all the schitt work. Unless you dont really care and just want to be there for a paycheck, then I suggest electrical trade. But then if you want to go where the money is, look into high voltage electricians, like lineman work. Or on the other end of the spectrum get into fiber optic work, or other low voltage work. There's my .02

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This.
My best friend’s dad did this and loves it. Problem solving, little bit of everything, his life experience is valuable and helps, meeting people and finding other opportunities. Lots of benefits without the grind of committing to one thing and having to pay your dues with a shovel or covered in crap.

[OldRiverRat]

Originally Posted by MagicBlade

What's wrong with hunting and fishing everyday?

RETIRE for GOOD!

Enjoy life, that's what i do. Hunt when everyone else is working, get on the lake when there's no one else! Its the best!

Man I’d love to, I turn 46 Thursday so I’m looking at bailing out at around 54/55 if possible so I’ll need to do something for a little income. I’ve thought about getting my license and running some fishing trips on the lake but I keep thinking enjoy fishing too much for that. I think there is definitely room for a reliable general maintenance guy here as you can see from all the comments about the lack of reliable people so that’s kinda what I’m leaning towards. I think if I could pick up 8-10 high end properties to take care of it would be perfect. Thinks Would slow down in the winter and give me time to hunt. I’m just scared I may need to a real fall back skill/trade. I really don’t want to go to work for another 8-5 that I know. If I can convince my wife to find a teaching job for just a couple years after we move up it will be much better, some lead time to get something started up.


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[OldRiverRat]

This is why the can’t wait to get here full time. Just crawled in the tripod, nice spot just off the lake about 100yds
I can fish until just before the feeder throws, park the boat and hop in.



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[meltingfeather]

Originally Posted by OldRiverRat

This is why the can’t wait to get here full time. Just crawled in the tripod, nice spot just off the lake about 100yds
I can fish until just before the feeder throws, park the boat and hop in.

I believe that is the definition of paradise!!

[Txfire409]

Great thread. I too am trying to figure out what to do after I retire for extra income. I'm 51 now and will be retiring at 57 with 30 years in the fire service.

[Mudslinger]

I retired n May, moved to a place with 6.46 acres and have more to do on my place that I do not want a second career. I have one fixing up my place like I want.

[APDBrad]

Originally Posted by UltraMax

One word of advice, don’t be a cop.

Can’t wait til retirement and I’ve got a while.

Amen brother! 5 more years for me and I’m out! Stay safe out there.

[OldRiverRat]

Originally Posted by Mudslinger

I retired n May, moved to a place with 6.46 acres and have more to do on my place that I do not want a second career. I have one fixing up my place like I want.

I don’t want one but think I’ll need one. Understand your position I’ll have 235 acres to care for too and that already keeps me busier than I like. I’m a busy person though, can’t stand to sit around.


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[Atfulldraw]

The best ‘jobs’ are the ones with the highest barriers to entry.

Long training, expensive equipment or highly specialized will net you the biggest nut.

Find something that not everyone is doing - anyone can buy a lawnmower and start cutting grass, very few folks own a dozer or a backhoe.

When I retire in just a few years, I’ll have a few hundred thousand dollars worth of earth moving equipment that I’ve been buying as I go, so I’ll be ready to get to work.

I can’t wait to play in the dirt!

[Captain39]

Be a handy man! I have rentals, and finding a reliable handy man or trades people is near impossible. Get with realtors and landlords who need reliable people. I can make appointments with 10 handy men for make ready on a rental, 5 will No show, couple will buy way to high or have no clue what they are doing and the one will be drunk! haha!