I'm a carpenter working for a smaller contracting company in New England. We mostly do framing and finish work but have been doing a great deal of sheetrock. Basically a little bit of everything. I've been working with this company for 3 years. It's been a very tough 3 years too. I started working for these guys after working for an associate of the company's owner. He used to compete with my former employer but over time they kinda started using eachother and giving work to eachother. When one was slow I'd go work for the other. So for some reason, one of the employees liked to give me crap about my methods and mocked my previous employer. I didn't like it but I respected him and his work so I learnt his methods and did things his way. Problem is his ways tend to be different than my bosses, so I am always upsetting one or the other. Both guys are impatient and short fused. I'm more of a calm dude, I work aggressively but I don't really get pissed about stuff at work. Just kinda deal with it. So there has always been this personality clash. They are both much older so everything about us is different. The business is in decline and weve been travelling further and further for work. I get a week paid vaca no benes and kinda treated like crap. I'm not a quitter so I've just stuck it out hoping to earn some respect. Last year I did alot of hunting with a guy I met. I hunted behind his house on state property and over time got to talking and we ended up hunting together in other areas. Turns out he is the owner of a very large commercial flooring company. They do tile, hardwood, vct, linolium and all other types. They get big jobs like hospitals and hotels. He has been begging me to come work for him this past week. He has 40+ employees and they are constantly busy. No lay-offs. He told me I'd get (in time I imagine) a company vehicle, gas card, company phone plan, Full insurance for my family, weeks vaca (didnt say how many) and profit sharing (every month a bonus check). I said that all sounds good but I have very little flooring experience and I can't work for nothing. He said trust me youll be fine. I then explained my plans of owning my own contracting company and he said well look at the companies around that are already established. they are all struggling. He said we are NEVER slow. Then he said plus later on if you decide you want your own company I'll subcontract you when I have extra work and when i don't you can work for me. I have never ever considered becoming a flooring guy. So this whole idea is new to me and it sounds like a great oppurtunity. I pay 250 a month for insurance and my wife pays 200. That alone would be a savings of $450 if I worked for this guy. Not to mention the savings from phone, vehicle and gas. Anyone have any advice regarding this huge decision.
Yes! Yes, yes! These types of threads are hard. Only you can make the right decision for you and your family. However, it did seem to me when I was reading your post, that you kind of made a decision and are looking for the green light I could be reading it wrong
Been praying hard. I don't want to up and leave the guy but honestly if anyone ever deserved it, he does. I just don't wanna burn any bridges and be "that guy". Even a 2 week notice would tick him off. Hes kind of a control freak, constantly micromanaging, no matter what I do I think he's gunna give me a hard time.
Good call Fitz. I feel like it's almost too good to be true. lol I just wanted to bounce it of you guys and check and see if I'm overlooking something. When I was younger I would have thrown caution to the wind and left by now. lol I've just learnt to think before I act. Now if I could learn to think before I speak....
I agree you need to do what makes you happy. Im getting to that point myself.........less and less happy at work but trying to figure just how big a pay cut I can really take.
Not for nothing but the way you described what your giving up in your current job....I would go for it. Here is what I do in a nutshell..... I look for upside in things. Its easy to see and do what we are comfortable with but that all to often limits our potential upside.... in the two situations you described, I see more up side in the new job. when you establish a rapport like you have your potential new employer, sometimes friendship transcends into profit and opportunity. Go for it and don't look back and no matter how it turns out come away from it with something positive. Best of luck.
You give your old boss two weeks he should be cool with that. He may not like the fact that you've moved on but he should respect you for it and welcome you back should it ever come to that. If not you don't want to work for him anyhow. If you want to be your own SubC. Than go for it. You can't fly like an eagle hanging with the turkeys.
It's not my decision but from what you have shared I don't see any reason why you should stay. Ticking someone off even if you are polite and respectful isn't a good reason to stay with an employer. Be respectful about it though when it's time to part ways, I've learned in my career that often times paths cross in the future again. Good career path, comfortable lifestyle outside of work hours, and loyalty because someone treats me well are the reasons I would need to consider staying. Not someones reaction to me making a better path for my family.
Not sure if you can take your week vacation, but it would give you a week to check out the flooring gig and see if you like it.
I'd give my 2 weeks notice and be moving on. You're unhappy. He already offers you more than you get now. Flooring is a lot easier and less messy than sheetrock work. You say you want your own business in construction. Eventually you'll need to know flooring.... and honestly, it isn't that difficult. As long as it's a move up in money and bennies for the family... I'd go for it. You've done what you're doing for 3 years and know where it's heading... right where you are. If you have a weeks vacation coming... I'd take it first.... It's yours, you earned it... no need to throw it away. Then give the 2 weeks notice. Chances are when you give the notice he'll say your done...forget the notice.
I agree with the others, it sounds like the headaches you are dealing with at work are not worth passing up this opportunity. Good luck on whatever you decide.
I also agree with everyone. From what u said about ur current employer and his attitude he's gotta have a pretty miserable work environment. That can be detrimental in so many ways. I'm sure everyone that works for him is miserable because of it. I think you should definitely go for it. It seems like all positives from what you're saying. If I were in your boots I'd absolutely go for it.
I'd say go for it. Sounds like a much more secure job with a bigger company. Just give your boss the respect and apprectiation for employing you and tell him you're moving on. If he's any kind of decent man he'll give you his best wishes. Also, IMHO flooring isn't really that difficult to do. If I can do it you can lol. I'd pick laying tile over finishing sheetrock any day. Plus if it doesn't work out with the flooring gig, you have your sheetrocking/framing to fall back on. There's always work for that in some capacity. Good luck to ya!
My son laid floors for 5 years and I'll tell you right now it is extremely hard on the knees and back. Look at both the good and bad and then make your decision. Even though this guy is busy now, does not mean he'll stay busy. Also, if you go to work for a friend, you may very well end the friendship because now he is the boss.
hey man im 20 years old and work for my dad and grandpa laying field tile. i dont much care for it its just the 3 of us and we work 7 days a week when we can. we are always very busy and i have always had the dream to be a firefighter and this april ill have everything i need to start applying. my dad aint very happy with me plus im still living at home but with this new job i dubble my pay i have bennifits (which i didnt have before) and i get days of (which i didnt have before unless weather was bad) i just hope the firefighting job makes me happy as i think it will! good luck to ya in your decision!
It sounds good to me if I were you I'd get him to write up a contract or something so it is in writing. He might just want you to work for him and tell you anything. Happened to a buddy of mine. Got offered basically all the same stuff you got offered. Did it for a month, after quitting his job for UPS, and his new boss,which he knew, told him he couldn't afford him anymore. My buddy got screwed big time because UPS was a union job and couldn't get back in. I guess what I'm saying is make sure this guy's promises are legit.
Unless my reading comprehension skills have quickly deteriorated, sounds to me like a no brainer to take the flooring job. Good luck
