Alright I need some OSO advice...
 

Hopefully this thread don't get moved it has to do something with water.

Gotta little predicament and I was hoping some of the fellow OSOer's could give a little advice!

Alright here it goes... I'm 18 and just about to graduate from High school.. Ever since I've been brought up around boating I have truly loved the sport... and now as the time come to choose what I would like to do with my future it comes a little uncertain..

I've been offered to come work for a company called "Florida Marine USA" They seem to be a very large marina specializing in yacht refinishing and repair. It's a great opportunity that I don't think I could pass down. They are located just North of West Palm Beach, Florida. I've past through the area once before on are way to pick a boat up in Miami, and it seems like it would be a great place to live and work.

There's another opportunity that's still afloat... I have family and friends that live in the Destin,Florida area. They have mention the opportunity that I could come work for my uncle that has a thriving business in that area. Then I could also work in a marina in my spare time.

I'm leaving for Destin next Thursday on my spring break to once again check out that area. Then the first week of June I plan on being in the West Palm area.

My family up here in the North thinks it's a great opportunity that I should not let pass me by. (I think so also!) But I was wondering what the fellow OSO family would have some advice or comments!!

Thanks for reading my predicament! :D


-David

Hey David... nothing is ever "chiseled in stone"... I'd suggest you take the job at Florida Marine Usa... you would learn how they refinish boats... and how they do business. I'm sure you would get a lot of the "starter"..... ie: " Sh!t jobs"... being the "new guy" and also inexperienced... but look at this opportunity as not being an "employee"... but a stealth spy in learning how they do business... how the work is performed.. where they buy their materials... any "secret processes".. these are the things no company will just "tell you"... you have to work there to learn these things... pay attention and keep your eyes and ears open.. if you want a career in boating or operating a marina this will be invaluable... keep your plans secret and your eyes open.Don't look at this job as the "end all" to a career in boating. If there are employees that have been there for years... you won't have an oportunity for advancement... but a great oportunity to learn. You can always go to work for a relative later... or choose another oportunity.

I did the same thing at 19. I would get a job at a performance boating shop and start on the ground floor there. Who knows what the future will be for you in 10 yrs. if you truly love your work. If things don't work out, I'm sure the family in Destin would always be there as a back up. My opinion is to make the move and see what happens. WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO LOSE?? :fish:

You will only know if it's a good opportunity if you take it...otherwise it's a lost opportunity :D . That probably didn't help you a bit.

You are still young so there will be some screw ups but the less the better. I will give you some advice now that someone gave me when I was starting college that I still think holds true: You can work hard for the next 4 years and play for the rest of your life or you can play for the next 4 years and work like a dog the rest of your life.....translation....The more you play now the harder you will have to work later in life. The harder you work now the more you will be able to play later in life. :)

Wise words... :D

I agree, what about college bro'? Getting into boating now is cool and all, but a higher education will get you behind the wheel of your fav. boat as an owner, vs. a mechanic! I worked part time thru college for various marinas and loved it!! Did boats shows as a sales guy, worked in the service dept. doing new set ups and installs of electronics, learned a ton, had a bunch of fun, got to take out all the best boats for demos, and got a good education from school on top of it all. I even went into the family business after for several years and now have been out in the "public" sector for four years and I'm making a great living in high-tech.

Dude, think about it hard and consider school, it may seem like a bit of a barrier to where you want to be, but overall - it will do you a world of good down the road!!!

Great quote / thought clearcut3!!:

You can work hard for the next 4 years and play for the rest of your life or you can play for the next 4 years and work like a dog the rest of your life.

There are no guarantees, I know but... don't be the dog bro' - hit the books!;) :)

My best advice, Take the Marina job and attend college while working there. You can take the knowledge you gain from the marina and be able to apply it to working on offshore boats at some point. If you find that you really enjoy working on boats, you can then take classes at college that will give you the knowledge to run a company or do sales, marketing, management or something for a boat company and make some money while you play with boats at work and home. Looking back on things now, I kinda wish that I would have taken a different major at college but hey, whats in the past is in the past. And for working with family. It can be problematic. My family owns a small marina back in Pittsburgh and while running it/working at it is great, business differences usually spill over into the family side of it. Keep the job with your uncle in your back pocket as something you can fall back on. Take these next several years and work at the marina while attending school. You will figure out soon enough on your own which direction you want to go.

Don't know what your uncle's business is but I'd go for the yacht repair. You'll learn skills and techniques that will be useful later. If your family is like mine, the position at your uncle's place will be there when you're ready.

My dad owned two large machine shops for over 40 years. He always wanted me to join the "family business", but I had other ideas. I pursued those interests and 4 tears later, when I was ready, a position in his shop was created for me. Yes, I started at the bottom. I cleaned bathrooms, emptied trash, cleaned the offices, and was given every dirty job that nobody else wanted to do. I later worked with the shops quality inspector learning how to check parts and read the instruments. Moved on to various machines and started my apprenticeship. I'm now a Journeyman Machinist. I also was given an opportunity to learn welding. Became a certified pipe welder. I then taught myself how to TIG weld and became certified at that too. Later I took classes in electronics and various engineering studies.
My current position allows me to use all my skills. Not many people have an opportunity like that.

Take the job a Florida Marine USA. Learn every thing you can.
And when somebody asks you to do something you've never done before don't say "I can't do that" or "I don't know how". You always say "sure!.....I've never done that before but if somebody shows me how I'd love to learn". You'd be surprised how much employers love employees that like to learn new things. Never be afraid to learn something new.

Thanks for all the reply its great to hear all the different thoughts!

Reed- It's like what my Grandfather said "You gotta steal the knowledge" I've work lots of different jobs while in school from landscaping to putting in irrigation systems to now working at a bank. It would be great knowledge to learn how to work with these boats.

DT24- Really I don't have a thing to lose! I'm young and have nothing holding me back!

ClearCut- Your advise is very true! My parents have taught me from a young age the harder you work now the better you will have it when your older! I'm not putting my friends down but I see how some of them are working in factories to support there toys. I told myself that I did not want to be in that situation this time next year! I'd be willing to work hard now and have little and have more later.

DoTheMath- School is very important to me I come from a educated family Mother,Father,Sister so on. I'm not waying out school, I just don't want to go to a 4 year college and party it away. I would like to work, establish residency in Florida and then pursuer a college degree. I know in todays society it can be extremely hard to get any job w/o a degree!

Hopefully you can read this trying to type and work at the same time! :rolleyes: OSO takes over you life haha!:p

Sooner or later you'll need that college edeucation.

Well said but may I add, choose carefully your course of study. There are a lot of political science degree holders working in dead end jobs that have nothing to do with their degrees. While a degree in the history of the english language might look good on the wall, its pretty much useless in the real world. Thin about what you want to do for the rest of your working life, then choose schooling to further your aspirations, not just suck up 4 years and lots of money.

I might have missed this but what type of business does your uncle have?

I know I will attend college. It's just i'm uncertain of what I want to go into. I don't want to get a degree or attend school and absolutely hate what I'm doing. I would like to find out what I enjoy doing and then pursue a degree in that. Right now I do know that I like working with people, and extremely enjoy working with boats(Offshore boats in particular) but being around any type of boat and the water would be great. I know thats it is easier said then done, but I will go to school once I find a niche that I enjoy doing.

Many employers would rather hire employees from trade schools than from colleges, less partying, more hands on and less time spent. Usually you have a job before you complete your training, and the gov. will pay for most of your tuition. You have a loooong time to go. Look around you, who are the people you look up to the most in your area that you'ed like to take after? then find out what they do and pursue that if it interests you. Your probably going to change professions at least 3 times in your life take your chances until your satisfied and never give up or be afraid to loose, remember Donald Trump went bankrupt 11 times before he made his first million!!

Somebody once told me...the students he hired from tech schools had real hands on knowledge but couldn't think outside of the box. The students from colleges had the theoretical knowledge but no experience. He liked to hire the tech school guys because they would work for less $$ than college guys and he would do the thinking for them.

There is a reason for that though. Most of the tech schools teach hands on items. In todays society, when you are hands on, it generally means less pay. Sorry guys, but today blue collar generally makes less than white collar. There is always the exception, but usually it's the blue collar guy who can use his melon.

I think we are getting to the point in society where you must have an education. Doesn't matter if it's a masters in political science. You just have to be able to put down some degree on your resume. Of course, blue collar jobs don't have resumes.

Do you get where I'm going?

Yes, I do get where your going.. It's sad to say but in most cases if you don't have a degree they wont even look at you. I don't know how many lecturers I have gone through from my mother and father, about how important it is to obtain a college degree..

Although there are people out there who are very successful with out ever stepping a foot in a college class room. I personally think you can make a very decent living by running your own business or doing what you love to do with ever getting higher education. I personally know some people who have worked very hard for them selves and live a nice life with out the education.

But unless your lucky or like working at subway you really do need a higher education.

-David

Let's not forget the 13 million daddy left him before he got going...:eek:

My ex wife works at a university and her dept spends tons of money on research about jobs and such for the govt......now considering the amount of people leaving the job at the current rate due to retirement etc , the current enrollment rate against expected demand in the next 15 years the most in demand job in the next 15yrs bar none will be..............auto mechanic. And that trend shows no signs of changing. Now you know what happens when demand is high and supply is short...wages go Up. I see that at my own company.
Not surprising some of the high end car companies like BMW and Mercedes are starting their own grass roots technician schools.
She says typically parents have dreams of their children being accountants or lawyers not tradesman and send their kids to school accordingly but the need for accountants and especially lawyers(!!) etc is drying up.
This all spoken from a tradesman.......
In a trade you walk in off the street, you make money (not much) while your learning but accumulate no debt and after 5 yrs you are a journeyman and at top rate........guaranteed....not satisfied with top rate....open your own business and the sky is the limit.
In a white collar job you go to school make no money and accumulate debt but generally start out at a higher rate of pay when you actually start working (2 to 10 yrs......??) provided you can find a job in your field (and there is no guarantee of that).....not satisfied with your rate of pay?....open your own business and the sky is the limit......doug

- Doug
It's my opinion that in today's society working for your self you will make more money then working for a company..But in turn you gotta deal with alot more.. You just cant go to work for 8 to 5 and be over with it. But to start and run you own business you gotta learn every you can and to your best ability. If you start young though you can learn these trades and like you said the sky is the limit!

$0.02 Worth
 

I am in the Destin area. There are really no schools here to bragg about - There is a community college.

Dont really know about the So FL schools.

IN either choice, watch and learn the business end of whats going on. You can do that while sweeping floors and asking questions. I learned more by asking questions and listening at your age. I was holding a shovel on construction jobs and going to school. By 22 I was the youngest field engineer & assistant PM in the company assigned to a major parking structure & hospital addition.

School? Take any business courses or accounting.
Position yourself to work for you.

Remember, as a teenager Too Old walked into a Burger King, and the rest is history.

Hey kid... I'll give you on bit of advice that I wish someone had told me years ago.... You cannot make any real money hourly.... I don't care if you have a degree... two degrees.. three degrees... whether you are a doctor or a lawyer... there is a simple fact that we all have to live by.... THERE ARE ONLY SO MANY HOURS IN A DAY YOU CAN WORK. Of course the Lawyer makes $300.00 dollars and hour... some doctors make $3,000.00 for a single operation... out of the money they make they have to pay expenses... Malpractice insurance... office fees.... etc etc... but the bottom line is they are ruled by time... just like anyone... To make any real money.. you have to either manufacture and sell something... or just sell something... Donald Trump manufactures housing and real estate... then either leases or sells it... The thing first and foremost you want to study in college... and I don't care if you make it your major or just study it... you have to get some understanding of business .. how it operates... banking ... etc... You can have the best business idea in the world... the best product invented... but if you don't know how to manage a business... the competition will eat you alive... Business is nothing less than swimming with sharks. You need a sharp knife to defend yourself from the sharks.. That knife is some business classes... I studied engineering in college... while I really should have been studying business too. If you love boating and someday want to make a living at it... you will want to be the boss... being an employee is fine for a while... but there is nothing more rewarding than having the reins in your hands... and if you don't know how to control the reins.. the horses bolt and the carriage will tip over... get my drift? Don't go to college with the thinking it will get you a job... go to college to gain the knowledge on how to run a business for yourself. Then whatever you choose to do .. if won't be such a struggle.

22 or 23 will come before you know it. this has got to be the best wise saying i have ever read!!! now if only someone would have pounded it into my thick head 16 years ago:D oh well, got 3 cars to paint today:rolleyes: :D :D