Jobs In The Offshore Industry???
 

Just want to get some input on how to go about looking for a career in this business. I would really like to start with a boat manufacturer in florida. I recently paid off my truck and my credit cards, so all i have left now is my boat which i owe about 11k on. Looking to try and get that knocked down in the next year by doubling payments. I am single and I really looking into picking up my things and making the move. I have been here at BMW as a wholesale parts manager for 6 years and now that I'm close to debt free, I feel its the best time to make a change, and I'm turning 30 this year. Just looking for personal opinions on steps I should take to try and pursue this career change. thanks for listening.

You are going about a career change correctly by getting debt free. Be carefull. Making your hobby your job can suck the fun out of it. I was service/parts manager at a high performance marina. By the end of the season I was ready to get rid of my boat.

www.navsurvey.com
be your own boss.. study from home, pass the course, register and THEN move.. find you a surveyor working down there and get an internship or assistant position.. Some of these big boats take a couple of days to survey. Even if its a desk job helpin put together the survey. You'll meet a ton of people involved in the industry and start gatherin names and numbers. Thats how I did it.. Gave up to work for the family business but that was plan b.

the way the economy is going and the slow boat sales, re-po man comes to mind

LOL.............DITTO

Zimm,

Man, I hate to rain on your parade, too, because without passion their is no performance-boat industry. But right now, the high-performance industry on the whole is struggling. New boat sales are off by more than 50 percent at some companies. More than one builder has had lay-offs. Many dealers have a glut of used inventory and unsold new models from 2007.

Right now at least, go-fast boat manufacturing, and pretty much anything to do with it, is not a growth industry.

You are really, really smart in the way you've positioned yourself for a potential career change. The best thing you can do now, in my view, is bide your time, stick with what you're doing and keep your eye on the industry and the economy as a whole. It'll come around. For now, though, the news ain't good.

if you are a wholesale parts manager for a BMW dealer at 30 years old. you need to stick with that.....

i would have to belive you have job security ,benifits ,401 plan or something and some perks too..

you paid a truck off and are credit card free that is a good spot to be in. if i were you i would hold off and see what happens in the marine industry over the next 18 months or so..save as much money up as you can. and research..

read up on the industry , not just powerboats http://www.proboat.com/

click on "digital issues" and you can read the whole magazine..







with the layoffs at some plants ,others being bought out and shut down ..i'd watch and see. don't f up a good thing that you have right now..

you will always make money in parts...

thanks, i really appreciate it, my first goal, like i said is to be debt free, which should happen shortly, i think....about a year or so..i'm not doing this because this is my hobby, my big hobby is motorcyles, then my jet boat....i was told by my brother as well to never make your job your hobby for that reason GO4BROKE, or get your money and honey from the same place. I use to work for Blazer power boats, fishing and center console boat builder in pensacola, i was their head rigger for over a year, although it was all outboards.......i would love to get into the rigging side, maybe even pursue a mercury cert first before i even look into going to florida....has anyone hired people and sponsored them for this? i just love being around good people, small to medium size companies and water.....thanks again for your input, please keep it coming. this has always been a dream for me and I want to pursue it to prove to myself dreams can come true reguardless of the market and sales....to find a job supporting my mortgage and waking up every morning with a smile, seems to be the life for me :drink:

follow your heart.



money and material objects cannot enhance your true inner piece.




if your happiness and passion merge you will truly be content.

i know thats it and the only thing holding me back was my debt (damn toys :). i have tried very hard in the last 4 years to take care of this and its paying off. I just love the sport and people that support it. hopefully looking at about 18 months or so.....should i go through with the merc cert before thinking of doing this?.

If you get into repo work make sure you have the proper paperwork or stay 100 miles away from the boat

Do you want to turn wrenches? Most dealerships will pay for certification training. As you might imagine, the will also pay more for a technician that is already certified.

Mercury offers some very good training for service and parts management. However, you must be sponsored by a dealership owner to attend. That doesn't mean that there aren't dealerships who would be happy to sponsor you while you are on your own. Just that you will have to pay your own way.

Best wishes to you.

T

I would love to be turning wrenches, re-powering boats, rigging outdrives etc. I guess I need to get myself payment free first, take a week or two off when that happens and setup schedule and map out all the dealers and boat businesses around a general area in florida. Then get a rent a car and make the tour stopping by filling out applications and talking with people. Then once I find one, I can drag my bikes, boat and garage tools down and then start looking for a place to live. thanks guys for the input, guess its time to hunker down a little harder in this back stretch. take care, I'm sure you hear me around here lurking.

Give Nor-Tech a call, they are extremely busy .

rotflmao

It's a crazy biz. You sure you're up to it? You have no idea

Zimm -

Sub-lease yourself a little spot, create an LLC and go into the rigging biz yourself...as a PART-TIME freelance rigger. Use the $$$ from your BMW job and no debt to fund the start-up and keep it small. You will be able to set-up accounts with many of the players in the industry and get a taste of the biz without jumping in totally.

You can advertise and do re-pair work, but I suggest researching the internet, papers, etc. for project boats that are solid in need of rigging. Do the work then flip. There will always be a market for people that want a turn-key boat and the economy is filled with boats that can be had FAR below current market value (if they were completed).

Most of all HAVE FUN with your venture. As many have mentioned, you walk a fine-line when you cross hobbies with career choice.

thanks, thats great info right there. the only thing i see is that trying to stay at bmw and start a side business would be great, but I feel the market here in northern va is alot less than in sunny warmer climates. though the chesapeake bay is pretty close. great thoughts though, I will def take them into consideration, i would love to do that rigging on the side and start a LLC.

i myself went to school for accounting.
i presently own a small family inherited buisness. collision/ auto repair, and i repeat small..
i have 3 children.
i went from top notch place to top notch place until i opened my own performance shop which lasted almost 4 years until i decided any buisness is not as important as my family.
i then sat home for a year to process a direction i wanted to take for the long run. soon there after i decided to join a truly honorable and wonderful orginazation in which i presently work for.
i my self could not be happier. i love my family, i love my job, i love my life.
i get up every day knowing that i am going to enjoy my work smelling fuel , listening to that rapture of big block engines and the sweet smell of the salt air with the wind in my face on bay tests. and when i get home enjoy my time with the fam because i took the time to find the right job with the right people so i canafford the lifestyle i want.

i dont regret the time hesitating and analizing what truly made me happy.

listen to your heart and let your mind sort out the details.

best of luck to you,,,,

I suggest starting in south Florida where it rains every hour in the summer, leave your wrenches in the sun and you can fry your morning eggs on them, find a place to test that is not a manattee zone, stay inside and sell bimmer parts.

There was paperwork????????????

Isn't there a thread for this already? If you want to poke him, give him a call- I PM'ed his number to you. Let's focus on the kid.

Good advice so far. Depending on where you end up, you can find a satisfying and lucrative career in this biz. You have to decide where your talents lie before that's going to happen. Becoming a Merc certified tech is no different than becoming a Ford certified master tech. It takes alot of time, talent and effort. If you're not an exceptional mechanic at your present age, you likely won't become one. If you are, then that might be the career path for you. Rigging is all about incredible detail and a substantial amount of vision and artistry. You're making something from scratch and doing it many times without a blueprint. Again, you have to find out if you have the talent, not just the desire. Working for a manufacturer doing this type of work is a stepping stone, not a career. It will tell you if you have the skills to do more than assembling the same thing, the same way every time. If not, you have a 9-to-5 factory job, not an exciting career. You say you're in wholesale parts- maybe that's a good stepping stone. There are plenty of vendors out there selling the parts and accessories for all these boats. Frankly, that might be your best bet. Before you start making any real money on the hands-on side of the business, you'll need years of skill, experience and reputation, not to mention the $$ for a facility and equipment to do this work. The "business" side of the biz can generate a nice income and is a great way for you to move up fast.

Whatever you decide, good luck.

Call Terry at Nortech. I hear he's ready to retire.:D

EXACTALLY!! I'm not trying to make my way up to the top or try to compete with these big heavy hitters out there, I just want to start with a foot in the door, just being around this enviroment, and knowing every morning when i get to work I am going to giggle like a kid, smile, and be happy to be there doing what it takes.

that is a great point, I feel I have enough skills and the ability to learn as quickly as the best. Frankly, the wholesale parts biz for me is more behind a desk, with a nextel, or on the phone with customers trying to please them, discount things that during the transaction something was a bit off, its just a really big headache, and the customers i deal with at BMW just add to that headache. not to mention my delivery drivers who are out sourced and hardly speak english....then minimum wage parts pullers who dont even have a common sense about car parts. they dont know the difference between a shock or a strut... I was in the boat biz for a while and LOVED it, this wholesale biz over the last 5 years has just been digging at me and not a good way...

I spent almost ten years working whatever job would pay the most money so that I could build engines and mess around with boats. I worked in many different fields of the marine and mechanical industry and made a lot more money then I am now, but it was a compromise. Three years ago at 29 I went on my own because all I wanted to do was build engines even though there's no market for it here. Right now I'm looking at a half dozen motors on stands, a 25' Donzi, and a 9 second street car in my shop. I live upstairs, I only have enough money to pay my bills and keep the heat on, and have never been happier. Gotta follow your heart..
Alex

What is wrong is a guy who does this with a wife and kids. If you want to be a circus performer, I'm all for it, as long as it's just you. These people who decide to "find themselves" at 30 or so with kids at home - I don't respect that at all. You take on the responsibilities of a family, your first and foremost responsiblity is to provide for them. Career happiness is WAY down the list.

I hear that. I can barely take care of a dog! :D
Zimm did say he was single though, and if you're gonna try different chit out you might as well do it before you start to look back on life with regrets. Every year goes by a little quicker..

Amen.

I was in a very similar position as you back in 2000. I've always had a burning fire in my belly for fast boats going back to when I was a boy. When I moved to Maine I fell back on my hobby to make a living and I've never been happier!

Working in the marine industry has not diminished my passion for performance boats one bit, if anything it's enhanced it even more with being surrounded by the newest and latest constantly.

If it wasn't for me working in the industry, I could never afford to attend all the poker runs, races and Key West worlds year after year. It's now my job to attend these events and they pay me to do it. :cool-smiley-027:

Best of luck zimm,

Kurt from Konrad

Yea im single, and not even a g-friend now. i feel that if im going to change career paths, this should be the time to do so. that way i am not putting anybody else except for myself at risk. thanks again all you guys for support and sharing your feelings about this.

well trying to time my next move, since i paid all debts two years ago and moved to hawaii staying with BMW, Im working on making my move back to the states (mainland) within the 2011 calendar year.

so hows the insdustry now? think i will have any luck looking into getting a job with a high performance boat company? I dont even mind starting out sweeping floors and cleaning up to get my foot in the door and show what I'm worth and willing to do.

Being single with no bills gives me unlimited freedom on movement/placement.

What do you think, try it and put out some app's? Hawaii is great, just a very small place and repetitive activities every weekend....I'm looking at putting my gear head towards boats again rather beamers...

please put in your $.02 or for some here $1 worth of advice :drink:


Aloha

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