To Construct, Or To Maintain? That Is The Question?

[Raider Nation Fisher]

Here goes. Maintenance spot just opened at a pharma plant I built three years ago.

Pharma plant. Pay is around 28-34 an hour. Paid insurance, 80 hrs vacation, 40hours sick time, paid holidays, 401k, paid college books and tuition.

Pros: all the above. Except college. I would sooner drown myself then have to deal with that.

Cons: No gnarly tradesmen beard! Have to wear khakis and a golf style collared shirt, also low cut steel toes. Working for an international company. Real possibility of relocation once or multiple times over an extended period of time. Have to conform to a more white collar attitude and temperament.

Current Gig. Pay 20-?. 40hrs vacation after 1 year 80hrs after 2 years. Paid holidays, starting 401k in December, company cellphone and work truck that gets to go home with you, company pays for my families cellphone plan also.

Pros. All the above. Plus I can move higher in this company quickly. Only three others out of the 20 employees have my diversified construction back ground. Family based company, I really feel like a family member here. Can be myself, don't have to assimilate to a white collar mind set. No set dress code for the most part. Get to train and watch my helpers grow into Electricians.

Cons. No set hours. Lay offs do happen. Various other things related to be a contractor. Physically demanding work as opposed to pharma plant which is lay back and chill. May have to lift 25lbs at pharma plant.

I'm leaning towards staying put. I got a good thing going right now between my company and my old company. Plus I think I may get bored as hell being a carpet walking maintenance man. Ughhh. But the money is very enticing. However money ain't everything and construction makes me happy. But the d**n money is good. However, I can't get my masters licence while working at a plant in a maintenance position. I believe I'm gonna just stay a dirty, scruffy, construction sparky.

What's halls take?

[Bankbeater]

Sounds like if you take the new job you will be more on the mgmt. side.  I work with maintenance where I work, and it is anything but boring.  Whether its good or bad, something is going on here everyday.

The office building that I am in holds 2000 people.  Always getting calls about too hot, too cold, and restrooms backing up.  I don't know how your place contracts out its labor, but you also have the outside of the building to take care of like lawn, and snow removal.  When the tornado came through a couple of months ago we were here all weekend to make sure that the building was up and running come Monday morning.

Just some thoughts.

[Raider Nation Fisher]

Mgmt. nothing. That's compensation for being a regular maintenance man. The maintenance foreman is salary there. The foreman position makes 80g a year. I'm no where near qualified for that.

I'm not knocking maintenance positions when I say bored. The bulk of the job, aside from preventative maintenance is, wait for something to break. Even then preventative maintenance there is minimal. This place is small in terms of pharma manufacturing.

[slonezp]

Maintenance is boring. A shop I used to work for had a contract with a huge corn processing plant. We had 3 guys on site 40hrs a week Mon-Fri. The plant generated their own electricity with the largest coal fired boilers I've ever seen. My shop maintained the hvac equipment used to cool the electrical rooms, equipment rooms, and computer rooms, no comfort cooling. We sat for 30hrs a week and worked for 10. That might be fine for some, but not my cup o tea.

[RAMBLER]

I worked in a small family owned manufacturing plant as the maintenance "working" supervisor.  It was a union plant and the term "working" supervisor meant that I could be worked all the over time and not get paid for it and we didn't have to work the union maintenance people.  I got my butt worked to death.  There was never a time when everything was done.  I would just quit for the day and go home.  I was a welder, plumber, machine repairman and builder, carpenter, electrician, HVAC engineer, you name it, along with being the supervisor of a union crew.  It was not boring and for that I was salaried at the great figure of $32,000.00/year with one week vacation.  After about 7 years of that I quit, went up into the north woods and sold real estate.

 

What would I have done if I had the chance for a job in that pharma plant?  Need you even ask?  I'd have left that job so fast they wouldn't even have realized I had ever been there.

[Raider Nation Fisher]

I just can't bring myself to leave construction right now. I know the money is great. However, on a good year I can bring home around 75 or 80 grand thanks to over time. I really enjoy running pipe, bending conduit, welding structures and other things, walking I beams, and never being on the same jobsite more than a year. Its always something new. I can't bring myself to change my appearance and mannerisms for that kind of work. It would feel to me, like selling out.

[SPEEDBEAD.]

You lost me at getting rid of the beard.

 

Negative.

[Raider Nation Fisher]

You lost me at getting rid of the beard.

 

Negative.

That's the biggest negative. I got this dang goatee around 4 and half inches long, at least when its in curled. I'm kinda attached to it, if you will.

[SPEEDBEAD.]

I understand being attached, trust me. LOL

 

If I would not have trimmed the beard in December for a wedding, it would be pushing 9 or so inches right now.

[Dwight Hottle]

Sounds like a 20 grand difference or am I missing something. That would be worth pondering

[Fishing Rhino]

You lost me at getting rid of the beard.

 

Negative.

 

Oh, that's a beard.  And here I've been thinking it was just a shadow beneath your jaw.      

[tomustang]

Leave of absence for a week and try out the other job. Beards grow back, opportunity might not.

[slonezp]

Sounds like a 20 grand difference or am I missing something. That would be worth pondering

If he's making 70-80 with OT so it's about the same. What Raider will be loosing is his freedom. I've been a tradesman for 15 years and drove a truck 10 years prior to that. Waking up to the same old grind everyday would put me in a grave. There's a whole world out there to see beyond the cubicle walls. Never have to take work home with me. Don't have a supervisor breathing down my neck. The business won't fold because I take a day off. On the other side of the coin, the physical demands of a maintenance guy are a lot less. Raider may think he's Magilla the Gorilla now but in 20 years....

 

Cable guy was here today IBEW guy working for AT&T. In a previous life he was a linesman. He told me he had 5 surgeries to pull out his nerves which had gotten embedded in his forearms. He said it was from pulling wire and found out about it while he was 22' in the air hanging on a telephone pole and couldn't feel his arms. He's 60 and is installing cable so he won't lose his retirement bennies. 

 

I'm probably finished in my trade. I'd go back in a heartbeat if I could.

[Root beer]

Shave your beard? I Hope you shave your ****** while you're at it.

[Raider Nation Fisher]

If he's making 70-80 with OT so it's about the same. What Raider will be loosing is his freedom. I've been a tradesman for 15 years and drove a truck 10 years prior to that. Waking up to the same old grind everyday would put me in a grave. There's a whole world out there to see beyond the cubicle walls. Never have to take work home with me. Don't have a supervisor breathing down my neck. The business won't fold because I take a day off. On the other side of the coin, the physical demands of a maintenance guy are a lot less. Raider may think he's Magilla the Gorilla now but in 20 years....

 

Cable guy was here today IBEW guy working for AT&T. In a previous life he was a linesman. He told me he had 5 surgeries to pull out his nerves which had gotten embedded in his forearms. He said it was from pulling wire and found out about it while he was 22' in the air hanging on a telephone pole and couldn't feel his arms. He's 60 and is installing cable so he won't lose his retirement bennies. 

 

I'm probably finished in my trade. I'd go back in a heartbeat if I could.

That sums it up perfectly.

Hell son your a fitter. Learn to weld pipe. Fitters that can weld are in high demand. Just requires a steady hand and some know how. Expand your trade.

Also. How the Hell did you know they nicknamed me Magilla?

[slonezp]

That sums it up perfectly.

Hell son your a fitter. Learn to weld pipe. Fitters that can weld are in high demand. Just requires a steady hand and some know how. Expand your trade.

Also. How the Hell did you know they nicknamed me Magilla?

Problem right now is I can't hold much in my left hand for very long, I've lost feeling and dexterity, have lost the reflexes in my triceps, I can't hold it still to do detail work(tried brazing some pipe in the garage and I can't keep the torch or the stick still), and the pain management doc has referred me to a spine surgeon. I haven't given up yet.

 

I almost called you Grape Ape

[Raider Nation Fisher]

Problem right now is I can't hold much in my left hand for very long, I've lost feeling and dexterity, have lost the reflexes in my triceps, I can't hold it still to do detail work(tried brazing some pipe in the garage and I can't keep the torch or the stick still), and the pain management doc has referred me to a spine surgeon. I haven't given up yet.

 

I almost called you Grape Ape

I loved watching Grape Ape when I was growing up. Grrrape Ape!

Dang that sucks. I was gonna suggest swapping torch hands. However you've already tried that. So that shoots that to hell. Maybe you could get a brace for that arm. Go from lower bicep to wrist. I'm gonna talk with some of my welding friends and see what we can scheme up.

[Root beer]

Having a beard means you're proud of being a man!

[Fishing Rhino]

Having a beard means you're proud of being a man!

 

What's to be proud of about being a man?  I mean, we were born men, and had no say in the matter.  We are men by an accident of birth.

[retiredbosn]

Don't know if it's been mentioned or not, but consider the wear and tear on your body. Construction gigs are hard on you physically, joints especially backs wear out. The maintenance may sound boring, but it may mean less wear on u.

[Raider Nation Fisher]

Don't know if it's been mentioned or not, but consider the wear and tear on your body. Construction gigs are hard on you physically, joints especially backs wear out. The maintenance may sound boring, but it may mean less wear on u.

I've already done a good job of destroying my body through work. Everyday hurts. It never goes away. Just grin bear it and chase that money. I have a hard time letting the young ones do the hard part of the work. Its just something I have to learn. They are chomping at the bit wanting to prove themselves. And I'm too d**n stupid to turn them loose on it.

[d3bf48]

 And I'm too d**n stupid...

Sums up most your posts pretty well.

[Raider Nation Fisher]

Sums up most your posts pretty well.

Now that was just uncalled for.

[SPEEDBEAD.]

Thought the same thing, wasn't sure if he was your buddy and just ribbing you or if that was a cheap shot....

[deaknh03]

Sums up most your posts pretty well.

Then don't read them.