Tank Slap - Motorcycle Forum

Morning all,

I'm coming to the end of my Apprenticeship this July and the placement I'm in looks like it isn't going anywhere (it's a project which we've since found out is already being done by multiple other groups) so I'm likely to be "out of a job" so to speak; I need to apply for a job within the company but I will definitely get one, it just may not be my preferred. 3 out of the last 4 years I've received "exceeding expectations" in Appraisals and have always had good feedback from managers.

Why I'm telling you all this is because I'm seriously considering leaving. I've finished my HNC this year and am aiming to do HND and Degree so it's wise that I stay until those are completed seeing as the company is paying for them, but after that I don't know what I want to do.

"If you love your job you never have to work a day in your life"

My main love is motorcycles, I love riding them, I love tweeking suspension and I like almost everything about them... I've given thought to leaving engineering and going to work in a bike workshop, somewhere that does suspension and engine tuning. While the pay is likely to be less than my current line of work it would mean that I'd have tools and discounts available to me so I can ride track more often and have the bike how I want it. I've also considered joining the police multiple times.

I'd like to know your views on this.. hopefully some thought provoking stuff

Get your qualifications under your belt then take a step back and have a look at what you want to do. Once you've got your papers they can't be taken off you and will give you an advantage in the marketplace, as will your hands on experience. A mix of the right exams and the right experience is attractive in the marketplace.

It's a bit patronising I know, but you are young and there is plenty of time for you to sort out your personal foundations and then decide what you want to do. It might be a bit boring for now but it'll pay off in the long run.

get as many qualifications as you can then go into engineering sales,if you have the right attitude its dead easy and you can earn very good money as engineers are rare as rocking horse shit in the UK.In fact come and work at kawasaki you can get cheap motorbikes thrown in and its a great company to work for

Perkles wrote:at kawasaki you can get cheap motorbikes thrown in

SOLD!

Same at Triumph. Ive hated all my jobs up until now. I enjoy everyday now and get to see and mess with bikes pretty much daily.

Triumph have a careers page and are always hiring. They also value experience as much if not more than qualifications.

D6 wrote:Same at Triumph. Ive hated all my jobs up until now. I enjoy everyday now and get to see and mess with bikes pretty much daily.

Triumph have a careers page and are always hiring. They also value experience as much if not more than qualifications.

I've had a look. Nothing on there yet for someone who is good at eating cakes. http://careers.triumph.co.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'll keep looking

That position always goes internally before even getting a chance to go external. It even goes before test rider vacancies.

Cheers guys.. I'll bear all of these in mind and have a google

Cav although I would never say qualifications are unimportant if there in an area you don't wish to be employed then your wasting your time pushing on to a higher level of qualification imo.

You have an apprenticeship to fall back on. If your heart is not in Engineering get out whilst you can. Wait until your earning good money and have the responsibility of a sizeable mortgage and maybe kids to support your options are much narrower.

If you want to change career and get a bike related job and you also have the opportunity to go for it then why waste time and options is my question to you.

Not telling you to jump ship but also not to be fearful of it, as the longer you leave it the harder and less feasible it will become.

Hope things work out and you make the right decision.

Blade wrote:Cav although I would never say qualifications are unimportant if there in an area you don't wish to be employed then your wasting your time pushing on to a higher level of qualification imo.

.

The counter argument is that a degree is expensive, so if someone is offering to pay for it then I would go for it. Once you have a degree there's a massive door open to you to do post graduate courses, courses which don't have to be tied to your degree but aren't available without it . So if later on down the line you want to change career again or advance in a job you're enjoying, you can do a post grad course in something to take that next step in your working life.

The work place is changing. Gone are the days where you have to be in your vocation of choice by the time you're in your 20s. Most large companies work on a 5 year plan for their staff as they expect people to move around 6 to 7 years of joining.

if you can get a degree paid for do it,I know for a fact if I had a degree I could earn twice as much money in sales but without one many companies would throw my cv in the bin even though I could do the job.You can also work in many different industries as long as you are degree educated.
Although the bike shop thing sounds romantic I would strive to get a well paid job and you can buy what you want when you want for your biking adventures

How old are you, Cav?? What Blade says is making good sense...an apprenticeship is always something to fall back on, and shows a prospective employer that you've already put some time in at a low wage to learn something....whether that something pertains to the job you're applying for is irrelevant.
The Police would be great...and it's why I asked your age. The Police will take young candidates...but just as often they prefer people with a bit of "life experience"......difficult to send some 21 year-old cop into a domestic where the wife has been effing around, the Dad is drunk, the kids are disheveled and malnourished, etc...they just have no experience to fall back on with that.
Either way...you limit your options, you limit yourself.

Just find a woman with a good job and become a BUM like me.

Being serious if you have someone thats willing to fund and education take it grab it and hold on. I could and would have been in a different job if i had a degree never did education all work experience and it gives you more weight to get a job when you need one.

rocket wrote:Just find a woman with a good job and become a BUM like me.

Now you're talkin'!!

Get the qualifications, what Perkles said re degrees and salary is dead on, both myself and Mrs Gee have looked at jobs in the past that require qualifications we don't have, it is tens of times easier to get those pieces of paper when you're young, if your employer is prepared to fund them it's a no-brainier for me.

I'm on the degree side too Cav, especially if it's getting paid for.

I wish I had done a degree myself, and as Blade pointed out once you are locked into mortgages kids etc it limits your options. I'm on good money doing what I do, and to try to do a degree now I'd spent 10-15 yrs getting back to this income level. But I have limited job satisfaction. I deal with our Offshore Engineers on a day to day basis and I can tell you i much prefer their job, and could do it as good or better. 2 out of the 3 of them have no trade background and are only book smart, so struggle to have real world solutions to issues. Also if this job ever falls over I'm going to have to drop back at least 50-60% in wages because of my certification level.

My best mate did an apprenticeship, then a diploma and then a degree in Engineering. He loves his work, and although he reckons the degree was the most useless bit of educating he completed the degree itself has opened up his opportunities beyond his trade opportunities.

Deegee wrote:Get the qualifications, what Perkles said re degrees and salary is dead on, both myself and Mrs Gee have looked at jobs in the past that require qualifications we don't have, it is tens of times easier to get those pieces of paper when you're young, if your employer is prepared to fund them it's a no-brainier for me.

I think there is a common theme to this thread, however in the meantime there is nothing stopping you writing to anyone you wish to work for and introduce yourself and your desires, who knows as the great Dell boy Trotter said "He who dares wins"

I only met you for the first time on Sunday and you are a nice guy with a head on your shoulders, and can ride a bike lol, my line of thinking is making yourself know to some of the great teams in the British Super Bike paddock, or the likes of Ohline if you love bikes and want to work in that area. I looked at their career page, all in Stockholm, but of you don't asked you wont know.
Same with the online jobs at Kawasaki, Triumph, use the channel provided of course, but also think outside the box, find out who the bosses are you need to impress and write to them as well, make yourself know. Your interview begins way before you meet anyone.
Just my two cents worth

Definitely a recurring theme... it's nice to hear all your views on this seeing as you've travelled difference paths. I think you're all right to be honest; it's wise to keep going with the education so long as I'm able (I doubt myself but seeing as the difficulty increase is incremental I should be okay).

The main reason I'm looking at a change of scenery is because, although there are a lot of job opportunities within my company, most of the products we produce are not products I think are worth the money they get for them. Essentially, I think half the stuff we produce is unnecessary, overpriced and over-complicated. It helps to have a passion for what you're working on and I just don't have that for most of the stuff here. The way the company is run isn't particularly sustainable either, sprouting losses out of our ears in most areas but there's a few divisions which hold the company above the water line by quite a margin.

Thanks for all the great suggestions... I'll have a look at those when I'm not on a work's PC, think they might get suspicious!!

FYI Cav, it came to my attention some years back that any email on our company IT system with the term "C.V." in it was flagged and reported by default to HR and the MD. Times have moved on since then and you may well find that you're closer to the truth than you think when looking at jobs available outside the company on a company computer.