career choices

[Finallygotmine]

I'm a geologist out on those rigs. Yes it's dangerous but fun sometimes too. We run three towers so the roughnecks get home every night but not for long. 8 hours on then up to 4 hours driving. Getting a good job with no college degree is tough. It's tough even with a degree. College graduates can't find jobs. If you major in something like Mechanical Engineering you will be paid well, but that's tough to get through.

I would look at the Medical field. Get trained in a specialty like Radiology, If you start as a Medical Assistant then go to an LPN then and RN.

This is a really good point. There are not many job fields that are secure right now. I would say that unless you are very talented at car restoration, you should stick to your current occupation.
I get that it's dangerous. But it's a bad economy even though the stock market is skyrocketing. The "recovery" is built on Bullsh*t. Never heard of a recovery without the consumer being involved. There will be another housing crash. Bet on it. Energy is always in need.
If you need to, work your way up the ladder and get off the rig and be a foreman or something. I can imagine that it wouldn't take long if the turnover is high. Which it probably is. Another year or two you might be just driving from site to site barking orders.
Investigate working for a support company that supplies the oil industry. Pipe/pump sales or the like. Sometimes making a buck supporting the boom can be as profitable as the boom itself. Kinda like having a saloon in a gold mining town.

 

[WileE]

Run, Don't walk, away from any thought of the body work career. The industry is stifled by the insurance companies to fill the bank accounts of the top executives. If there ever was a trade that is grossly underpaid and taken advantage of, this is it. Factor in the moronic customers, and it's lose-lose.

 

[coronet340]

Thank you everyone for the responses and making sure I didn't make a mistake.

As far as the oil field goes, I frac I don't drill. We don't have have big contracts like the drillers, ours actually just expired that was 5 years old. The only reason they had a contract was because we were the only game in town for awhile. There are a few production jobs that are "9 to 5" but the take home pay is about 2000 less a month.

And I am looking for a skill that will help me when I do open my shop building cafe racers. I love to paint but I am not very skillful at it. Thats where the body shop job idea came from. After talking to y'all though I am going to just have to figure out a new way to learn all that stuff because I am over the body shop idea. THANKS AGAIN!!! If anybody has any other suggestions I am still very open minded.
My wife is currently going to school and average starting pay for her career choice is around 50,000 annually but can make almost 100k if she hustles.

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God Love ya. you and you're wife must be unbelievably disciplined to be able to gain on a debt like that! Keep it up!! I get the sleep and the family time issue. If you work for a contractor it will be hard to move off the rig as they are hired to do one thing and that's drill. As my wife says "It's all about relationships". I hope you can take build some relationship with the decision makers as you go. Good luck to ya!!

BTW: There is NO greater freedom than being totally debt free....

We are. We do a budget every 2 weeks. Each month we each get $100 to spend on whatever we want and the $100 for date nights. As far as everything else that comes into the house, it goes to debt and bills. WE EVEN SKIPPED OUR HONEYMOON and used all the money to pay off debt!!
If anybody has heard of Dave Ramsey's "Total Money Makeover" its what turned us around.

 

[Budnicks]

coronet340 what ever you do go at it 110%, you sound like a go getter, keep it up you'll do very well... good luck what ever you decide to do... IMHFO if it's your dream, do what ever you have to the make it a reality, I've been told I can't do something's, so many times, that I do or have done very well in/with, it would make your head spin... If you put your mind & 110% effort into it, you can succeed at most anything, most people don't even ever try & will discourage you along the way, just do your due diligence 1st, you will be miles ahead of the rest....

 

[coronet340]

coronet340 what ever you do go at it 110%, you sound like a go getter, keep it up you'll do very well... good luck what ever you decide to do... IMHFO if it's your dream, do what ever you have to the make it a reality, I've been told I can't do something's, so many times, that I do or have done very well in/with, it would make your head spin... If you put your mind & 110% effort into it, you can succeed at most anything, most people don't even ever try & will discourage you along the way, just do your due diligence 1st, you will be miles ahead of the rest....

I pride myself on my work. I'm one of the weirdos that enjoys work. I think its good for the brain to read, learn, and work hard. 3 years ago I would of been a lot happier with this job but now I have a mini me that needs the father figure I never really had.
And I don't mind when people tell me "you can't" you'll never make it" or even give me that "yeah right" look. It fuels my fire.
I mean look at this face! lol