Career Question

[sare^baw's]

im 40, been unemployed since last july, im a cnc/ manual machinist to trade ie working with metals. Anyhoo im struggling to find a job in my trade in my area, i have 2 daughters so i dont want to work far from home. I have had a handful of interviews but so far no success.

im at a point i want to change careers, not easy i know, i cant turn my hand to anything that would pay well so i would need to back to college. Im only at the early thinking stage just now as i dont know how practical it will be.

so onto my big question what careers are worth training for ie that actually have good job prospects at the end of it ? or is there no such thing these days and i should foget the idea and just hope one day ill get a job back in my trade ? I only have 2 o'levels so i dont have a great education but i was lucky to get a skilled trade.

any suggestion folks apart from shooting myself lol

 

[lucky13]

Thats a shame to hear, how about learning autocad or something like Catia and work more on the design role?

The bloke downstairs who makes our prototypes has nearly finished his course and he fits it around a job and wedding plans.

 

[sare^baw's]

Thats a shame to hear, how about learning autocad or something like Catia and work more on the design role?

The bloke downstairs who makes our prototypes has nearly finished his course and he fits it around a job and wedding plans.

yeah that sounds good but my concern is what are the prospects of actually getting a job once the course is done. If i got another job in my trade i would be happy and not pursue anything else.

 

[jwest]

Tbh CAD is easy to learn, and would open you up to a variety of new job opportunities, with a machinists background aswell you could be quite desirable.

Also I wouldn't bother with a CAD course, start off with downloading the AutoCAD trial and teach yourself, then move on to ProE, Solidworks, Inventor ect.

You don’t even need to get that good with them, just so you can bluff your way through the interview, if you get the job then just practise like hell till you start.

 

[lucky13]

Tbh CAD is easy to learn, and would open you up to a variety of new job opportunities, with a machinists background aswell you could be quite desirable.

Also I wouldn't bother with a CAD course, start off with downloading the AutoCAD trial and teach yourself, then move on to ProE, Solidworks, Inventor ect.

You don’t even need to get that good with them, just so you can bluff your way through the interview, if you get the job then just practise like hell till you start.

Yep pretty much this, Lots of companies use differant software and as long as you prove you know what you are doing they tend to send you on a refresure course or advanced course if you only worked with say ProE but they use Catia.

With your good back ground and having shown the initiative to work hard and learn new skills you would become much more employable.

 

[sare^baw's]

and is it mostly design roles that use these types of software in engineering, surely there is more to design than using the software you need to be a designer too.

 

[I get around]

You've gotta branch out mate, my dad was in the same position as you, he commutes about 1h10m to work every day now. He got a significant payrise though which covered the cost of commuting.

If you can draw the old fashioned way then learning CAD will be very easy to you and it's pretty standard stuff nowadays. Employers will like it.

 

[jwest]

and is it mostly design roles that use these types of software in engineering, surely there is more to design than using the software you need to be a designer too.

You dont need to know anything about design to be a CAD designer. Depending what your doing but it might involve creating a CAD drawing of a product of some sketches that a designer has drawn.

Look at some CAD jobs on the internet (Jobsite, jobsrapido, Monster, Totaljobs ect) and look at what the duties are. You'll be suprised how little you need to know about cad to earn a decent wage. (people are starting to realise this tho so it's getting a bit competitive)

 

[Ethics]

and is it mostly design roles that use these types of software in engineering, surely there is more to design than using the software you need to be a designer too.

You are already starting off on a good foot

A lot of people see 3D CAD and think it's all about drawing pretty pictures. That is only a very small margin. You need to know how things can be made, materials, finishes. You need to know about manufacturing techniques; moulding, forging, welding, milling and turning operations. You'll need to be able to draft but that can come out of a spec and be learnt quick enough.

I work as a designer in the Oil and gas industry, we use solidworks and the amount of people who can draw all sorts on the computer but are clueless when asked how they plan to have it made is crazy.

With your background as a machinist you could look at the career path involving CADCAM applications, maybe a sales person or technical advisor. You'll find people quite receptive to you since you'll know how to use the software but more importantly be able to apply it to what they do and perhaps advise how they can do things better.

Most industries have their own 'preferred' CAD packages so you'll hear a lot of em knocking around; Solidworks, Inventor, PRO-E, CATIA but a lot of them are essentially very similar. I don't know a whoe lot about CADCAM stuff but i'm sure google does