So I quit my job today

[erock]

So let me go back about 2 months.  I know a guy who has his own remodeling company.  He has a crew of 7 guys.  He has been looking to bring on two more guys. One carpenter and a laborer.  He does residential, some commercial and manages properties for nursing homes and condos and apartments. I've known him now for about 7 years.  Our wives made dinner plans for the four of us to get together and to catch up on life.  They wanted to come over to our house to see the progress I have made on all the projects I have been working on. 
They come over and I guess he was impressed with my work, because while eating dinner he offered me a job.  He wanted to bring me on as a carpenter. 
I did a lot of remodeling work after high school, then got into the plumbing trade.  I have done a lot of side jobs, flooring, cabinets, bath rooms, ..  So I have a good grasp on how jobs get done and how to handle customers.   
    I have been with my latest job for 4 years.  I moved up the food chain very fast, but the company was sold and things started to change.  The brother-in-law of the boss was getting away with a lot of junk.  Lazy people doing a lot of nothing with a lot of finger pointing got old fast.  Long story short, after getting this job offer, things that I would ignore started to bother me and I quickly realized I wanted a career change.
  So I put my two week notice in and shocked my boss because the prior week I was given a pay raise.  He offered me more money to stay, but I wasn't interested to hear about more money from him.  A corporate boss came up to see why I was quiting and tried to get me to stay.  I never really thought I was that well like and valuable with the company.  So that was a nice feeling to have a big boss stop in to try to talk to me. 
  So today was my last day with this company.  I start my carpentry career on Monday.  I get to learn from the lead carpenter who has over 25 years experience.  I'm really pumped! I love learning new things.  Now I get to take my skills to another level.  I have a shop full of tools that can be used for more then a hobby.  I hope this will lead to more Festool tools.  Although, he asked me to NOT bring my Festool's on the job site because he doesn't want to pay for them to get replaced if anything was to happen to them. 
  Now I need to get the dust of the truck and hope the gas price drops.  Which is wishfull thinking!

Eric

 

[waho6o9]

Congratulations on your new adventure! You'll do well. Rock on.  [smile]

 

[Wood_Junkie]

Hey, congrats!  Sometimes serendity just shows up, eh?.

Kudos to you for having the bravery to leave a solid job and income, and risk something cool and different, that you'll hopefully enjoy for life.      [thumbs up]

 

[tjbier]

Congrats Eric!
Hope your new adventure goes great [big grin]
Now your just going to be frustrated not using your Festools though, maybe you can talk him into getting a whole new batch of em!

 

[builderbob]

Eric, I think you've made a fine decision, but you already know that!  My email signature after my contact info is "If you love your job, you'll never have to work another day in your life"!  I swear by that because I do love what I do...and I get paid to do it!  Granted not everyday is a big bowl of cherries, but I get extreme satisfaction out of making my clients happy and creating something that I can step back and say "I did that".

Enjoy your new adventure...be sure to let us know how things progress for you!

Double B

 

[erock]

THANKS GUYS!

TJ....it's funny.  I thought since he is in the trades that he would have known about Festool.  I told him what kind of tools I had and he never heard of
Festool.  So while he was over we spent about an  hour out in my shop and I was showing him all the great things Festool has to offer and can do.  He was very impressed....but he asked how much it all cost and he was shocked.  So he is an old school porter cable, dewalt guy.  Not to sure he would want to invest into Festool....but I will try to convert him as best as I can. 

 

[kdzito]

Eric, good luck with the new job and converting your new boss to Festool.  I work as a Project Manager for a Commercial Carpentry contractor and we are so old school I don't even dare talk about my ownership and use of Festools.  Our company is also very conscious about the tools that we bring to the job site because they get lifted or abused quite frequently.  We have many stories about our company's equipment and tools misfortunes.  We had a new hire who brought a gang box full of expensive tools ($4K) to the jobsite and guess what they disappeared and we had to pay the insurance claim.  Fortunately we buy all of our millwork and materials shop manufactured and assembled to its fullest extent so we don't have to invest much in joiners and routers.  For trims we scarf the joints, glue, and screw.  Our work is all about extreme production and we install in teams with each guy having a specific task. About the best things I've seen our company with is DeWalt miter saws and cordless drivers/drills. 

 

 

[Marc2010]

I hope everything works out for you!  It was a bold move and I'm sure that it felt GREAT. Doing something that you love and want to do is easier and more rewarding then doing something  that you have to do. Enjoy the new job and learn everything you can . Pro's have good tricks of the trade.
Keep us posted and again Enjoy it.
Marc

 

[Jesse Cloud]

Go ERock!!  Congrats on the new job.  Hope you truly love it!

 

[Holzhacker]

Congratulations on quitting a crap job. I hope the new one works out better. I quit the one and only real job of my adult life because it just wasn't worth the aggravation. I could have been there for the rest of my life. Everyone freaked out, bosses tried to talk me out of it, as with you, it was just too little, too late. They should have given a damn when I was working my ass off making them look good. I'm so much happier these days.  [big grin]

 

[zapdafish]

congrats, I did the same thing 4-5 years ago. One of my better moves.

 

[LostInTheWood]

Wow, big move. Especially in this economy.  Your builder friend must be doing very well. I hope all the best for you. I can almost feel your excitement.  Hell, I'm in the business myself (remodeler) and I still get excited about some projects.  Welcome to the world of contracting.

 

[Wonderwino]

I'm jealous.  I wish I could make a move like that!!  [cool]

 

[Deke]

Erock, a wise person once told me if you find yourself working in a place where you don't fit the culture, leave and find a place that does fit. Big or small, you can't change it and it never will change. You don't even need this advice. Congratulations and the the skills and work ethic that made them want to keep you are just evidence you will do fine wherever you go.

 

[erock]

Thanks for all the support.

A little up date.  Only been at the new gig for a week now.  A great fit for me.  Love doing the work and I am pumped about the work ahead of me.
It's nice working with a group of guys what have the same work ethic as me.  Everyone gets a long and does great work, even the laborers.
We have a lot of work ahead of us.  Exterior trim install on a house as well as a condo complex that we maintain.  An addition.  A nice size deck.  Kitchen cabinet  job.  Hardwood flooring for another job. Lots of fun stuff for us.  We are booked through October, with the boss quoting work almost everyday. I have dropped a couple hints about Festool tools around  him.  So one  night he got on youtube and checked them out.  Came into the shop the next day and told me those tools would be great IF they didn't cost so much.  He couldn't see spending the  money on the Festool  name.  But once he works with me and my Festool toys it may change his mind.  I already have one carpenter turned on to the Festool brand. 

 

[GPowers]

So one  night he got on youtube and checked them out.  Came into the shop the next day and told me those tools would be great IF they didn't cost so much.  He couldn't see spending the  money on the Festool  name.  But once he works with me and my Festool toys it may change his mind.  I already have one carpenter turned on to the Festool brand. 

Happy Festool users are the best sales staff.  [big grin]

 

[Marc2010]

Glad to hear that everything is working out for you !!
Watch out for what you start, the boss might start putting more money into his new tools then in to his employees. You know how addicting Festool can make you  [scared]

Marc