Question for Plumbers/gasfitters.Work related

[Tekmar1]

I was just wondering if any other plumbers out there feel the way I do about the job.I have been plumbing/gasfitting now for 11 years(Service work only),and I can't stand my job anymore.Now I should say that I work on average about 45-65 hous a week depending on the work that week.I tried to cut down on my jobs but even if I try to work 40 hours a week I still don't like it.I am tired of dealing with customers who complain about the bill(even though sometimes I tell them the price before hand).

Here is the situation I got myself into,I make good money working with a good employer but if I quit I will be in serious finacial trouble because I will not get a job as high paying as I have now.So I guess I am wondering if this has happened to anyone else,and what did you do to get back what you use to love doing.

P.S.-Not sure if this is the right place to post this but there are alot of plumbers around here.

[master plumber mark]

everyone gets burnt out doing this....

I had some great guys working for me years ago
that thought the grass was greener working
somewhere else but they never set any goals for themselves...

one guy I tried to encourage him to get his plumb lisc. but
he would never do it.....

the last I heard, the fellow is "drying out" down in Kentucky delivering pizzas....


So to keep yourself happy

the only goal I could advise you to do if you already have not

is to get your Masters --Contractors lisc... and think about going into business for yourself...

that certainly changes your viewpoint...

[Gary Swart]

Life's a bitch and then you die! There's no such thing as a perfect job where you never get tired of at least some parts of it. Suck it up, and go on with your life. Be glad you have a trade/skill that you can use to make a decent income. There's alot of guys that would love to trade places with you.

[Cookie]

Gary that is not true. Life is not a bitch and then you die. It is to live, and the true measurement of how well we live our lives is by how happy we are and the good we do for others.

[jimbo]

Have you taken some vacation recently? I find the stress level builds up after a long stretch with no time off. Plan something....anything. I like to just get up and go.....anywhere. Recently drove to San Antonio, TX for a Navy ship reunion. Did the Grand Canyon, meteor crater, etc. etc. on the way out. Just fun, and no work!

[Cal]

Cookie ,,,, No disrespect intended ,,, you better stay out of this one ," Without expierence , there is no true knowledge"

Dude ,

Understand what you are saying. There are days when every muscle hurts , we banged our head ,knee wrist & elbow to the point of swelling BEFORE mourning coffee and what do you have to thank you ,,,,Some plumber wannabe , do-it-yourselfer climbing up your ass over a few bucks !

Remember early on when it was all new and fun to learn ? A hard days work was the thing that made ya grin on the ride home after work.

Whether someone said "Thank you " or " You saved my day" didn't really matter 'cause you know YOU DID !

These are good things. If they don't float your boat anymore ,,, find something that does.

But you'll ALWAYS be a Plumber .

Good luck

Cal

[Cookie]

That is right, I don't work. Read my post under Mensa. No offense taken, since, yer right I aint no plumber. Guess you got to be plumber to know what work is.

[Cal]

No Mam'

I just meant the man is burnt out ON PLUMBING work . It's something that can only be expierienced after doing it EVERYDAY for years . Same as anyone else's job ,,, just our field of expertise.

C

[Cookie]

I got the same sentiments from what he wrote, which is why I posted what I did under Mensa, giving him some information, cause knowledge is power, no matter which or what field you are in. By the way, I have noticed in any field, if you are not happy with what you are doing, usually you don't do your best, and that is not fair to anyone.

[RioHyde]

Tekmar, I know what you're talking about....I guess most of us do. I came up through the ranks doing commercial work. A friend of mine started a service business and asked me to come aboard. I did so and after three years of doing service plumbing I was completely burnt out on it...I mean to a crisp. It got to the point that I didnt even want to get out of bed in the morning. Just the thought of my feet hitting the floor and having to deal with customers made me want to literally throw up. I went back to commerical plumbing and found that enjoyment in my job that had been missing. Now, I'm not saying that I regret the three years working in service plumbing. I dont. In fact, I learned ALOT while doing it. However, and thank God for this, some people are cut out for service and some for commerical...some for both. You could give the commerical end of things a try and see what you think. After all, even if you find (as I did) that the change just isnt you, you can always go back to service.

Just a thought.

Good luck man

[Randyj]

Tekmar... I am definitely experienced at burn out and not being appreciated. I'm no youngin' either. I got into plumbing to get away from everything else. I LOVE plumbing but don't like working for other people/companies. I spent 8 1/2 years working for a manufacturing company where I started sweeping floors and ended up as plant manager who trained several of my bosses including the company owner. I never was paid 1/2 what I should have been and that is not just imagination talking. I was replaced by a guy who worked for 40% less than I was making and he lasted 6 months...just long enough for my boss to steal all of the accounts he brought with him. I got into the retail business but was constantly confronted with female employees trying to make out with me to get their better benefits and no one wanted to work after they had been there for a few weeks. Customers were always telling me how much they could get something for at the flea markets or Walmart. Finally, defeated and depressed I tucked my tail between my legs and spent 4 years getting my plumbing license on my own. I had the skills and knowledge from doing maintenance work here and there but still have had very little experience working for a plumbing company. The short job I had was thru a temp agency and we did a heck of alot of commercial work in the 3 months there. Within two weeks I hated the job and did not like many of the typical construction worker types that I had to work with. I'll do any kind of work people hire me to do but enjoy the plumbing and tile the most and I know most about those (and am a good auto and outboard mechanic). I'm totally independent and I love that .... before I was in the pet shop and feed store business and loved that for 13 years... At least now I'm in a field that I can run out of a van or pick up truck, have a very small overhead, no employees, and few customers...and still make a living working 2 or 3 days a week. Working for myself and mostly just small jobs I make as much in one or two days as I've ever made working overtime for someone else ...BUT... there is a heck of alot of risk that goes with it...absolutely no security! I like the small jobs because recovering from losing $50 is a heck of alot easier than recovering from getting ripped off for $5,000 OR MORE! Most people I know face some degree of burn out. I've probably had 20-30 jobs in my lifetime but I know others who can get up every morning to be a zombie at some comfortable job with a few perks... I'm not one of them. I have to have a change of pace and am easily bored.... I love learning and doing new and different things. I couldn't handle driving in the same circle day after day after day... but I know people who have done it for 40 years.... they retire, get a company pin, live maybe 6 months and die.... I'll probably do like my dad... work till the day I die...and wouldn't want it any other way.

Maybe you need to discuss the burn out issue with your employer and ask him/her to help you find a solution for it.

[master plumber mark]

Once back in the late 70s I had a commercial plumbing construction job where I actually
had to wake up my drunk boss every few mornings...

that taught me something...about burn out....and the job did not last too long


Randi...... I agree with you %100

yes thier is some risk in running your own business
but once you blast off, it dont really take much to keep you in orbit..

On average I make more in one or two days than many
peopel make in a month...

I choose what I do, I dont DIG anymore..
I dont do commerical work,

I have not used a plate tamper or jumping jack in 35 years.....
I can pick and choose what I do .....


So......When ever I get the blues,

all I got to do is think about when I used to have to wake
up my drunk fat assed boss on Fridays
to sign my paycheck....



that gets me back on track....

[Randyj]

This is what I look at every time I walk out my front door.... takes away any motivation to get a real job... It is a seasonal reservoir lake. In the spring and summer all of that sand is covered with water. Water level is down about 12 ft at this time.

[Dunbar Plumbing]

Every once in a while I get to a burnout stage but then I realize how good I truly have it. I'm a business owner and that makes some of the luxuries of self employment okay but the constant spending is wearing thin. I wish I could slow it down but in true business sense, I can't.

I really appreciate all the advice I gathered on this site with credit cards though, priceless. I ran a card last night at 4 in the morning that otherwise if I would of said no.....I would of been $350 poorer for replacing a sump pump in the middle of the night. They got a check valve too if that helps.


When you start dreaming about doing plumbing, it's time to step away for a bit and take a V K.

Going into business is a risk all to it's own, better have a largely padded bank account or at least available funds through a cc to get through the monthly operation costs. << If you are legit you have to follow that logic.

Even though I did good doing a service call on my own accord last night,
I lost a call at 11:00am because I was sound asleep, I lost another call at 4pm because the guy had a 2 month old State Aurora tankless water heater that wasn't working << shelled that one away like it was a deadly disease.

I lost another one at 8:30pm because I was 4, yes 4 minutes in delay of calling the number back as I was on the phone taking a personal call.


Oh well, people don't have patience and neither do I. No point of chasing the call because then it looks out of desparation and that certainly isn't my pipe to smoke.

If you want security, tie into a company that will tube feed you work until you establish a customer base. Remember though, if that company who gets you work has a change of heart, you better be prepared for the customer base you now lack.

I put in a really solid week, 8 days and even though my left hand is partially numb, my right hand is sore, my back hurts and I look like rotten potatoes,

I love my profession and I'll do it all over starting tomorrow morning at 8:30 disconnecting a kitchen sink from a granite countertop. I guess the granite guys like replacing their product twice since they can't figure out how to do it right the first time.

[master plumber mark]

I see from your last post that you

are finding the plastic to work out pretty

good at 4 in the morning...

I have found that most people would rather give
me a master card over a check almost 75% of the time....

what has your batting average been so far???