Lifestyle changes - Page 10 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

t walgamuth · #**136** 09-02-2011, 05:51 AM

Now Barry! Stop with the negative waves, man.

I fear you may be right but also see hopeful signs here and there.

SwampYankee · #**137** 09-02-2011, 09:15 AM

I've got no words of wisdom, Tom. But I will keep it positive. Good luck (again

)!

Mistress · #**138** 09-03-2011, 01:46 PM

Tom- i think you'll do just fine. You always have in the past. What's with the "old goat" remark, the only old goat I know of on the forum is the one Powerpig is cooking on his grill tomorrow.

t walgamuth · #**139** 09-05-2011, 05:29 PM

Thanks Mistress!

t walgamuth · #**140** 11-23-2011, 08:37 PM

My last day at PU was October 15, 2011.

As it turns out I picked up a couple of Architecture jobs and have been working steadily on them since that time.

And I filed for soc security and I will be getting my first check in a month.

I was working in the JOC program at PU. JOC (job order contracting) is a method of delivering construction which is supposed to be significantly faster than the traditional design bid build and involves basically pricing from a cataloge by the JOC contractor and the PU PM and the JOC PM negotiating the final price. My broad background in the field of construction and my extensive business experience gives me a good chance in the negotiating game, though the contractors are pretty tough negotiators too.

About the time I was leaving PU a new round of bids were received with the purpose of hiring a couple of more JOC contractors. I wrote letters to the two new ones suggesting I could help them get their PU JOC programs rolling. I offered to work as a consultant and on a contract basis so they would not have to pay bennies. (I really don't need any).

So yesterday morning I got an email from one of the new JOC contractors, who I pitched myself to, and have started working for them preparing price proposals, which is part of what I was doing for PU but on the other side of the table. I worked getting it set up yesterday and began taking the project off and building the proposal today.

If it works out as well as it has started, it is the best of both worlds, less pressure and less hours than before at a modest decrease in income with it coming as self employment so I can write some things off and come out pretty well on it. I am working in my own office and a minimum of red tape to deal with. Further it is the part of the work I enjoyed the most and none of the infernal internal red tape like what we had at PU.

From what I can tell PU will continue to have JOC projects to hand out to this contractor as long as we do a good job for PU.

My favorite machinist often says I am the luckiest person he knows. I have to agree.

suginami · #**141** 11-23-2011, 08:42 PM

What do all the acronyms stand for?

PU = Purdue University

JOC = ?

PM = ?

t walgamuth · #**142** 11-23-2011, 09:10 PM

Sorry, I hate it when folks do that too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by suginami

What do all the acronyms stand for?

PU = Purdue University Right.

JOC = ? Job order contracting, explained in brief above.

PM = ?

Project Manager.

barry123400 · #**143** 11-24-2011, 12:44 AM

Well Tom your machinest is not exactly wrong. Except that to a certain extent the individual makes his own coincidence and circumstances.

Pricing or estimating jobs properly and landing them is a little more difficult and demanding than many on the street would realise. Even from the perspective of being a preffered contractor.

The current arrangement sounds like it may enjoy a long term productivity. The contractor is right in that familiarity with the inside of purdue people and methology is a positive factor usually.

As you also enjoy this aspect of your business is also a very positive factor. With a little good coincidence it may also grow. Most people preffer to deal with someone they know rather than strangers as well.

One way or another it sounds like a good and self enabled transition from purdue. Older guys where once obsolite from societies perspective. That is either no longer true or some of us seem to be able to capitalise on the so called aging thing.

Perhaps society has smartened up and now realises that years and years of experience are prefferable to less. Even if some age related things seem to some as handicaps. We perhaps have already made misteaks we are not as likely to repeat. Our insite has further developed as well and usually only time can enable that,.

It seems that everything I touch these days has a possible commercial spinoff if I want it. Why this was not so in earlier times I kind of understand. The pressures and stresses involved with what I was always engaged in did not allow the time to slow down and reflect or visualise properly.

I have no choice now but to delagate things as I wil not commit the time and effort for some of them.

An ex employee told me years ago. To stop working as I was doing and just tell or delagate to others what to do if it allowed me more time to visualise things. He felt that approach would ultimatly create a lot of jobs.

Today I get a glimpse of what he meant. We really do not need the money so the motavation has to be something else to move forward with any of them. I found myself just relaxing at the beach this summer for example with the wife and family dogs plus plenty of guests. Certain things on the plate did not get done. Next year I may follow with the same program.

One friend and two aquaintances passed away in the last week or so. A lady at 52, a good friend at 65, and another lady in her early 60s. It makes or heightens awareness that being here is not forever. Plus you basically have no control of it.

Yet activity even if forced of a compedative nature in commerce is still required to maintain the mind such as it is. I am a believer to not do these things is a dangerous thing. Simular to not using your muscles. They will just atrophy.So can the mind. That is the motavation to always be doing something to me that has some challenge or other..I also appreciate my wife stayng active on many fronts as well.

t walgamuth · #**144** 11-24-2011, 07:01 AM

As always, Barry, your thoughts are insightful and gentle.

Keeping active is essential to the mature person.

I remember my Uncle Glen, who had worked in the Studebaker factory as a young man who was a night watchman someplace when in his eighties. He fell on ice and broke his hip (or some other leg part) and his biggest worry was that once it healed up he might have a problem finding employment at age eighty something.

My Mrs. wants to retire and I want her to be able to step back from the stress and grind but I worry that she might veg out watching tv and playing solitare on the computer.

OTOH she may not need the diversions once retired.

God knows being a fourth grade teacher is not easy.

t walgamuth · #**145** 06-14-2012, 06:18 AM

Last year when still at Purdue, two new JOC contractors were successful bidders to be JOC contractors at PU. I obtained their contact info from my JOC cohort, who started work the same day as I did, and is ten years younger and still working at PU. I sent them both letters offering my services to help them get their JOC program rolling.

One of them was interested and I have been assembling Price Proposals for them from the JOC price catalogue.

It is Estimating with a twist. I find it a good challenge and interesting. It is interesting how things turn out. When I first came to Lafayette the job market for Architects was slowed by the Nixon recession (1974) and I worked for two years as an Estimator for a large contractor.

Its like finding an old favorite pair of shoes you forgot you had and putting them on and they still fit fine.

Between managing my building, doing this consulting and selling off spare car parts I have been as busy as I want to be and seem to have more disposable income than when working at PU with a lot of stress and a substantial salary.

And pretty much no stress.

I set my own hours and on the door of my office there are no hours of operation listed.

MS Fowler · #**146** 06-14-2012, 07:35 AM

Tom,
Glad things are looking good for you--especially the "no stress" part.

Years ago, I superintended new house construction. Parts of it I REALLY enjoyed ( meeting the new home-owners, and reviewing what we were planning to build with them, and managing the numerous crews efficiently.) But the stress of dealing with unreliable/dishonest subs nearly killed me--literally. One day. about six months after going back into my previous occupation of Construction Materials Testing, I woke up with a tremendous sense of relief--not connected with any specific event--IMO, just the lifting of all that accumulated stress. My wife also told me that I was so difficult to live with while superintending that she was within a few days a taking the kids and leaving. I never knew. I did know I was chugging Maalox, but I though I was managing it all very well. Stress is a real killer.

rs899 · #**147** 06-14-2012, 08:33 AM

Tom, I envy you. I need to find some sort of "soft landing " like that. Mentally, I have had enough of 32 years at basically the same daily grind ( buyer in the aerospace industry), but I don't really have any useful marketable skills that would allow me to make the transition away from this.

t walgamuth · #**148** 06-14-2012, 09:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rs899

Tom, I envy you. I need to find some sort of "soft landing " like that. Mentally, I have had enough of 32 years at basically the same daily grind ( buyer in the aerospace industry), but I don't really have any useful marketable skills that would allow me to make the transition away from this.

YOu may have marketable skills you are unaware of. I don't know how to help you identify them but I am sure there are people who can do that with you.

PhantomCadillac · #**149** 06-14-2012, 10:44 AM

Tom looks like you have risen when others would have falled.
I am now comtemplating a career change after 24 1/2 years. I have a chance to manage a workforce in Miami I would still be working for the same people but the difference in retirement would be 1/3 more. We are putting our House on the market soon it is a B&B at present. This will allow my wife to relax a little but she is also running for Mayor of our small town.
The plan is to sell here and maybe buy or rent till our daughter gets through school ( she is 13 now ). The years seem to go so fast. My plan is to rent in Miami and head home on the weekends it is a 4 1/2 drive not ideal but do able.
But you know the plans of mice and men so we shall see.

rs899 · #**150** 06-14-2012, 11:49 AM

PC-

I like your plan. I used to live in Miami and in Paisley and I think you will be better off in Umatilla...